Look, Up In the Sky – It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane…Yes, It’s a Plane
Oct 30, 2017 By Justin Hanus
People have been fascinated by spotting aircraft ever since Orville and Wilbur Wright bumped a fabric-covered airplane into the sky from the sand dunes in North Carolina in 1903. Even now, when more than 100,000 flights take off and land somewhere on the planet every day, plane spotting is pursued...[ Click to read more ]
What to Eat in Kobe Besides the Beef
Oct 28, 2017 By Justin Hanus
Tourists flock from around the globe to eat Kobe’s famous beef. But you’re a local now, and you’ve been there, and done that. Now it’s time to give some local delicacies a try. Here are the top five tasty treats the locals enjoy in Kobe. 1. Gyoza Gyoza are delicious...[ Click to read more ]
Celebrating the Japanese Culture of Wood at the Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum in Kobe
Oct 27, 2017 By Justin Hanus
Around the world traditional Japanese carpentry and craftsmanship is revered for its precision and quality. In 1984 the Takenaka Corporation, one of the nation's largest engineering and construction firms, decided to preserve and illuminate those fabled building techniques by establishing the Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum in Kobe. Takenaka had the...[ Click to read more ]
Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens is a Celebration of Herbs and More
Sep 14, 2017 By Justin Hanus
Herbs have a hallowed and honored position in Japanese culture dating back hundreds and hundreds of years. Chinese herbs first began appearing in Japan traditional folk medicines during cultural exchanges between the two ancient societies. Japanese sufferers became familiar with plants such as geranium herbs used as an anti-diarrheic and...[ Click to read more ]
All Aboard! Cruising in Kobe Harbor
By Justin Hanus
Kobe is Japan's fifth largest city and one of the best ways to appreciate its size and importance is to view it from the water. You do just that with harbor cruises that depart from the shore on a daily basis. The cruises typically last 90 minutes or two hours...[ Click to read more ]
Horse Archery on Display in Kobe
Aug 24, 2017 By Justin Hanus
In the history of warfare there has seldom been a more impressive warrior than the horse archer. Riding a steed at full gallop, letting go of the reins with both hands, and leveling a bow and arrow against the enemy was truly a fearsome sight on the battlefield. These highly...[ Click to read more ]
Meet Kobe’s Sister City – Seattle, Washington
Jul 24, 2017 By Justin Hanus
The idea of international "sister cities" began in 1947 as a way to promote friendship and cross-cultural understanding after World War II. There was also an economic component to the concept to encourage trade and tourism. In the 1980s the Japanese government created the Council of Local Authorities for International...[ Click to read more ]
The Lighthouses of Kobe
By Justin Hanus
Being an island nation, lighthouses are an important feature of the Japanese landscape. The history of Japan's lighthouses meanders back more than one thousand years when signal fires, the "Noroshi," were lit during the day and bonfires, the "Kagaribi," were built at night to signal to fishing boats on the...[ Click to read more ]
The Orix Buffaloes – It’s Baseball, Japanese Style
Jun 28, 2017 By Justin Hanus
Baseball is considered the biggest spectator sport in Japan but if you find yourself at a Nippon Professional Baseball league game do not expect to merely sit and watch. In most of the Japanese professional sports there are “performance" sections where at the very least you will be expected to...[ Click to read more ]
Suma Aqualife Park: A Full Day of Fun at Suma Beach in Kobe
By Justin Hanus
Kobe is a city built on the water and Suma Seaside Park is the people's link to the sea. Suma Beach stretches for two kilometres and offers white sand framed by pine trees; it is a fixture on the annual list of the country's best beaches. Summer means sunbathing and...[ Click to read more ]
