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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JAPAN TRENDS
 
Until now there has been a relative lack of cat cafes (or their various spin-offs with dogs, owls, rabbits and more) in central areas. If you search, you can find some around Shibuya, Shinjuku and other major commercial centers, but often the largest or most popular are in slightly...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
Taste a Hokkaido Specialty On a Trip to Niseko Before we came to live in Niseko we had been told by lots of people that soup curry was amazing and that we needed to try it. When Tsubara Tsubara finally opened for the winter we practically ran there the first chance we got and it didn...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
Hustle And Bustle That Twists Modern And Traditional
Sometimes, travelers get lucky.
On my visit to Nagoya, the Osu Kannon Shopping District was not on my list of things to do.  In fact, I didn't even know it existed.  But the eye-catching entrance way beside the Osu Kannon Temple ca...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
Japan's Highest Quality Snow
“Japan doesn’t get snow! It’s an island! It’s tropical!” Those were the words from my mouth when I first heard that Japan would host the 1998 Winter Olympic Games. A look at a map and the unfolding of the Olympics taught me better and put Nagano on the li...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
 
 
A Peaceful Place To Enjoy Modern Japanese Paintings 
 
Karuizawa is home to a good number of art museums, some of them out of the way, some of them just way out (man). One of the more accessible, both to get to and to get into, is the Wakita Museum of Art, opened in 1991 to showc...

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