Journal

  1. What to expect at a Japanese fireworks competitionA Japanese fireworks competition, or hanabi taikai, is much more than a display watched for a few minutes. It is an evening event with carefully arranged…
  2. Planning A Japanese Alps AdventureThe Japanese Alps offer a rewarding mix of mountain scenery, traditional villages, steaming onsen, and compact regional towns. This broad area stretches across…
  3. The Best Autumn Leaf Spots in Kyoto’s Temples and GardensKyoto in autumn feels made for slow walks. Maple trees turn vermilion, gold and russet around temple gates, stone paths, ponds and moss-covered gardens,…
  4. A Guide to Japanese Street Food: Takoyaki, Okonomiyaki, And MoreJapanese street food is closely tied to festivals, shopping streets, train stations and seasonal events. Rather than one national menu, it is a collection of…
  5. Discovering Naoshima and Teshima in the Seto Inland SeaAcross Japan’s Seto Inland Sea, small islands have become remarkable centres for contemporary art, architecture and slow travel. Naoshima and Teshima are the…
  6. Yanagibashi Rengo Market: Fukuoka’s Local Food HeartFukuoka is famous for its relaxed pace, friendly locals and serious food culture. Beyond the bright signs of Canal City and the busy stalls of Nakasu,…
  7. How to enjoy a Japanese public bath with confidenceA Japanese public bath offers a slower, more social way to experience everyday life. Rather than treating the bath as a place to wash quickly, visitors are…
  8. Why Explore Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium for Whale Sharks and CoralOkinawa Churaumi Aquarium is one of Japan’s most memorable places to see marine life up close. Set inside Ocean Expo Park in Motobu, northern Okinawa, it…
  9. A Guide To Japanese Castles: Matsumoto, Himeji, And BeyondJapanese castles are more than striking wooden towers surrounded by stone walls. They reveal how regional lords controlled trade routes, defended valuable land…
  10. Day hikes from Tokyo by train for mountain viewsTokyo’s rail network makes it surprisingly easy to trade office towers and crowded shopping streets for forest trails, temple paths and broad mountain views.…