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 ]
New Years in Japan is laser-focused on firsts. You have your first sunrise of the year, which is very important, and other firsts like the Shinnenkai parties to bring in...[ Click to read more ]
For most of us from colder climates, it is hard to imagine winter without ice skating. Luckily, many in the metropolis share that view, and there is a wide selection...[ Click to read more ]
As an American, there are certain foods that I look forward to when things start getting chilly. Most of those foods, like a roasted turkey or pumpkin pie, are simply...[ Click to read more ]
While winters in Japan’s more mountainous and northern regions get pretty chilly, here in Nagoya, temperatures rarely drop below zero. However, for some reason, I constantly feel frozen to my...[ Click to read more ]
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 ]
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 ]
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 ]
Unless you are a ski bunny or a masochist, there should be no doubt that winter is the worst of all months. Cold and wet, skies as ashen as the...[ Click to read more ]
New Years in Japan is laser-focused on firsts. You have your first sunrise of the year, which is very important, and other firsts like the Shinenkai parties to bring in...[ Click to read more ]