JAPAN TRAVEL
Marukan Department Store Restaurant  
If you find yourself in Hanamaki, Iwate, you don't want to miss out on a great dining experience. To say that Marukan is an institution in Hanamaki is an understatement. Not only do they have the restaurant and department store, they had at some ...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
Explore The Hidden Plateau of Multi-tiered Rocks
Nanki, a generic name for the southwestern part of Wakayama, has an array of various amusement parks, zoos, beaches and places where you can enjoy water sports. Approximately two and a half hours away from Osaka by limited express trai...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
Kacho-Yukan, Igashira Park, Moka, Tochigi Pref.
On previous visits, I hadn`t paid attention to Kacho-Yukan because my purpose had always been to enjoy time outdoors in Igashira Park. The park is in Moka,Tochigi Prefecture and is immense (when a Canadian says that you can believe it!)...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
Hidden Cellar For The Ultimate Sake Experience
Do not judge a book by its cover; I was deceived by the ordinary looking Shimada Shoten when I first saw it at the corner of the street. It looks just like any other ordinary sake shop in Japan, but below the surface is a “hidden” cellar...

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JAPAN TRENDS
Universal Studios Japan's Newly Opened Themed Area
If you are like me, when you heard that Universal Studios Japan was opening a Wizarding World of Harry Potter area at its theme park in Osaka, you couldn't stop yourself from ecstatically jumping around and promising yourself to chec...

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JAPAN TIMES
 
The juni hitoe (12-layered kimono) was introduced in Japan during the Heian Period (794-1185) as a garment worn by ladies-in-waiting.
Particularly complicated to put on, but also luxurious and elegant, it can be seen in illustrations of Murasaki Shikibu’s 11-century novel “The Tale ...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
In a Hot Spring Town Surrounded By Fukushima Nature Nihonmatsu is a small city thriving among the beautiful mountains and rice fields of Fukushima Prefecture. It's a short distance from the bigger cities of Fukushima City and Koriyama City, but a completely different atmosphere from ...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
A Multi-purpose 15-story Building in Akihabara 
Ask any local in Akihabara and they can easily point out the building for you. Standing with 15 floors that zoom up to the sky when you crane your head up for a glimpse, Akihabara UDX or Urban Development X  is one of the high-rise buil...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
Inspired by The Natural World, Tochigi Prefecture
I was lucky to get the chance to be spirited away to the far east of this prefecture one cold Sunday in November to such a magical place, filled with beauty, spirit, gentleness and warmth.
 
Picture Book Hill is tucked away on the sid...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
 
 
Hiking Through the Kyoto Mountains
Nestled in the mountainside of northern Kyoto prefecture, 鞍馬 (Kurama) and 貴船 (Kibune) feel like an entire world away from the busy metropolis of the nearby city. At only 40 minutes north of Kyoto and 90 minutes from Osaka, it’s no wonder the...

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