Japan Travel Tips & Hidden Gems
In today’s article, we’ll be heading back to a different side of Hiroshima Prefecture to explore the isle of Okunoshima. Famous as the “Rabbit Island” overseas, this small landmass is home to anywhere between 700 and 900 adorable bunnies. While…
Try as I might, I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing. We had just been informed by the station attendant that the Akita Shinkansen would not be running for the rest of the night. Yup, you read that right.…
In my many travels across Japan, I’ve visited A LOT of shrines. Though I’ve certainly been moved by many of these Shinto sanctuaries over the years, none ever managed to bring me to tears. That all changed recently when I…
These days, it would be hard to find anyone who hasn’t heard of Kyoto.. That said, there’s so much more to the prefecture than just what most people envision when they think of the ancient capital. Today we’ll be taking…
How I ended up in Katsuura is a bit of a strange tale. The afternoon that I decided on a whim to go was a hectic Thursday. Exhausted to the core but also revved up by caffeine, I felt emasculated…
Today, we’ll be getting off the beaten path again to examine Nagano Prefecture’s city of Iiyama. Truth be told, it was only recently that this part of Japan popped up on the radar for me. While I had some vague…
Today, we’ll be venturing back to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Though this city is already somewhat of an off the beaten path destination, the topic of this article is an even more obscure hidden gem (at least for inbound tourism…
Welcome back to another one of my crazy adventures in Japan. Today, we’ll be taking a look at Mt. Myogi and Myogi Shrine, the ancient sanctuary that sits atop this mysterious mountain. Found in the westernmost reaches of Gunma Prefecture,…
The other week, I found myself in Kyoto for client-related work reasons. While I’d of course not pass up the chance to enjoy the city’s cherry blossoms, the primary purpose of my trip was professional. Still, I am a travel…
For a hot minute now, Shizuoka Prefecture’s city of Hamamatsu has been on my bucket list. Though I first got to visit back in 2021 for Tokyo Creative’s #HostTownRelay, I really never had enough time to thoroughly explore all of…
Hail and well met travelers! Rather than take you on yet another adventure to some rural region, I’ll instead be looking to detail in this piece everything that you need to know to thoroughly enjoy Japanese alcohol. While I do…
Unfortunately, most overseas visitors to Japan only ever experience Nara as a day-long excursion from Osaka or Kyoto. As soon as these travelers arrive in the city, they make a beeline for attractions like Todai-ji’s Daibutsu and the venerable Kasuga…
Recently, I took part in what is locally referred to as a “monitor tour” to assess the viability of a new route that the government and railway companies are considering. The other participants and I started in Tokyo’s Taito Ward…
Note: Due to the challenges of getting enough craftsmen onboard, this project is currently on the back burner. Once I can better solve the conundrum of shipping logistics, I will look to revisit Our Japan with a renewed vigor. For…
As of right now, it’s early 2022. Pretty soon, we’ll be coming up on the two year mark since Japan closed its borders to outside visitors. While the reprieve from overtourism has been a much needed breath of fresh air…