July 7th in Japan is not a national holiday. Schools are open, banks and post offices are open, and life goes on as normal. However culturally July 7th is something of a holiday. I guess you can think of it as on the level of Halloween in the U.S., and like Halloween, it is mostly…
There was recently an internet poll of three thousand people in Japan asking the following question: Which prefecture do you think of the least? The answer to the above question reveals a list of underrated, underappreciated, and undervisited prefectures… hence a great list of places off the beaten path to visit. The ranking of the…
Renting a car in Japan and driving around is one of the best ways to travel cheaply in Japan now. You can get a great experience, travel easily with pets and kids, stop when and where you want, eat cheaply, go camping, and see the countryside. There has never been a better time to travel…
I recently took a trip to Hiroshima. Rather than stay in the city, I decided to stay down in Kure, a town famous for the Yamato Museum which shows the history of Kure during World War II and the Battleship Yamato which was also the inspiration for the Yamato Battleship turned spaceship in the old…
I took a nice road trip along the Sanyo Expressway to Hiroshima the other day. First off, I have to tell you that each of the little service areas and parking areas along the Sanyo are a little different. Some of them have convenience stores, some have little playgrounds or parks, and others are known…
Japan considers its inconsistent political correctness when two young girls do one of those Akihabara type idol dances in a park in Hiroshima were forced to apologize.