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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JAPAN TRAVEL
 
 
The Best Way To See Karuizawa's Amazing Wildlife
Karuizawa isn’t just known for its modern shopping areas, western influences, and holiday homes: the reason people moved there in the first place was because of the beautiful scenery, away from the crowds and summer heat of Tokyo. ...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
 
 
An All-season Resort Easily Reached From Central Tokyo
Minakami has become one of Japan's top resort areas for people with an active lifestyle. Located only two hours from central Tokyo, the Minakami Kogen Hotel 200 offers a impressive variety of activities in every season and is...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
A Hip Spot With an Impressive Drink List
Located steps away from the Utsunomiya Castle Ruins Park this café is a great stop no matter what time of day. With the wide range of specialty drinks combined with the rich food and relaxing atmosphere, it’s no wonder this place is often at f...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
 
 
Myoga-ya Onsen Hotel, Shiobara
Shiobara Onsen Village is an onsen area south of Nasu, with eleven different water sources. The entire area is quite wide, but within a few minutes there are so many different mineral content baths (clear onsen, milky onsen, salty onsen, iron onsen ...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
 
Shinto, Buddha, and Some Funny Bunnies Those who traveled or lived in Japan more than a few days sometimes come to the thinking that “If you have seen one shrine or temple, you have seen them all.” While many shrines and temples have common characteristics, it is the little extras ...

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