Tokorozawa city; nature, history and anime!
I was greeted at the revamped Tokorozawa station by our friendly guides for the day. The hospitality was felt immediately after exchanging greetings. We were all presented with a cold bottle of local green...
Noh Theater Workshop in Tokyo
What is Noh? The word literally means "skill", and is a form of classical drama, created in Iga by Kan'ami Kiyotsugu during the Muromachi period in Japan (14th century). Kiyotsugu incorporated story, dance and...
Summer and Ghost Stories
All over the world people tell ghost stories. Some are famous worldwide and others are only famous within the country. But why do Japanese people love telling ghost stories during summer? Some have speculated...
Iris in Wonderland Japan: What did you eat this summer?
In summer in Japan, you will sometimes find bento boxes of grilled eel rice in convenience stores, with a poster stating the “doyo no ushi no hi”.
Apparently, this habit of eating eel on the...
Ramen Notebook : Cold Ramen by Ramen Specialist – Ishiyama Hayato
What better way to cool down than with a bowl of ramen that “gives you the chills”? In Japan, ramen doesn’t have to be served hot and the possibilities are endless. Here are some...
Denbo-in, Asakusa’s Secret Garden
When you are in Asakusa you will notice there are many temples near the Senso-Ji area. One of them is the Denbo-in Temple, the office of Senso-Ji Temple and the residence of the head...
Tobu Treasure Garden in Tatebayashi (Gunma Prefecture)
The Tobu Treasure Garden located in Gunma Prefecture about 55km away from Tokyo, can be reached within only 1hour from Asakusa Station (Tokyo) and is perfect for a day trip during spring, summer or...
Kyoto by the Sea. Enchanting places. Engaging locals
So you’ve seen the golden splendour of to Kinkaku-ji, and walked the famed paths of Fushimi-inari taisha and Arashiyama. Perhaps you’ve even wondered the back alleys of Nishiki market and peered around town from...
What’s in Kyushu? Vol. 1 Fukuoka Prefecture
Recently, the southern parts of the Japanese archipelago has seen a spike in the number of tourists visiting. What is so attractive about Kyushu (九州)? Shrouded in tranquility, each of the seven prefectures of Kyushu...
Geisha life – Funds and Games
Two months ago I wrote about my new trainee Sae (find this article here). She has proven to be hard working and reliable. She wakes up early to clean the geisha house and to...
