Training Through Tohoku (1): The Must Do List
Tohoku - the northeastern region of Japan's main island - is most enjoyable in autumn, when this scenic area is aflame with fall colors, and its famed fruits and seafood are in full harvest. And...
Aomori Nebuta Festival: Week Long Street Party
Every night this week till Friday, the sleepy streets of Aomori city roar into life with the chants of "ra-se-ra, ra-se-ra, ra-se-ra-se-ra-se-ra!" and thousands of feet spring off the ground as they dance to the...
Tenkawa Shrine, Japan’s Most Seclusive Power Spot
Simultaneously valuing traditions and welcoming the new
What exactly does religion mean in Japan? What is Shinto and how important is it to the Japanese? Never during my 10 years in Japan did I ask myself...
Hie Shrine, Japan’s Most Urban Power Spot
A sacred shrine you reach by escalator
Presiding over a steep slope in the middle of Tokyo, the Hie Shrine is probably Japan's most urban shrine. Located in Nagatacho of the Chiyoda Ward, the shrine is surrounded by a...
Japan`s World Heritage Sites: Kumano Pilgrimage Route
The World's Most Picturesque Pilgrimage
If you take just one pilgrimage - or perhaps just a long hike - in your life, you won't find a more scenic one than here.
Though a slight trek off the...
Picturesque Japan: The Takachiho Gorge
Like magic to your eyes
Located on the north edge of Miyazaki prefecture on Kyushu Island, the Takachiho Gorge is without a doubt, one of Japan's most impressive natural landscapes. With dramatic cliffs, verdant forests, an...
A Taste of Sh旬ｎ： Much Ado About Mochi
Recently, a major convenience store chain in Japan came up with a summer version of dango (mochi, or rice cakes, usually on a stick) meant to be eaten cooled. Presumably this is to make...
Hidden gems of Sugamo, the ‘Harajuku for obasans’
This street could hold the secret to Japanese ‘obasans’’ longevity
Strolling the Shotengai: Musashi-Koyama Palm
Tokyo's Longest Covered Shopping Arcade
If you've done any traveling throughout Japan, you've probably come across the close cousin of the traditional shotengai shopping street: the covered shotengai, also known in Japan as the arcade. After...
World Heritage (9): The Shrines & Temples of Nikko
Shrines & Temples of Nikko: Enter into Edo Excellence
As 2015 marks 400 years since the death of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo era who is enshrined here, there's no better time to...
