Bonus Flower Viewing with the 2024 Sakura Tulip Festa

Mar 26, 2024 By Michael Stigall

So we’ve talked about plum blossom viewing and cherry blossom viewing, but what if I told you there is a third type of flower viewing you could do here in Kanto? Spring doesn’t only bring cherry blossoms, it also brings tulips. These tulips can be found in Sakura City, Chiba...[ Click to read more ]

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Day Trips from Tokyo

Mar 25, 2024 By Michael Stigall

Now that the weather is getting better, we can start focusing on my favorite Tokyo pastime: Getting out of town.  There are actually more options to accomplish this than you would think. Sure, when talking about trains in Japan, people either think of the Shinkansen high-speed rail lines linking Japan's...[ Click to read more ]

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Getting Arty – What’s on in Nagoya’s Galleries

By Bert Wishart

Art lovers in Nagoya have been a little disappointed in recent years. Firstly, the Nagoya/Boston Museum of Fine Arts closed down in 2018, and now the Nagoya City museum is undergoing a renovation that will not see it reopen until 2026. However, there are still some great exhibitions be be...[ Click to read more ]

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It’s back! teamLab Borderless

Feb 28, 2024 By Michael Stigall

When most people think of art and Japan in the same vein, images on the order of Hokusai’s Great Wave of Kanagawa spring to mind. You could tour the traditional art scene in Nippon seemingly forever, enjoying a multitude of museums throughout the metropolis. However, there was a legendary museum...[ Click to read more ]

Hanami in Tokyo 2024

By Michael Stigall

Rejoice for the end of winter is nearly here, and one of the best times to be in Japan is almost upon us. I am speaking, of course, of cherry blossom viewing or hanami. Just picture it! The weather will soon be warmer, the days longer, and it'll be time...[ Click to read more ]

Bouldering in Tokyo in 2024

By Michael Stigall

I doubt that there is a single kid in the western world and a few from other places in the world who does not want to crawl the walls like a certain well-known web-slinging superhero. While most of those climbing feats aren’t possible, it is still possible to do some...[ Click to read more ]

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Day Trips – History, Heritage, and Natural Beauty in Toyokawa

Jan 31, 2024 By Bert Wishart

About 75 minutes east of Nagoya, in the Mikawa Bay region, lies Toyokawa, a small city with a lot of spirituality and individuality. Though it is generally overlooked by the tourism industry as little more than a once-industrial town, it is in fact an area known locally for its rich...[ Click to read more ]

Snow Festivals in 2024

Jan 30, 2024 By Michael Stigall

It been a warm winter so far, but it is finally beginning the drop into the single digits. With that said, the possibility of snow begins to come to mind. You see, because Japan is over 70% mountainous and located in the temperate latitudes of the western Pacific where the...[ Click to read more ]

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Get Your Game Face on – Spocha, Japan’s Family-Friendly Sports and Gaming Entertainmant

Jan 29, 2024 By Bert Wishart

Do you love sports but rarely have a chance to play? Perhaps you've never swung a bat or tossed a ball in anger and always wanted to try. It could be that you love video games and singing, and you can't choose which to do. Or just maybe you want...[ Click to read more ]

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Plum Viewing in Tokyo – The Top Umemi Spots in 2024

By Michael Stigall

While the cherry blossom is the flower that tends to dominate the imagination of Japanese botanic appreciation, it is perhaps the plum (ume) blossom that should be the more celebrated. Sporting reddish pink or white flowers, they are distinguishable from the sakura by their split ended petals and their strong,...[ Click to read more ]