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 ]
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 ]
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 ]
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 ]
“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 ]
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 ]
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 ]
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 ]