You may know wa-gashi (和菓子, Japanese sweets) but do you know da-gashi (駄菓子)? Though best known for its traditional, refined confectioneries, Japan has its own unique selection of cheap and novelty candy that is as terrible, weird, wonderful, and cavity-inducing…
The Expat's Guide to Japan
Everything you need to know about living and working in Tokyo & Yokohama
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Wa no Akari x Hyakudan Kaidan
If you’d like a taste of summer culture from across Japan, look no further than the Wa No Akari x Hyakudan Kaidan exhibition at Meguro Gajoen. Running until the 2nd of September, the event showcases paper lanterns and other illuminations…
Eco Edo Art Aquarium 2015
Art and life are intertwined this summer at Eco Edo Nihonbashi Art Aquarium, running at Nihonbashi Mitsui Hall in Tokyo. Featuring hundreds of live goldfish in uniquely shaped aquariums, the exhibition is the brainchild of Tokyo-born aquarium designer, Hidetomo Kimura.…
Tanabata Matsuri
Perhaps the most evocative of Japan’s annual matsuri (祭り, festivals) , tanabata (七夕) marks the beginning of the summer festival season. Closely linked with the stars, tanabata is celebrated by the writing of wishes on strips of paper, which are…
Shima Onsen
A four-hour bus ride away from Tokyo, overflows with nostalgic charm as well as healing spring waters. The unique hot spring experience found here continues to draw visitors to this isolated spot, deep in the mountains of Gunma Prefecture. The…
Ski Resorts near Tokyo
Every winter, Japan’s mountainous region is transformed into a snow-filled landscape providing great opportunities for winter sports. Known worldwide for its characteristic dry and powdery snow, the Japanese and internationals alike flock to the slopes of Japan’s numerous ski resorts.…
Trip – Shimane and Tottori
Off the beaten path and a little exotic, the San-in Coast offers both the Japanese quintessential temple experience and something a little more unique. Located on the lower western coast of Honshu, the Shimane and Tottori prefectures may not have…
“Made in Japan: 400 Years of Nambu Tekki Ironware”
Japanese handmade crafts have always received international acclaim for their fine quality and simple beauty. Japan’s long tradition of crafting everything from swords, cutting knives, and ceramics to fabrics and woodwork has had a tremendous influence on the world in…
Kamakura Koyo Drive
Kamakura (鎌倉) is a coastal town in Kanagawa Prefecture, which used to be the capital in 12th and 13th century Japan. It’s about an hour driving south of Tokyo. It has a whopping 65 temples and 19 shrines, along with…
Edo-Tokyo Museum Reopens
What is that looming structure, slightly reminiscent of a walker from the Star Wars saga, poised to beam down the Ryogoku Kokugikan (sumo hall)? Yes, it is the Edo-Tokyo Museum, which reopened to the public on March 28 after renovations.…
If you’re asked to a Japanese wedding
June in Japan is a month with a lot of weddings. Though the image of a sunny wedding may be at odds with a season of perpetual rain and clouds due to the ‘plum rains’, as you might expect many…
Hunting Fireflies
The end of May and throughout June is firefly season in Japan. Beginning with the genjibotaru (ゲンジボタル, laciola), you can spot many different varieties of fireflies near clear streams. Firefly viewing is a time-honored tradition and one of the features…
Rocking Out Without Ropes: Bouldering in Tokyo
Over the past few years the number of bouldering gyms in the heart of Tokyo has increased, along with the number of people discovering a great sport they can do on the way home from work. As you only need…
Jimbocho: Heaven for book lovers
One of the largest secondhand book markets in the world is centered on the intersection of Yasukuni-Dori and Hakusan-Dori in the Kanda district of Tokyo. Known as Tokyo’s book town, Jimbocho (神保町) is home to a concentration of over 170…
Trip to Eastern Akita (3) – Lake Tazawa and Kakunodate
Lake Tazawa (Tazawako) Leaving Tsurunoyu Onsen, we travelled further into the mountains. After about 30 minutes, we suddenly caught sight of the blue of a lake through the spaces in the trees. As the car left the mountain forest, our…
Trip to Eastern Akita (2) – Nyuto Onsen
Following dinner, we set out from Misato-cho for , about an hour and 15 minute drive by car. Our ryokan, a single structure called , maintained a modern appearance amidst the rustic onsen village, situated in a lush forest at…
Michi no Eki: Japan’s Roadside Stations
Japan’s toll-based kōsokudōro (高速道路, expressways) stretch the length and breadth of the country, offering faster and more direct routes between cities than ippandōro (一般道路, regular roads). To make cross-country road journeys more manageable, the expressways have regular service areas with…
Satokagura: Folk Stage Performance Comes Alive at Saitama Kaikan
If represents Buddhism and high art, and the secular theatre, , and specifically , is the theatre of Shinto and of the countryside. Because of this, it seems fitting that tonight’s performance, while although not held at a shrine, is…
Sadogashima (Sado Island)
Sado Island might appear small on the map but its separation from the mainland, as well its diversity of terrain and abundance of nature make it seem much larger than it looks. From the port in Niigata – two hours…
New Entries into the UNESCO World Heritage List
Amidst the seemingly endless string of bad news that has centered around the Tohoku region of Japan, a recent decision by UNESCO manages to bring hope and pride back to the citizens of the disaster stricken area. In June 2011,…
Are there electronics that can be used back home?
Japanese electric/broadcast specifications differ from most other countries, which prevents you from using appliances from your home country. Unfortunately, 99% of the products sold in Japan are designed according to Japanese specifications with instruction manuals in Japanese only. Sony Overseas…
Daikanyama: Shibuya’s Stylish Laid Back Sister
For many first time visitors to Japan, Tokyo is usually defined by the major stations on the Yamanote Line. Shinjuku for department stores and skyscrapers, Harajuku and Shibuya for a glimpse at Japanese youth culture, Akihabara for electronics, games and…
Cool Food – A Guide to Japan’s Culinary Summer
You may not have witnessed the subtle change at one of your visits to the conbini or the local supermarket yet, but Japan’s culinary summer has already begun. With food always being an indicator of seasons in Japan, it shouldn’t…
Setsuden – What Can You Do?
With the summer months ahead, the time where being inside with an open window leaves you at just the right temperature will soon be coming to an end. In the past, this meant the beginning of the Cool Biz season,…
Shiretoko
Shiretoko is the southernmost point in the northern hemisphere with seasonal sea ice, which makes it the home for a unique and original natural landscape. It is abundant in marine life represented by salmon, as well as a rich diversity…
Shirakami-Sanchi
Of the 130,000 hectare of mountainous terrain in Akita and Aomori prefecture, more than 17,000 hectare has been designated as a World Heritage Site. This area remains completely untouched by humans and includes the world’s largest beech forest, as well…
Shirakawa-go and Gokayama
This village is famous for its houses with traditionally thatched roofs and its renowned rearing of silkworms. Together with the surrounding mountains and fields, it creates a truly beautiful landscape. Due to the notorious winter snowfalls, this community was occasionally…
Sacred Sites in the Kii Mountain Range
The three sacred mountain ranges Yoshino/Omine, Kumano Sanzan and Koyasan and the connecting pilgrimage path have had an immensely important effect on Japanese religious and cultural growth and exchange. This is a place famous as the origin of the special…
Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara
In Nara, which had been the Japanese capital from 710 to 784, before this moved to Kyoto, you can feel the long lasting effect that religion had, and still has, on the city in the form of Buddhist temples and…
Buddhist Monuments in the Horyuji Area
The Horyuji Temple (法隆寺), which was completed in the year 607, is known as the world’s oldest remaining wooden structure. It was also Japan’s first ever designated World Heritage Site and during the time following its construction had a profound…
Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto
The ancient monuments of Kyoto are world famous and one of Japan’s most beloved sightseeing spots. The Kiyomizu Temple (清水寺) as well as Kinkakuji (金閣寺, golden pavilion) in Kyoto City, Byodoin (平等院) in Uji City and the Enryaku Temple (比叡山延暦寺)…
Himeji Castle
Representative of early 17th century Japanese castle architecture, Himeji Castle (姫路城) is regarded as one of Japan’s most impressive wooden structures. The beautiful white stucco walls make the building not only beautiful to look at, but also act at as…
Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine
With a history of about 400 years in mining, this is Japan’s most well known silver mine. It is estimated that 30% of the silver that was in circulation during the 100 years between the middle of the 16th and…
Yakushima
Covering an area of roughly 500km2 and a circular circumference of 130km, Yakushima (屋久島) is an impressive granite based island. Despite being a comparatively small island, it has an abundance of mountains over 1,000m, and a climate that ranges from…
Gusuku Sites and the Ryukyu Kingdom
Located mainly in the southern part of Okinawa’s main island are the remains of 9 Ryukyu Kingdom castles. The native word “Gusuku” can be translated directly as “castle”. The Ryuku Kingdom (琉球王国) was established in 1429 and remained an independent…
Sapporo White Illumination
Along with the Sapporo Snow Festival, this artistic light display has become a well known reminder of winter. Now in its 33rd year, the festival grew from one location and 1,000 light bulbs to become known throughout the country. Objects…
Hachinohe Emburi
This festival is carried out in hope of a successful harvest. Dancers wearing hats representing horse head carry out a very unique and stylized dance, in which they wave their heads back and forth, while singing traditional rice farming songs.…
Aomori Nebuta
At this festival, giant models of warriors and lantern decorated floats are taken through the city among powerful shouts. One of the many theories about the origin of the festival is that it is based on the “Tanabata” festival, during which…
Akita Kanto Festival
This festival originated from the ancient tradition of fending off the evil spirits of the summer, in hope of better health and crops. Participants parade through the streets with giant bamboo sticks to which an uncountable number of paper lanterns…
Yamagata Hanagasa Festival
This parade centers around floats, lavishly decorated with flower arrangements, and the accompanying dancers, dancing to Hanagasa Ondo folk songs, with their trademark red flower hats in hand. Over the three days of the festival, more than 1 million spectators…
Sukagawa Taimatsu Akashi
Counted as one of the three largest fire festivals in Japan, this powerful and magnificent festival lights up the late fall season. Started to mourn the lost soldiers of Sukagawa Castle, which fell over 400 years ago, the festival consists…
Vegan Food in Tokyo
For those of us who are vegetarian or vegan inclined, the prospect of finding anything to eat in Tokyo can be particularly daunting. In a country where is ubiquitous and where the concept of vegetarianism is still relatively unfamiliar, never…
Trip to Eastern Akita (1) – Misato Town
Situated one hour from Akita Airport by car, a trip to , with its expanse of fields and green mountains that stretch out as far as the eye can see, is enough to release anyone from the oppression of the…
Sannō Festival
This is one of the three major Edo festivals (江戸三大祭). This historic festival centers around Hie Shrine (日枝神社), the patron shrine of a wide area of central Tokyo which includes the Tokyo Imperial Palace compounds, and is meant to express…
Big Float Festival of Sawara
Sawara no Taisai (佐原の大祭, The Big Float Festival in Sawara) is a traditional festival that dates back more than 300 years. The festival takes place twice a year, once in July in the Honjuku area (the east side of the…
Kawagoe Festival
The Kawagoe Festival (川越まつり) is a brilliant, gorgeous festival that takes place in what is often referred to as “Koedo” (小江戸), or Little-Edo, a town known for its many, well preserved, old fashioned Japanese ware-houses and businesses from several centuries…
Torinoichi
Torinoichi (酉の市) is the religious festival of Otori Shrine that takes place every year on the Day of the Rooster (酉の日, Tori no hi) in November. The festival flourished around the Kanto area during the Edo Period, with the celebration…
Chichibu Yomatsuri
This festival, with a history of over 300 years is designated as part of Japan’s “Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties”. On the 2nd and 3rd, cars and floats decorated with paper lanterns parade the city. Some of these have performance…
