Spring Pickings – Strawberry Picking Around Tokyo
Jan 24, 2022 By Michael Stigall
Japan has a beautiful relationship with fruit. While it tends to be a little expensive (at least to the eyes of foreigners used to supermarkets crammed with the stuff for next to nothing), fruit is revered in status: apples are grown to extraordinary sizes and prized for their taste, mangoes...[ Click to read more ]
Onsen – The How To’s, Do’s and Don’ts
Jan 12, 2022 By Bert Wishart
Seismic activity is so ingrained in Japanese life that folklore tells of Namazu, a giant catfish who lives beneath the country and is restrained by the god Kashima. However, when Kashima lets down his guard, Namazu thrashes about, causing violent earthquakes. To live in Japan is to see this activity...[ Click to read more ]
Winter Fun In and Around Hiroshima
Dec 27, 2021 By Michael Stigall
Wintertime in Hiroshima means many things to many people. To some people, it means oysters, mikan, and nihonshu. These are great winter indulgences, but they are for a different article. Today we are going to talk about winter options in Hiroshima. You see, while the rest of Japan either goes...[ Click to read more ]
Tondo Festivals in Hiroshima in 2022
By Michael Stigall
Once you get through the usual New Year's activities, there is one last thing to enjoy called the Tondo festival. The Tondo festival is part of 'Koshagatsu,' marking the traditional lunar new year. You will see gatherings in public parks, school grounds, and shrine courtyards where people gather around towering...[ Click to read more ]
Nagoya is not boring! Discover Nagoya’s Best Tour Company
By Bert Wishart
Known primarily for its manufacturing, its central location, and its busy transport hub, Nagoya has a rep for being a place you only go to get to somewhere else. But steeped in history, with a distinctive cuisine and some stunning areas of natural beauty, I'm here to tell you: Nagoya...[ Click to read more ]
Winter Sports in Kobe
By Justin Hanus
Fancy putting on a pair of skis or skates and indulging in a spot of winter sports? With plenty of yearly snow and several mountains, Japan is a good location for winter activities, although it’s maybe not the first place that springs to mind in terms of sports for the...[ Click to read more ]
Round One Spocha is the Mother of all Game Centers
Dec 26, 2021 By Jason Gatewood
What place in Japan has a gazillion flashy lights, dazzling video screens, ear-busting loud noises and is teeming with people pressing their luck on games of chance and skill? Nope, not the pachinko parlor, but a more wholesome (maybe) way of sinking your hard-earned yen into oblivion: Game Centers. These...[ Click to read more ]
Furusato Matsuri Tokyo 2022
Dec 25, 2021 By Jason Gatewood
Like food? Silly question, right, of course you like food! If you are looking for the opportunity to sample dishes from all over Japan but don’t have the time on your hands to be bouncing through all 47 prefectures and regions to seek out each individual plate (Or like me,...[ Click to read more ]
Hiroshima From a New Perspective: The Orizuru Tower
Nov 30, 2021 By Michael Stigall
Tokyo has Tokyo Tower and the popular Skytree, Osaka has the Umeda Sky Building but what about Hiroshima? Where can you go to get a bird’s eye view of the city? Say hello to the Orizuru Tower! Owned by Hiroshima Mazda Co., the main attraction of the 13-story building is the...[ Click to read more ]
Get to the Point – Traditional Japanese Swordsmithery Near Nagoya
Oct 28, 2021 By Bert Wishart
According to historian and author Stephen Turnbull on the Netflix documentary The Age of Samurai, "the samurai's most iconic weapon was the katana, the Japanese sword, widely regarded as the finest sword ever made in world history. It had a very sharp resilient blade, which was curved, and it enabled...[ Click to read more ]
