The Nipponbashi Street Festa in Osaka
Oct 18, 2019 By Justin Hanus
Back in 2005, Osaka was not nearly as popular a tourist destination as it is today. The city decided to host a cosplay and otaku festival called Nipponbashi Street Festa to improve things, and it was a huge success. In the first year, 130,00 tourists came to see the festival,...[ Click to read more ]
Nagano Ebisuko Fireworks Festival, Where It’s All Going off This Autumn
Sep 27, 2019 By Bert Wishart
For most of Japan, the coming of autumn marks an end to the almost nightly banging, crashing and gunpowder-scented air of the fireworks festivals. Yes, there may be a few straggling events at the beginning of September, but that is pretty much it. But then, in late November, when the air...[ Click to read more ]
Kawagoe Hikawa Festival
Sep 25, 2019 By Jason Gatewood
Taking place annually on the 3rd Saturday and Sunday of October, the Kawagoe Festival is the pride of the City of Kawagoe every year and has over 360 years of traditions behind it. The entire "Little Edo" area of town is blocked off to automobile traffic and the Karazukuri Old...[ Click to read more ]
Brick or Treat – Getting Spooky at Legoland this Halloween
By Bert Wishart
Halloween in Japan is an odd time, in that it is mostly aimed at an older demographic. Street parties and nightclubs are boozy affairs, while costume shops almost exclusively trade in sexy fancy dress for women. For those of us coming from the West, where Halloween is predominantly an affair...[ Click to read more ]
Yokogawa: Where Old and New Meet in Hiroshima
Aug 26, 2019 By Hugh Cann
Historically, Yokogawa is the old Shitamachi and before the second world war was Hiroshima's commercial business district. The post-war reconstruction shifted most commercial and retail activity to Naka -ku (ward) area of central Hiroshima. Today, some of the businesses in Yokogawa remain much as they were after the immediate reconstruction....[ Click to read more ]
Sample Japan’s Finest Beef Vendors at the 2019 Autumn Wagyu Show
Aug 23, 2019 By Jason Gatewood
Japan’s highest quality beef, wagyu, has a world-renown reputation for being some of the savoriest, delicious cuts of meat in the world. The reason for the robust flavor comes from the “marbling” of the meat, a term used to describe how the fat and fibrous parts of the meat intermingle...[ Click to read more ]
Top Cat Cafés in Kansai
Aug 20, 2019 By Justin Hanus
Big cities in Japan are known for their vibrant energy, but sometimes residents and tourists want a break from all this activity. In response, cat cafés have been popping up all over the country. These are much like regular coffee shops but there are cats wandering around freely for patrons...[ Click to read more ]
Get Hooked on Family Fishing in Aichi
By Bert Wishart
It should come as no surprise that, being an island nation crisscrossed with rivers and spotted with freshwater lakes, Japan is a fantastic country in which to go fishing. From large ocean fish to catching ayu with your bare hands, there is something that will interest fisherfolk of all sorts....[ Click to read more ]
Morioka Marathon: Here for the Long Run
By Jade Brischke
Summer in Morioka is officially over which means the weather is starting to cool down and runners everywhere are taking advantage of it. Long winters can make running difficult, not to mention, dangerous, here and late spring and autumn are the perfect time to get outside and explore the city....[ Click to read more ]
Art Aquarium Retells an Old Japanese Tradition in a New Way
Jul 30, 2019 By Jason Gatewood
Anyone with a penchant for Japanese history and a love of Japanese artistry will recognize the Japanese Goldfish, “Kingyo,” as a cultural motif instantly. From anime and manga, high fashion, and the occasional tattoo; kingyo cultural significance dates back to when they were kept as rare novelties of the rich...[ Click to read more ]
