JAPAN TRAVEL
Where tradition and innovation coincide
The roads that wind through the lush landscape of the Tsugaru Plain in Aomori Prefecture are lined with rice paddies and orderly groves of fruit trees. Once a sparsely inhabited marshland, the region was transformed into an agricultural center ...

More

JAPAN TRAVEL
Tasty local specialties and traditional music
When I arrived in Hirosaki, one of the things I found at the tourist office was a little leaflet called 'Eight local culinary specialties', with information about a range of dishes and their histories. For example, much of the local food ...

More

JAPAN TRAVEL
An easy Japanese history lesson
 
You're visiting Japan for the first time and have booked a very busy schedule. Much of what you will see and hear may be difficult to comprehend. How about a quick trip to the Tokyo National Museum near Uneo station for a little history lesson?
 
A v...

More

JAPAN TRAVEL
Relax and unwind when in Odaiba
Odaiba is one of Tokyo’s most visited tourist locations, filled with entertainment, shopping, and excitement. After a full day of enjoying all the best Odaiba has to offer, An-Spa offers you a relaxing way to end the day.
An-Spa is a Japanese relaxatio...

More

JAPAN TRAVEL
Foraging for early summer treats in the mountains
Foraging for food in the mountains of Snow Country used to provide an important source of food. Today, it is a hobby enjoyed by many locals.
The spring mountain vegetable season has already finished, but once the pink flowers appear o...

More

JAPAN TRAVEL
Dinner and theatre cruise across Tokyo Bay
Tokyo is rife with waterside experiences up and down the Sumidagawa river and around the Tokyo Bay area, with both traditional yakatabune dinner boats and modern cruise ships hoping to attract those looking to escape the concrete jungle. Mee...

More

JAPAN TRENDS
 
Japan’s third-wave coffee revolution continues with the opening of Home, the first “share roaster” coffee shop in the country opening July in the hip neighborhood of Minami-Senba in Osaka.
Managed by Hoop, a company dedicated to connecting the world through coffee. In much the styl...

More

JAPAN TRAVEL
Two wheeled therapy by the seashore
The ancients channelled Ebisu and the elixir of eternity on the cliffs beyond the horizon, but today the only spirits we will imbibe are freshly made from Kuramoto Mukai, famous for squeezing every bit of goodness from the Murasaki Komachi, a beaut...

More

JAPAN TRAVEL
What to know before walking to Kumano Hongu Taisha
Anyone who’s walked the Nakahechi or the Imperial Route of the Kumano Kodo — or any Kumano Kodo route for that matter — will tell you what an amazing experience it is. The misty forests, sweeping panoramas, and ancient shrines all co...

More

JAPAN TRAVEL
The easy way to get around the sights of Shizuoka city
The centre of Shizuoka city may be compact, and may not have all that many sights, but I still wouldn't want to walk between all of them.
Fortunately, I don't have to: leaving from the north exit of Shizuoka station, the Sunpu Ro...

More