Kobe Matsuri: Where East Meets West for a Weekend in May
Apr 17, 2019 By Justin Hanus
The annual Kobe Festival (Matsuri) is unlike any celebration you are likely to run into in the Kansai region during the year. There are plenty of colorful street festivals in Japan and most are tied to an ancient shrine. The Kobe Matsuri is tethered to the past as well, but...[ Click to read more ]
Horsing Around at Tado Festival in Mie
Apr 16, 2019 By Bert Wishart
Japan has so many strange, eccentric and exciting festivals every year that it is sometimes difficult to keep track. However, few festivals are exciting and dramatic as Ageuma-Shinji, held every year in Tado, Mie. Also known as Tado Festival, Ageuma-Shinji has been held in this sleepy little town since the Nanboku-chō...[ Click to read more ]
Things to do in Tokyo For Golden Week 2019
Apr 15, 2019 By Bert Wishart
Golden week is the longest public holiday period in Japan, and many residents make a trip abroad, or to a tourist area like Kyoto over the break. Trains and airports can be crowded, and the traffic into any area worth a visit is going to be heavy at best, standstill...[ Click to read more ]
International Festival of Extreme Sports
Mar 26, 2019 By Matt Mangham
For three days in April, downtown Hiroshima will take on a new vibe as crowds of breakdancers, freestyle BMX riders, parkour players and other extreme athletes converge on the site of the former municipal stadium just north of Peace Park for FISE Hiroshima. FISE, which stands for Festival International des...[ Click to read more ]
Belgian Beer Weekend Nagoya
Mar 21, 2019 By Ray Proper
The famous Belgian Beer Weekend traditionally takes place the first weekend of September at the beautiful “Grand Place of Brussels." The Japan versions of this event? Not in September! Belgian beer, food, and music. Welcome to the best weekend! Belgium is probably the best-kept secret in Europe! Although it may...[ Click to read more ]
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Tokyo
Feb 17, 2019 By Bert Wishart
St. Patrick's Day, the commemoration of the death of the patron saint of Ireland, is celebrated in more countries around the world than any other national festival, and Japan, is of course, no different. As a day in which the abstinence restrictions of lent are temporarily lifted, it has, particularly in...[ Click to read more ]
Things are Hotting up at Toba no Himatsuri Fire Festival
Jan 28, 2019 By Bert Wishart
Aichi sees a fair number of harvest festivals around the start of the Chinese New Year, with communities praying that their crops in the coming year will be bountiful and generous. However, very few of them are quite as, without wanting to seem disrespectful, terrifyingly crazy as The Toba no...[ Click to read more ]
Celebrating New Years in Kobe’s Chinatown 2019
Jan 21, 2019 By Justin Hanus
Despite its proximity to China, there are only a few Chinatowns in the whole of Japan. One of the largest and most popular is the one in Kobe, called Nankin-machi. This Chinatown is located between three gates: Chang’an Gate to East, Xi’an Gate to West, and Nanluo Gate to South....[ Click to read more ]
Japan Brewer’s Cup: The Tournament of Suds 2019
Dec 26, 2018 By Jason Gatewood
Please read the following in the voice of one of those monster truck TV spots from back in the day: Thirty-five of the best craft brewers from all over Japan, plus one each from Taiwan and the Czech Republic, and six craft beer importers are thrown in for good measure....[ Click to read more ]
Let’s Tour – Sendai: What to see & do
Nov 30, 2018 By Jason Gatewood
For a city its size (just over one million people, which is considered small by Japan standards), Sendai has a storied past, steeped in nature, and has a vibrant lifestyle for its citizens. This all adds up to a perfect place to check out if you’re looking for a change...[ Click to read more ]
