Easter in Kansai
Mar 25, 2024 By Justin Hanus
Are you an expat from a Christian country living in Japan? If so, you may have noticed a lack of general excitement each year around the Easter period. Although the Japanese have taken Christmas to heart in recent years, they’ve been slower to adopt Easter traditions. That said, you can...[ Click to read more ]
Hanami in Tokyo 2024
Feb 28, 2024 By Michael Stigall
Rejoice for the end of winter is nearly here, and one of the best times to be in Japan is almost upon us. I am speaking, of course, of cherry blossom viewing or hanami. Just picture it! The weather will soon be warmer, the days longer, and it'll be time...[ Click to read more ]
Snow Festivals in 2024
Jan 30, 2024 By Michael Stigall
It been a warm winter so far, but it is finally beginning the drop into the single digits. With that said, the possibility of snow begins to come to mind. You see, because Japan is over 70% mountainous and located in the temperate latitudes of the western Pacific where the...[ Click to read more ]
Plum Viewing in Tokyo – The Top Umemi Spots in 2024
Jan 29, 2024 By Michael Stigall
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. Sporting reddish pink or white flowers, they are distinguishable from the sakura by their split ended petals and their strong,...[ Click to read more ]
Himakajima – Aichi’s Octopus Island
By Bert Wishart
Have you ever wondered what the planet would look like if it was taken over by octopuses? No? Ah, well that kind of messes up my introduction to this article. But let's imagine you had said yes, because I would now say 'Well, imagine no more, just head over to...[ Click to read more ]
Hatsumode in Tokyo – Making Your First Shrine Visit of 2024
Dec 27, 2023 By Michael Stigall
New Years in Japan is laser-focused on firsts. You have your first sunrise of the year, which is very important, and other firsts like the Shinnenkai parties to bring in the New Year. Easily the most important of these New Year’s rituals is hatsumode. Hatsumode is the first visit of...[ Click to read more ]
Tokyo’s Christmas Markets 2023
Nov 30, 2023 By Michael Stigall
Some years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Europe right before the holiday season was underway. One upside to this trip was experiencing the Christmas Markets that pop up in both major cities and small villages. These markets sell festive food and drink and all sorts of Christmas decorations....[ Click to read more ]
Under the Bridge; Enjoy Nagoya’s Nayabashi Night Market
Sep 27, 2023 By Bert Wishart
While I absolutely love living in Nagoya, one thing frustrates me about this fair city. No, it's not that it has a reputation for being boring, and it's not that the subway stops at about midnight (this isn't Antarctica, you know!) My Nagoya bugbear is the Nayabashi area. Here, a...[ Click to read more ]
Nippon Domannaka Matsuri in Nagoya
Jul 31, 2023 By Ray Proper
The Nippon Domannaka Matsuri, commonly called Domatsuri, is the largest dance festival in the Nagoya/Chubu region and involves dancers from all over Japan and abroad. This festival is one of the highlights of the Nagoya summer. Every year over 200 yosakoi dance teams and 23,000 performers participate by sharing original music, costumes,...[ Click to read more ]
Getting To Know You: Nagoya Port
Jun 25, 2023 By Bert Wishart
To the south of the city, Nagoya's port is one of Japan's busiest, servicing the country's central region of Japan, the hotbed of the nation's automotive industry. And I know what you're thinking: that doesn't exactly sound like a fun day out, right? And you would have been mostly right...[ Click to read more ]
