One of the greatest things about traveling to Japan is the way baths are enjoyed. Aside from the awesomeness that is the bath in a person’s home, sometimes people enjoy a trip out to a public bath, or if they are lucky enough to live within a few hours of an onsen or hot spring,…
The O-bon or Bon Festival in Japan is definitely something summer travelers to Japan want to have marked on their calendars. There are both good things about being in Japan, but also some things to be aware of if traveling around this time of year. Some things to be aware of: Many people in Japan…
After the Tohoku Earthquake, the Tsukiji Fish Market, a great place to see where your sushi and other foods get their start, and to gain a great appreciation for the way a fish auction works in Japan, was closed to tourists out of concerns for their safety. The market has banned visits from tourists in…
If you haven’t been to the new and definitely improved Japan Rail Osaka Station, a Japanese blogger has taken photos of some of the more interesting parts of the station, as well as some breathtaking shots from some of the higher points there. Fans of trains, trains stations, architecture, and Japan will enjoy these greatly……
One trip that I feel is worth the money if you are in Japan for any significant amount of time is a trip to Hokkaido. Hokkaido has wonderful hot springs, food, and natural wonders (yes, wonders!). The difficulty of a trip to Hokkaido is that everything is very spread out and it may be a…
I just read through a great article (in Japanese) that gives advice to people about how to take great pictures of the cherry blossoms at night. There is a lot of basic advice for using the white balance and experimenting with your cameras automatic settings, but the site also features some nice photos of cherry…
I just wanted to post a quick message up here for people who have been reading the site. The majority of damage after the latest earthquake in Japan is in the Sendai and Fukushima area north of Tokyo. However, the aftershocks are continuing. I don’t want to give too much advice until we feel the…
In comments on my previous post, people seemed interested in “Yozakura” or night hanami. Viewing cherry blossoms at night can be a nice evening outing and also a good contrast to cherry blossom viewing in the daytime. There are tons of places, and if you stay in a hotel, I’m sure the staff can guide…
UPDATE (FEB 4, 2011): tenki.jp has reduced it’s annual Japan cherry blossom forecast for 2011, a screenshot of which is below. It looks like Tokyo is on the line for blooming in March, and we are looking at the turn of the month for most of Japan. Fukuoka, Kochi, and warmer climates seem to have…
Fans of the new Space Battleship Yamato movie who are lucky enough to be in the Tokyo area this winter holiday can take a trip to Tokyo Tower and check out a display of actual props and costumes from the movie. The event is scheduled to run from December 18th, 2010 to January 5th, 2011….
This is an awesome video I came across while flipping through some of the videos nominated for YouTube Video Awards in Japan for 2010. This was taken in Hokkaido and is one of the most beautiful scenes one could see. I really love Hokkaido and all the beauty and nature that really separates it from…
There has been some doubt about whether Japan Rail would be continuing with its sale of the Seishun 18 Kippu (Seishun 18 Tickets) which allow riders very inexpensive rides on local trains during certain times of the year. Despite the name (Youth 18 Tickets, literally translated), the tickets can be bought and used by anyone….