January

Volunteering in Kanto

Jan 31, 2024 By Michael Stigall

Winter is a time where we often have more time on our hands than we know what to do with. It is cold, wet, and mostly dark, so we often...[ Click to read more ]

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Snow Festivals in 2024

Jan 30, 2024 By Michael Stigall

It been a warm winter so far, but it is finally beginning the drop into the single digits. With that said, the possibility of snow begins to come to mind....[ Click to read more ]

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Plum Viewing in Tokyo – The Top Umemi Spots in 2024

Jan 29, 2024 By Michael Stigall

While the cherry blossom is the flower that tends to dominate the imagination of Japanese botanic appreciation, it is perhaps the plum (ume) blossom that should be the more celebrated....[ Click to read more ]

Hatsumode in Nagoya – Shrines to Visit for New Years

Dec 27, 2023 By First Admin

Oshogatsu, or New Year, is the most important holiday in Japan. Businesses shut down from January 1 to January 3, and families gather to spend time together. During the New...[ Click to read more ]

Prevention and Thawing of Frozen Pipes in Japan

Nov 30, 2023 By Ray Proper

Many people arrive in Japan from places where it simply does not get cold and are unaware that they need to worry about things like frozen pipes. In most places...[ Click to read more ]

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Tokyo’s Japanese Gardens

Jan 30, 2023 By Michael Stigall

Let's be honest for a moment: Tokyo is an amazing place, but sometimes all that concrete and urban bustle can get to even the best of us. What does a...[ 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"...[ Click to read more ]

Kobe’s Winter Wonderland: Mount Rokko

Jan 21, 2023 By Justin Hanus

Japan hosted the first-ever Winter Olympics in Asia at Sapporo in 1972, but the country already had a rich history of playing on snowy mountain slopes. Although you won't find...[ Click to read more ]

Umeda Skating Rink

Strap on Your Skates in Kansai This Winter

Jan 21, 2023 By Justin Hanus

Ice skating has a long history as skates made of animal bones dating back 5,000 years were found at the bottom of a lake in Switzerland. It's unknown when the...[ Click to read more ]

Great Shrines for Hatsumode in Kumamoto

Dec 27, 2022 By Justin Hanus

The turn of the year is holiday time in Japan when people are off work to celebrate the New Year with parties, family gatherings, culinary feasts, and hatsumode. Hatsumode is...[ Click to read more ]