Clam Gathering at Nishikinohama Beach Park
Mar 24, 2017 By Justin Hanus
Although this park is most famous for sea bathing and various water sport activities from July to August each year, during the off-season there are still quite a few unique activities to take part in. Digging for clams along the shore is one such activity, and it is possible every...[ Click to read more ]
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 ]
English Speaking Yoga Studios in Osaka
Feb 21, 2017 By Justin Hanus
If you’ve been in Osaka for some time, you’re probably familiar with the many different gyms and fitness centers scattered throughout the city. For anyone looking for a place to work out, the most approachable options are likely the brightly lit, cardio machine-filled gyms that tend to take over entire...[ Click to read more ]
The Wheels Are Turning at Cycle Mode Ride Osaka
By Justin Hanus
Japan largely missed out on the first bicycle boom of the 1880s and 1890s but when the bicycle became hot again in the 1960s and 1970s - mostly for recreational and fitness desires - the country was not about to be left on the side of the road. Japan zoomed...[ Click to read more ]
Land of the Rising Sun is No Mere Slogan
Jan 23, 2017 By Justin Hanus
The "Land of the Rising Sun" is not just a catchy marketing slogan drummed up by the Japan tourism bureau. In fact the slogan is not even of Japanese origin, but Chinese. Centuries ago the Chinese began referring to the Japanese islands as the place where the sun comes from....[ 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 ]
Nakanoshima River Cruise in Osaka
Nov 28, 2016 By Justin Hanus
Located between the Dojima and Tosabori rivers, the island of Nakanoshima is a gorgeous sight to behold any time of year. This historical epicenter of Osaka’s commercial and administrative culture is especially impressive to see on clear winter nights when holiday lights send a glowing reflection across the water. To...[ Click to read more ]
It’s Fall in Japan; Time to get Nutty about Chestnuts
Oct 24, 2016 By Justin Hanus
For many folks autumn in Japan means chestnuts. Asia is known as both the largest producer and the largest consumer of chestnuts in the world. Scientists studying the remains of ancient hillside villages in Japan have documented the use of nuts as food sources as far back as 9,000 years....[ Click to read more ]
It’s All Happening at the Tennoji Zoo – At Night
Aug 20, 2016 By Justin Hanus
We have all gone to a zoo on a summer day and seen the animals snoozing or lying around doing nothing - just what you would expect animals to be doing on a sweltering hot day. As you shuffled past the enclosures disappointed did it ever occur to you that...[ Click to read more ]
Prepare to Launch – Kansai’s Capsule Hotels
Aug 19, 2016 By Justin Hanus
Celebrated Japan architect Kisho Kurokawa gave the world its first taste of mass pod living in 1972 with the creation of the Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo. The idea was to give hard-working traveling businessmen a convenient place to bed down for a few hours before getting back to the...[ Click to read more ]
