Get More Than Your Fill at Osaka’s International Festival UTAGE
Mar 23, 2017 By Justin Hanus
If you are going to be known as the capital of something in Japan, there aren't many better things than to be the "Food Capital of Japan," a title often bestowed on Osaka. Every four years Osaka has hosted the International Festival UTAGE (Japanese for "feast,”) a sort of foodie...[ Click to read more ]
Getting to know you: Osu, Nagoya
Feb 26, 2017 By Bert Wishart
Between Nagoya's central transport area of Meieki (Nagoya Station) in the west, and the lively shopping and commerce hub of Sakae in the east lies Osu, one of the city's more interesting and eclectic areas. Centered around its covered shopping arcade, Osu has an atmosphere similar to Tokyo's Harajuku, with aging hippies happily rubbing shoulders with...[ Click to read more ]
St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Nagoya 2017!
Feb 25, 2017 By Ray Proper
The Osu Shopping Arcade will be bopping to an Irish jig as throngs of people in green descend to partake in this year's annual Nagoya St. Patrick’s Day Festival! With live music, Irish dancing, official parade, local characters, face painting, hair painting, body painting, free giveaways, and much much more the...[ Click to read more ]
Sweet on You – Getting Valentine’s Chocolates in Tokyo
Feb 14, 2017 By Bert Wishart
Back home things can get a little crazy around Valentine's Day. Grandiose displays of affection have become something of the norm, as we shower our loved ones with extravagant gifts, often at exorbitant prices, presumably just as the martyred St. Valentine would have wanted. In Japan, however, somewhat unusual for a nation...[ Click to read more ]
Plum Blossom Viewing in Nagoya – Top Umemi Spots!
Jan 27, 2017 By Admin
Ume is not just half of an "umeshu," a Japanese liqueur made from unripe and green ume fruits. It is quite a lovely tree. "Prunus mume" is the tree species more commonly referred to as a Chinese plum or Japanese apricot tree. The tree produces a delicious fruit usually referred...[ Click to read more ]
Getting Into the Spirit of Hiroshima’s Oyster Season
Jan 17, 2017 By Justin Hanus
As New Year’s well wishes fade from conversations across Japan, an unspoken but equally cheerful sentiment permeates the atmosphere of Hiroshima Prefecture: “Happy Oyster Season!” Echoes of this can of course be heard and tasted year around in the prefecture, but the abundance and quality of oysters harvested in the...[ Click to read more ]
New Year’s Celebrations in Osaka: Ring in the Good Luck 2017
Dec 21, 2016 By Justin Hanus
Winter fun seeking in Osaka is an invigorating blend of the traditional and the modern. Consider the age-old practice of pounding rice to usher in the Japanese New Year. Foods made from mochi, the sticky paste that is molded into rice cakes, are considered a "Food for the Gods" and...[ Click to read more ]
Aichi Nagoya Yuki Festival
Dec 20, 2016 By
The Aichi Nagoya Snow Festival is 2000 tons of snow imported from Nagano and Gifu on an annual basis for our enjoyment! This family friendly festival offers an equivalent tonnage of fun things to do besides the 2000 tones of snow used to create a 50 meter snow slide which...[ Click to read more ]
Hungry in Hiroshima?
Oct 21, 2016 By Jade Brischke
Feeling hungry? Well look no further than the annual Hiroshima Food Festival. It’s held every year in October and with hundreds of yatai, or stalls, there’s sure to be something for everyone. Located in both Chuo-koen (Central Park) and the Hiroshima Castle grounds in downtown Hiroshima it’s the perfect opportunity to...[ Click to read more ]
An Evening of Open Air Noh Performances in Komaki
Sep 28, 2016 By Ray Proper
The origins of Takiginoh, or noh plays held in the open air illuminated by firelight, can be found in rites from Shinto or Buddhist memorial services and is said specifically to have begun with a mysterious prayer practiced by a shaman at the Syunie of Kofukuji Temple in Nara in 869. In the modern...[ Click to read more ]
