It’s Strawberry Harvest Season near Tokyo
Jan 23, 2017 By Justin Hanus
Japan’s vivid changing seasons are not only beautiful to witness, but they can also be very delicious to taste! Throughout the year across the country, various produce farms take their turn growing and harvesting fresh fruits and vegetables. Instead of waiting for these healthy treats to arrive at the local...[ Click to read more ]
Shorter Days + Cooler Weather = Momijigari
Oct 25, 2016 By Justin Hanus
There is only a relatively small band of latitudes across planet earth where the chlorophyll in the leaves of deciduous trees breaks down when the daylight shortens in the fall and the natural colors of red and orange and yellow remain. Japan is one of the fortunate places in that...[ 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 ]
Family Fun in Tokyo at Yomiuri Land Amusement Park
Oct 20, 2016 By Bert Wishart
While the sprawling Disney resort is the most famous amusement park in the Tokyo area it is by no means the only one. Just thirty minutes outside of central Tokyo you can also find Yomiuri Land. While not as immense as its neighbor Disney, but Yomiuri Land is still an excellent...[ Click to read more ]
Lake Biwa – Take a Day trip, or Longer, to Japan’s Great Lake
By Bert Wishart
Lake Biwa (琵琶湖 or Biwa-ko) in Shiga Prefecture is the largest freshwater lake in Japan, and thanks to it being located just northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto, it is steeped in mystery, wonder, and is full of wonderful things to see and do. Named for its resemblance the lute-like musical...[ Click to read more ]
Family Fun at Little World Museum of Man
Oct 17, 2016 By Bert Wishart
Have you ever wanted to take the kids to Italy for the day? How about showing them the cultures of France, Germany or Korea? While, thanks to technology, the world is getting smaller, it could be argued that living in Japan it is difficult to show our young families the world...[ Click to read more ]
Bicycle tours of Kyoto
Jul 27, 2016 By Bert Wishart
Kyoto, in summer, is famed for its stifling humidity, but now as we head towards autumn and the weather cools it is a good time to visit the Imperial City and see some of the many sights - seventeen of which being UNESCO World Heritage Sites - for which it...[ Click to read more ]
Outdoor Pools Around Tokyo
Jul 23, 2016 By Bert Wishart
As you are probably by now only too well aware, summer certainly swelters here in Japan. This of course brings a multitude of problems, such as how to deal with with hot and sticky public transport, which isotonic sports drink to chug to replace lost minerals due to continuous sweating, and how...[ Click to read more ]
The National Treasures that Roam through Nara Park
Jul 22, 2016 By Justin Hanus
Pigs are sacred in Egypt. Cattle are sacred in India. Goats are sacred in Syria. Elephants are sacred in Thailand. In Nara the animals worshiped are deer. Deer have been roaming the Kasuga Hills in these parts since before there was a written language, before there was a Japan. When...[ Click to read more ]
Outdoor Swimming Pools in Nagoya
Jun 30, 2016 By Bert Wishart
This summer, as the heat starts to rise and perhaps the kids start complaining of nothing to do in the holidays, what could be better than heading out and getting into the pool? All around Nagoya, between July 20th and August 31st, there are outdoor public swimming pools, meaning you can...[ Click to read more ]
