Journal

  1. How to Experience a Traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony in KyotoKyoto offers many ways to encounter matcha, but a traditional tea ceremony is different from simply ordering green tea at a café. The experience, known as…
  2. A beginner’s guide to Japanese whisky tastings and distilleriesJapanese whisky has become one of the world’s most admired spirits, known for its clean structure, careful blending, and attention to detail. For visitors to…
  3. Japan’s Most Photogenic Shrines for Instagram LoversJapan’s shrines offer far more than beautiful backdrops. Their torii gates, stone lanterns, sacred forests, coastal views, and seasonal decorations reveal how…
  4. How to choose a ryokan in Japan for a memorable stayA ryokan is more than a traditional Japanese hotel. It can be a quiet mountain retreat, a seaside inn with fresh seafood, a hot spring escape, or a family-run…
  5. What to See in Nagasaki: History, Culture, and CuisineNagasaki is one of Japan’s most layered cities. Its harbor, steep hills, foreign trading routes, religious heritage, and wartime history have shaped a…
  6. A Guide to Tokyo’s Complex Subway Ticketing SystemTokyo’s subway network is fast, clean, and remarkably extensive, but its ticketing system can feel confusing at first. Two operators run most of the central…
  7. The best local foods to try in Hiroshima beyond okonomiyakiHiroshima is famous for its layered, generous style of okonomiyaki, but stopping there means missing much of the prefecture’s food culture. The Seto Inland Sea…
  8. How to Plan a Hiking Trip in the Japanese AlpsThe Japanese Alps offer some of the country’s finest mountain scenery, from sharp ridgelines and alpine lakes to cedar forests, hot springs, and traditional…
  9. Jigokudani Snow Monkeys: A Winter Wildlife ExperienceFew Japanese winter scenes are as memorable as a troop of wild macaques sitting in a steaming hot spring while snow falls around them. At Jigokudani Yaen-Koen…
  10. A guide to the different types of Japanese mochiMochi is one of Japan’s most familiar traditional foods, yet the word covers a surprisingly wide range of textures, fillings, shapes, and regional customs. At…