Hit The Decks! Exploring Hiroshima’s Record Stores
May 26, 2021 By Bert Wishart
The modern music industry is well and truly established in the digital world. Most people access their favorite artists now through Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, and Soundcloud, but there has also been an unexpected boom in analog music. According to Forbes, vinyl record sales have risen by 260 percent since...[ Click to read more ]
Summer Food in Hiroshima
By Bert Wishart
It's getting to be that time of year again, when the thermostat rockets, the humidity intensifies, and all Japanese conversation is restricted to "atsui ne" [it's hot, isn't it?] Because of this, many consider summer to be the worst season in Japan, but to say so is to ignore the...[ Click to read more ]
Animal Cafes in Hiroshima
Apr 26, 2021 By Bert Wishart
Though animal cafes first reared their furry little heads in Taiwan, since 2004, they have boomed throughout Japan, and there are spots throughout the nation at which you can sit and pet animals whilst enjoying a range of hot or cold drinks. It’s no surprise that the popularity of animal...[ Click to read more ]
Explore the Uninhabited Island of Sensuijima
By Bert Wishart
With the weather improving by the day, it is time to start getting out and enjoying the beautiful natural delights that Hiroshima and its general locale have to offer. A prime candidate for an excellent day trip is Sensuijima, a beautiful uninhabited island of gorgeous greenery and volcanic rocks in...[ Click to read more ]
Get Your Shop on! Hiroshima’s Shopping Spots
By Bert Wishart
Back in the height of the 'bubble era,' Japan had won a reputation for a consumer society so rampant that second-hand stores overflowed with designer brand clothing, and the streets were littered with discarded year-old electrical appliances. Of course, things have slowed down considerably since then, however, a consumer culture...[ Click to read more ]
All Up in My Grill – Hiroshima’s Best Steakhouses
Mar 30, 2021 By Bert Wishart
Considering how highly thought of beef is in this country, it may shock you to discover that although cattle were introduced to Japan sometime in the second century, until the Meiji Restoration (1868) they were only used as draught animals for agriculture and transport, rather than food. But now, 'wagyu'...[ Click to read more ]
Hiroshima Asa Zoological Garden
Mar 24, 2021 By Bert Wishart
If you’re visiting Hiroshima or here for a few months, you can probably give this a miss and look for other ways to spend your weekend. But for diehard zoo aficionados or families with children, Asa Zoo makes for a good day out. Several online reviews for the zoo say...[ Click to read more ]
Hiroshima Toyo Carp Baseball
Mar 21, 2021 By Bert Wishart
Baseball in Japan Nippon Professional Baseball (playing a role similar to the USA’s MLB) consists of two leagues, the Central League (Hiroshima Toyo Carp, Hanshin Tigers, Chunichi Dragons, Tokyo Yakult Swallows, Yokohama DeNA BayStars, and the Yomiuri Giants) and the Pacific League (Chiba Lotte Marines, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham...[ Click to read more ]
Pretty in Pink – Finding Hiroshima’s Beautiful Plum Blossoms
Feb 26, 2021 By Bert Wishart
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. Reddish pink or white flowers distinguishable from the sakura by their split-ended petals and their strong sweet smell, before the...[ Click to read more ]
Discover Kure’s Maritime History at the Yamato Museum
By Bert Wishart
As a major port on the Seto Inland Sea, Kure has a rich maritime history, with a naval and industrial heritage stretching back to the earliest days of Japan's modernization. Celebrating this history is the Kure Maritime Museum, known colloquially as the Yamato Museum. A fascinating and engaging museum, it...[ Click to read more ]
