Kyoto’s October Festivals
Sep 27, 2016 By Justin Hanus
October’s cool temperatures and changing fall landscape makes it the perfect month to enjoy the rich history and beautiful natural scenery of Japan. Luckily, if you’re around the Old Capitol at all in October, you’ll be overwhelmed with options for getting outside and experiencing the culture and beautiful traditions preserved...[ 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 ]
Embarkation and Disembarkation Card Changes at Airports in Japan
Jun 23, 2016 By
From April 1, 2016, changes were made to the format of the Disembarkation Card for Foreign Nationals, Embarkation and Disembarkation Card for Re-entrants, and the Embarkation Card for Foreign Nationals was discontinued. The new format will no longer have some boxes such as "nationality/region", "sex" and "passport number", and in order to prevent the omission of...[ Click to read more ]
Day Trips From Nagoya – Ise Shima
Jun 20, 2016 By Bert Wishart
Following the visiting of the G7 national heads of states, Ise Shima has been in the news frequently as of late. But there is so much more to the beautiful Mie Prefecture spot than politics. About Ise Shima The Ise-Shima region refers to the areas of eastern Mie Prefecture in or around Ise-Shima National...[ Click to read more ]
Ride the Tokyo Sky Duck Amphibious Tour Bus!
Jun 10, 2016 By Ray Proper
Back in Seattle we had "The Duck," an amphibious bus that took tourists on a sort of "surf and turf" tour of the city. Hinomaru Limousine Group in Tokyo also be takes to the water with "The Sky Duck." The Sky Duck is the newest edition to the fleet of...[ Click to read more ]
The Kyoto Gion Festival – Biggest Festival in Japan
Jun 08, 2016 By Bert Wishart
Summertime in Japan is all about festivals, or matsuri, and one of the most popular summer festivals is Kyoto’s Gion festival, known in Japanese as Gion Matsuri. In fact, running through the entirety of the month of July, it is not only one of Japan’s best known festivals, it is also perhaps the...[ Click to read more ]
Kyoto and Nara – The One-Time Capital Cities are Storehouses of Japanese Heritage
May 23, 2016 By Justin Hanus
It is quite possible that you may detect some good-natured, chest-puffing sparring between the denizens of Nara and Kyoto over their respective heritage as one-time capitals of Japan. Nara was the first permanent capital of Japan but the government was uprooted after less than one century. When the capital moved...[ Click to read more ]
Osaka is the Tenka no Daidokoro (the Nation’s Kitchen) – Not What You Think
May 19, 2016 By Justin Hanus
Before the world bought into the abstract concept of money - whereby a piece of metal or paper can stand in for something of real value - trade was conducted in commodities that had actual value. In the Mediterranean, one of those commodities was salt, and we still have remnants...[ Click to read more ]
The Tunnels of Mount Ikoma Bridge the Cultures of Osaka and Nara
May 17, 2016 By Justin Hanus
The city of Osaka is sheltered on the shores of Osaka Bay to the south and east by the Ikoma Mountains. This is great for defense, especially in olden days but in modern times the natural barrier caused more isolation than was desirable for the growing seaside population. Enter...[ Click to read more ]
Special Extended Hours and Light-Up Events for May in Kyoto
Apr 22, 2016 By Justin Hanus
As if the incredible weather and the vibrant greens of springtime weren’t enough to get you out of the house, Kyoto’s May calendar is filled with exciting events and special openings to help you make the most of this iconic season. Although temperatures tend to hover at cool and comfortable...[ Click to read more ]
