TRAVEL GAIJIN POT
A hidden gem of Hiroshima City’s nightlife and a perfect place to sink your teeth into some okonomiyaki.
Osuga Cho, a hidden gem of Hiroshima City’s nightlife, is jam-packed with tiny restaurants and bars. The neighborhood’s nickname, Eki-nishi, gives a clue as to its convenient...

More

DEEP JAPAN
Try Omikuji Fortunes at Shrines and Temples
Omikuji - おみくじ - are fortune papers from temples and shrines that offer advice for your health, career, and good luck in general. There are positive ones - marked kichi 吉 - and negative ones - marked kyou 凶. The most positive one is the...

More

JAPAN TRAVEL
A rare exhibit of tengu figures of Noda City
When: Oct 6th - Dec 17th 2018 ,  10:00am - 5:00pm
Noda City Museum’s special exhibition, “Noda and Oosugi-sama”, brings together portable shrines, ritual objects and statuary used in the city’s summer festivals. Among the treasures are thr...

More

JAPAN GUIDE
Japanese Sake & Shochu Campaign
As part of the Japanese government's action program to promote tourism, the Tourism Agency and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport have teamed up with four international airports and with the domestic alcohol industry to promote Japanese...

More

JAPAN TRAVEL
Shikoku Island's Oboke Iya Valley
They call the Oboke/Iya valley area of Tokushima prefecture “Hidden Japan”. It is very rural with small towns, rich in history, spectacular scenery, and difficult to get to.
When planning your trip I recommend you book the Bonnet Bus tour, rather tha...

More

DEEP JAPAN
 
Ningyo-yaki - Japanese Sweets in Asakusa
Ningyo-yaki （人形焼） is very popular in Tokyo Asakusa where you can watch them being baked. This is one of my favorite Japanese sweets and a very good omiyage gift.
Ningyo is the Japanese word for doll, so the name of this sweet reads "baked...

More

JAPAN TRAVEL
The colour of nobility
It was the most unexpected of homecomings. Over a decade ago, I literally put on the family crest, in the most formal embodiment of Japanese attire called kuro montsuki, in a wedding a block away from where I met my wife.
And now, I am at the home where this ga...

More

JAPAN TRAVEL
Dance weekend in Tokyo
When: Nov 2nd - Nov 4th 2018 ,  5:00pm - 9:00pm
November might not be the month you first think of to see outdoor dance events, but after the hot months of summer, the cooler temperature is actually perfect and still warm enough to enjoy stunning dance performa...

More

TRAVEL GAIJINPOT
One of western Japan’s oldest shrines
Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine (also known as Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine) is a sprawling shrine with picturesque grounds plucked from a storybook. One of Osaka‘s most famous shrines, it is the site of many of the nation’s most important religious rites ...

More

JAPAN TRAVEL
Marvel at the giant hikiyama floats
Venue: Karatsu Shrine When: Nov 2nd - Nov 4th 2018 ,  9:30am - 5:30pm
For over 400 years, this autumn festival has been held at Karatsu Shrine and is one of Kyushu's major festival attractions. Highly decorated giant festival floats, known as hikiy...

More