JAPAN TRAVEL
Japanese history in stone
I don’t recall when I first became enamored of the shape and beauty of stone, but it hasn’t been too many years since my love of things lithic morphed into a fascination with images carved upon natural rock surfaces.
I’m referring specifically to Japan’s sto...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
A fine tradition of Morioka
This spring a long-time collector of Japanese traditional crafts drew my attention to a cast iron kettle that she had received many years ago as a gift. Never once had she used it, but instead kept it in her dining room, hanging from a jizaikagi adjustable...

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BOUTIQUE JAPAN
 
Kamakura is a small city about an hour south of Tokyo. Nestled between the mountains and the sea, this charming coastal town has long been a popular choice for relaxing day trips and weekend getaways.
As a former capital of Japan, Kamakura boasts a remarkable concentration of tem...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
The making of Japan’s top selling beverage
Tour, snacks, and (drum rolls)… beer? Kirin Brewery in Shiga is the place to go if you want all three, for free. Seriously, what else can beat that? Its factory and tasting tours take you on an incredible journey through the making of Japan’...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
An amazing loop hike on the roof of Hokkaido 
With 2267 square kilometers of stunning mountains, it is the largest national park of Japan. It boasts an incredible biodiversity, one of the highest in the country. Nature shows her matchless beauty and some of the wildest and roughest s...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
A rare Warring States Period castle
About 500 years ago, a warlord saw in the landscape of Shimosa Province an ideal site for a castle. On one side, there was a river, and on the other, a 30 kilometer long lotus marsh.
The clan would need this stronghold because they were living in t...

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BOUTIQUE JAPAN
 
Travel logistics can be one of the least enjoyable aspects of traveling, but thanks to its legendary convenience stores — known as conbini in Japanese — traveling around Japan is surprisingly simple!
The thought of schlepping my suitcase on trains and bullet trains, hiding my cas...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
How to spend the night in Hakodate, Hokkaido
Located in a Hakodate, a city in Hokkaido, there is a famous tourist spot that gathers folks from all around the world. There is a mountain called Mount Hakodate with a rope-way available so that you can enjoy a smooth ride to the summit.
...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
A massive immersive art experience
Spanning across 10,000 square meters, teamLab Planets TOKYO offers a massive space consisting of immersive light installations. This allows the body to completely be submerged into the digital art, blurring the lines between viewer and the work allo...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
From Haiku, G7 and “Your Name” to Ninjas
Iga-Ueno City, Mie prefecture, is well-known for being the historical center of ninjas clans, and is nowadays a place where you can discover more about the history of these legendary spies. Not only that, for all haiku lovers, it’s also the bi...

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