Though animal cafes first reared their furry little heads in Taiwan, since 2004, they have boomed throughout Japan, and there are spots throughout the nation at which you can sit...[ Click to read more ]
Back in the height of the 'bubble era,' Japan had won a reputation for a consumer society so rampant that second-hand stores overflowed with designer brand clothing, and the streets...[ Click to read more ]
Considering how highly thought of beef is in this country, it may shock you to discover that although cattle were introduced to Japan sometime in the second century, until the...[ Click to read more ]
If you’re visiting Hiroshima or here for a few months, you can probably give this a miss and look for other ways to spend your weekend. But for diehard zoo...[ Click to read more ]
Baseball in Japan Nippon Professional Baseball (playing a role similar to the USA’s MLB) consists of two leagues, the Central League (Hiroshima Toyo Carp, Hanshin Tigers, Chunichi Dragons, Tokyo Yakult...[ Click to read more ]
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....[ Click to read more ]
With just a cursory look at Japanese television, you would be forgiven for believing that Japan's music industry was an endless parade of identikit Johnny's boy bands or sprawling AKB-48 affiliated...[ Click to read more ]
Now and again, something pops up in the zeitgeist that comes right out of left field. Some of these things are fads that slip away as quickly as they came...[ Click to read more ]
So, over the holidays, you indulged until you were fit to burst. We’ve all been there, but now you’ve noticed that you’ve put on a few pounds and can shake...[ Click to read more ]
Seasonal illuminations are a big deal in Japan. From the famous Kobe Luminarie, donated by the Italian government following the Great Hanshin Earthquake, to light festivals in Osaka, Sendai, Nagoya,...[ Click to read more ]