It’s Time to Rel-Axe at Nagoya’s Axe Throwing Bar

Feb 27, 2023 By Bert Wishart

You know how it goes: you're up to your eyeballs in work, the boss has been riding you, the kids won't do what they're told, and this morning the cat mistook your slippers for a litter tray. But at least it's finally Friday, and you've got a chance to unwind...[ Click to read more ]

Top Five Hanami Sites Near Nagoya

Feb 22, 2023 By Ray Proper

"Hanami" literally means flower viewing, but it is much more than that to Japan's people. Hanami signals the end of another long winter's chill. Besides simply enjoying the beauty of flowers, especially cherry blossoms (桜 sakura), hanami means time spent with friends and family outdoors with copious food and drinks,...[ Click to read more ]

Fire up the Exhilaration at Brave Point Airsoft Gym

Jan 30, 2023 By Bert Wishart

At the beginning of the year, many of you may have decided that it was time to get into shape, begin diets, and start an exercise routine. However, as we slide into February, there is a good chance that those best-laid plans have faded. And who can blame you? The...[ Click to read more ]

Nagoya Ramen Festival 2023

Jan 22, 2023 By Ray Proper

Ramen is a classic Japanese food. If you ask a random person, foreign or Japanese, male or female, what their favorite food is, you are highly likely to get "ramen" as your answer. Ramen is a noodle soup of wheat noodles served in a meat-based broth. Standard flavors include: Shio...[ Click to read more ]

Where to Spend Valentine’s Day in Nagoya

Jan 21, 2023 By Bert Wishart

In his 1977 classic one-hit wonder, John Paul Young sang the immortal lines "Love is in the air, everywhere I look around."  There is a good chance that he wasn't looking around Nagoya, as while it is a fantastic city with so much to offer thanks to its industrial past,...[ Click to read more ]

Winter Food in Nagoya

Dec 27, 2022 By Bert Wishart

Unless you are a ski bunny or a masochist, there should be no doubt that winter is the worst of all months. Cold and wet, skies as ashen as the faces that wander the sun-starved streets, it is a miserable time; it is with good reason that the poet Christina...[ Click to read more ]

Skiing in Nagoya: Day and Weekend Trips!

Dec 24, 2022 By Bert Wishart

There’s nothing more exhilarating than standing on the top of a slope, the pure white snow stretching out below you, or that moment when you lean forward and the wind begins to rush around your face as you start down the mountain in graceful arcs to the bottom. Yes, the...[ Click to read more ]

Making Mochi – Fun for Kids and Big Kids Alike

Dec 23, 2022 By Bert Wishart

When I first heard about mochi, my heart went out to Japan's children. You see, where I'm from, sweets really are just that: sweet. And so, when I was told that one of the most popular forms of confectionaries in Japan was a cake made from rice and typically stuffed...[ Click to read more ]

New Year Countdown Parties Near Nagoya 2022

Dec 13, 2022 By Bert Wishart

New Year is an important time in Japan, but things are celebrated differently here than back home. You are undoubtedly already clued up on Japan's New Year traditions, its New Year's foods, and the shrines to visit for Hatsumoude in Nagoya. But did you know that there are also New...[ Click to read more ]

Winter Illumination in Nagoya 2022

Nov 23, 2022 By Ray Proper

Christmas Day in Japan is just another working day, for the most part. The most exciting facet of the Christmas and holiday season in Japan is that all traces of it are gone by morning on December 26. Without fail, every bell, light, garland, and decoration will come down, and...[ Click to read more ]