Yosakoi Festival in Kochi: A Summer Dance Celebration
While there are various festivals year-round throughout Japan, summer is the high season for such events. All summer long, it seems that...
Awa Odori Festival in Tokushima: An Obon Tradition
Summer is peak festival season in Japan, particularly during the Obon period in August. For one of the largest and oldest in...
Things To Do (And Eat) in Nagano City
The main hall of Zenkoji Temple
As a mountainous prefecture dotted with small towns, an internet search for...
Healthy Fast Food at Onigiri Asakusa Yadoroku
The idea of healthy fast food may seem paradoxical or simply unappealing, but Japan does it well....
Nagatoro: An Outdoorsy Day Trip From Tokyo
When the neon of Tokyo no longer energises you, it’s a sure sign that you’re in need of a nature escape. And...
Exploring the Iwadatami Rocks and Boating on the Arakawa River
The Arakawa River begins on Mount Kobushi and snakes through Saitama Prefecture on its way to Tokyo Bay. It flows for 173km...
Natural Ice Kakigori in Saitama: Asami Reizou
One of the best ways to cool down in the Japanese summer is with Kakigori, or shaved ice. When temperatures soar, these...
A Family-Friendly Hike (And More!) on Hodosan
Tokyo is home to an impressive array of parks, gardens and green spaces, but sometimes, only an uphill trek can truly focus...
Fossil Hunting at Nojiriko Naumann Elephant Museum
Outdoorsy types know Lake Nojiri as a tranquil nature escape. A place to kayak, hike or fish, high in the northern Nagano...
The Retro Post-War Izakaya of Hoppy Dori, Asakusa
Asakusa found prosperity in the Edo era. A veritable playground for rice dealers, merchants, lowly officials and samurai, it was the go-to...