Harvest Time in Kansai
Sep 24, 2020 By Justin Hanus
Harvest time in autumn/fall is important across the world. Each region has different rituals associated with this time of year (September – November). In Japan, the autumn harvest is celebrated...[ Click to read more ]
Visiting the Oldest Mosque in Japan: Kobe Mosque
Sep 24, 2020 By Justin Hanus
At only 85 years old, Kobe Masjid (masjid means mosque) is the oldest mosque in the country. Kobe was the obvious choice for a mosque, as the port city was...[ Click to read more ]
Top Hanami Sites Near Kobe
Feb 09, 2020 By Justin Hanus
Spring is just around the corner, which for many Japanese residents means Hanami time is here again. Hanami means “flower viewing” in Japanese (from the Japanese for flower - “hana”)...[ Click to read more ]
Koyo, or Fall Colors in Kobe
Oct 20, 2019 By Admin
Visitors flock to Japan in the spring to see the cherry blossoms, but there’s an event that’s just as impressive in the fall: the changing colors of the leaves. Called...[ Click to read more ]
Kansai or Kanto? Who Ya Got?
Nov 21, 2017 By Justin Hanus
“You despise me, don’t you Rick?” says Peter Lorre’s Ugarte to Humphrey Bogart’s Richard Blaine in Casablanca. “If I gave you any thought I probably would,” replies Bogart dismissively, deflating...[ Click to read more ]
Kobe Gives Birth to Spirit of Volunteerism in Japan
Oct 30, 2017 By Justin Hanus
On January 17, 1995, the Great Hanshin earthquake struck Kobe and over 6,000 people lost their lives. In the aftermath of the disaster it is estimated that over one million...[ Click to read more ]
Kobe’s Cutest Menace: Wild Boars
Aug 24, 2017 By Justin Hanus
Sometimes the most dangerous animals are not the ones you expect. In the United States the animal that kills the most people each year are deer, from collisions with automobiles....[ Click to read more ]
There Is No Other Place in the World Like Tottori’s Sand Museum
Jun 28, 2017 By Justin Hanus
At Japan's one-of-a-kind Sand Museum, the art has as much in common with the sand sculptures built at the beach with a plastic bucket as the works of the great...[ Click to read more ]
