Travel Tips

Tachikawa's Showa Kinen Park is a stunning destination to visit year-round, and the park grounds are home to a wide variety of blooms throughout different seasons. Spring brings color in the form of sakura, tulips, azaleas, and wisteria, summer boasts hydrangeas, water lilies, and lotus flowers, and autumn is renowned for a stunning tunnel of gingko trees that turn their trademark blazing yellow around the late October timeframe. Another highlight of autumn is the cosmos flowers that grow in abundance here, and they're often overlooked.
The best time to catch the cosmos in bloom at Showa Kinen Park is from early September to early November, and they typically come in an array of colors. Pretty pops of pink, white, and orange adorn the grounds of the park, adding a dose of whimsical beauty.
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Aside from the flowers, the park has plenty of amenities that make it easy to spend an entire day here. There are multiple children's play areas, dedic..

If you're planning to travel around Japan, it's likely that public transportation comes into the equation somewhere. There are numerous ways to get from A to B, and many of those options are extremely cute – for instance, the adorable Hello Kitty shinkansen that travels between Shin-Osaka and Hakata. It's not just the modes of transport themselves that have the kawaii factor, with many stops adding a bit of fun to the overall transit experience.
Some of the most unique bus stops in Japan can be found in Nagasaki Prefecture, and they take on a fun, fruity theme. Over a dozen stops along the route from Konagai to Isahaya are in the shape of watermelons, rockmelons, strawberries, tomatoes, and mandarin oranges, adding a cheerful element to any commute.
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So what inspired these fruit-shaped bus stops in the first place? They were designed for the Nagasaki Travel Expo held in 1990 as a way to welcome visitors to the region, and their unique design ..

For book lovers, combining this love with exploring Japan can be a challenge. But some places have a rich literary history that makes this connection easy. Kobe and its neighbor Ashiya have contributed quite a bit to the literary culture of Japan.

Many successful Japanese writers connected to this area, including Haruki Murakami, but best known to local residents is Junichiro Tanizaki, whose most famous novel, Sasameyuki (The Makioka Sisters, or literally, “A Light Snow”), is set in both Ashiya and Kobe. Two of Tanizaki’s former residences and a museum celebrating literature and writers connected to Kobe will be a surprising treat for both fans of Tanizaki’s works and book lovers.

These destinations are small and easily explored in less than an hour, so they can all be experienced in a day of literary adventure.

1. Junichiro Tanizaki Memorial Museum of Literature
Photo: WikiCommons/663highlandStart your day by learning more about this prolific writer at the Junichiro Tanizaki Memori..

Did you know that Japan is an amazing honeymoon destination? Japan offers everything you could ever dream of for that perfect post-wedding trip, and with an abundance of unique culture, fascinating history, spectacular natural scenery, outstanding hospitality, superb gastronomy and fun activities, Japan has something for everyone. In fact, there are way too many awesome things to see and experience to fit them all into one trip, so where should you begin when planning your honeymoon trip to Japan? Let us help you get started with this 14-day itinerary which has it all: culture, nature, highlights and the most efficient route to make the most of your time! How to […]

Honke Owariya, considered to be one of Kyoto's best soba restaurants, was founded in 1465. One of Japan's oldest restaurants, it nevertheless retains a humble atmosphere. Walk through its doors and you'll find unique Kyoto soba dishes that you won’t find anywhere else! Want to enjoy a culinary treasure? Read on!
Honke Owariya is near Nijo Castle and Kyoto Imperial Palace, approximately 5 minutes’ walk from Karasuma-oike Station on the Kyoto Municipal Subway.
One of the oldest restaurants in Kyoto, Honke Owariya started off as a confectionery store in Owarinokuni (which now forms part of Aichi Prefecture). According to ancient literature, it moved to Kyoto “in search of a better class of customer”. It has now maintained Kyoto’s fine culinary traditions for over 550 years.
You can feel the history behind Honke Owariya just from its facade
▲The exterior of the restaurant exudes style and atmosphere. Note the striking historical signboard
The characters on the board read So..

Filled with hot springs, museums, and other attractions, the Hakone area is an attractive tourist area just 90 minutes from Tokyo.
To get around the Hakone Area, you can use eight different transportation systems, including the Hakone Pirate Ship, the Hakone Tozan Bus, the Hakone Tozan Cable Car, and the Hakone Ropeway. But if you’re planning to move a lot, you can use the “Hakone Free Pass,” a discount ticket that allows for unlimited rides.
Here we will talk about the best sightseeing route in Hakone, using the Hakone Free Pass, which is valid for two days, to maximize your stay in the area.
What is the Hakone Free Pass?
The Hakone Free Pass includes the Hakone Tozan Train, the Hakone Tozan Bus (designated sections), the sightseeing tour bus of Hakone Tozan Bus, the Odakyu Hakone Express Bus (designated sections), the Hakone Tozan Cable Car, the Hakone Ropeway, and the Tokai Bus Orange Shuttle (designated sections), as well as a discount for the Hakone Pirate Ship.
You can ride free..

Being stuck at home doesn’t mean that amazing food is off the menu. More so than ever, now’s the time to start honing those cooking skills so you can whip up enjoyable dishes without having to strain your wallet.
And what better way to start than with the simplest Japanese dishes out there? Japan is the food capital of the world, and a lot of Japan’s staple dishes are super straightforward and can be cooked in less time than it takes to order a takeaway.
So, we’ve compiled four Japanese dishes which can be made in 30 minutes or less. You don’t need to be a master chef to pull any of these recipes off!
1. Beef Gyudon
Gyudon is a dish of thinly-cut beef strips, cooked in a sweet mixture of soy sauce, mirin and served on top of white rice. There are different things which be used as toppings to add flavor, but the most common is addition is sake. It’s often finished off with a fried or poached egg and pieces of sliced onion.
Gyudon originated around the early 1900s under the guide of a..

Many Italians seem fashionable, cheerful, optimistic, and don’t care about details. There are many similarities between Japan and Italy, like an environment blessed by the sea, a “slender” land, and a food culture that is highly regarded all over the world.
Today we talked with an Italian man who has studied in Japan, and with an Italian woman who has been in Japan for two years, about what shocked them when they came to Japan! (The following reflects only the opinions of the interviewees)
What’s happening? I was surprised by the “welcome!”
Let’s start with the man.
“In Japan, when you enter a store they welcome you. It may be normal for Japanese people, but foreigners may be surprised. If you don’t understand Japanese well, you may not know what you are being told. The first time I heard the loud ‘welcome’ I thought ‘did I do something wrong?’ (laugh)”
Whenever you enter a shop like a café or a conbini (convenience store), you are greeted with a “welcome!” When you leave, you are acc..

Naturally, different countries have different cultures! One of the things related to culture is the “toilet situation.” You may ask, “Isn’t a restroom always the same in every country?” What about it?
We asked Australian men, American men, and Italian women visiting Japan, how they felt as foreigners when it came to Japanese toilets, especially those that they had never seen before coming to Japan. We also asked about the difference from their home country.
(The following reflects the opinion of the interviewees only)
I don’t know how to use a Japanese-style toilet
The older Japanese-style toilets are less common and not too familiar even to Japanese people. You may think that there are almost none left in the country. However, according to a survey conducted by the Japan Tourism Agency in 2016, 10,181 units, or 42% of the 24,525 toilets in Japan's major tourist attractions, are of the so-called “Japanese-style.”
Surprisingly, it’s many more than one would expect! So what did fore..

Hokkaido is a foodie's paradise. With everything from fresh seafood to outstanding meat and dairy products, it’s an excellent destination if you want to enjoy a variety of dishes, from seafood and vegetables to meat and dairy products.
Here’s a variety of exquisite Hokkaido food delights that will satisfy both your stomach and your heart. Be sure to try as many as you can during your Hokkaido trip!
1. Seafood you should definitely keep in mind when you come to Hokkaido!
▲ Hakodate Morning Market where you can purchase fresh seafood
When talking about must-eat Hokkaido food, you have to try the seafood. Hokkaido, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Japan, and the Sea of Okhotsk, is known for its excellent seafood. Here are some of the seasonal specialties:
Crab (Kani)
▲ Available throughout the year, horsehair crab has exquisitely creamy tomalley
While crab is often associated with winter, this famous Hokkaido food can be caught year-round in the waters near Hokkaido, and ..