Japan Travel Tips & Hidden Gems
The other day, as I was walking to Osaki Station en route to a client meeting as my fractional CMO alter ego, I happened to pass by the cherry blossoms that line the Meguro River. Oddly, they had not yet…
Did you ever wonder why the majority of Japan’s cherry blossoms all tend to bloom at the very same time, usually around the end of March or early April? Well, as it turns out, there is actually a very good…
“Why are there so many f@$#ing dudes here today…?” I thought to myself one Sunday night as I surveyed the sea of shlongs that had invaded Matsuri-no-Yu, a hot spring on top of Seibu-Chichibu Station. For years now, this onsen…
As anyone who has planned (or is currently planning) a springtime trip to Japan likely already knows, the cherry blossoms tend to reach their zenith in Tokyo around the end of March. While still somewhat chilly, this annual flowering is…
It’s the very beginning of May and for the first time in longer than I can remember, I actually have nothing pressing to do. As I write this, I’m lazily lounging about in one of Tokyo’s many Starbucks. All around…
Long-time readers may have picked up on this by now, but I really loathe covering Japanese festivals on this blog. Blasphemy, right? I mean, why would anyone be averse to something so essential to the local culture? As it turns…
“Wintry wind — passing a man with a swollen face.” — Matsuo Basho If you haven’t already had a chance to experience them first hand, know that Japanese winters can be pretty harsh. While temperatures never reach exactly what I would call frigid over…
It’s no real secret that my favorite time of year in Japan is autumn. After all, I have been hammering this point almost daily now on social media. While spring may have its cherry blossoms and summer its festivals, these…
Like with Japan’s famed cherry trees that blossom in spring, the summer months of July and August are often some of the most popular times to visit Japan. After all, the kids are out of school and many firms allow…
Though the Japanese love to opine about their wonderful and distinct four seasons, the island nation technically experiences five. Known as tsuyu in Japanese, this unofficial season loosely translates to rainy season in English. Typically, tsuyu runs from early June…
When is the best time to visit Japan? Truth be told, I must get asked this question at least once a week. I still don’t have a good answer. You see, Japan is amazingly beautiful year-round; each of the four…
What’s up my nerds and nerdettes? Did you know that the word “otaku” actually originally referred only to people who were just really into electronic gadgets? Only thereafter did it started to be applied to things like hardcore fans of…
Located deep in northern Japan, Yamagata Prefecture was once the kind of place that rarely welcomed foreign tourists. For years, it flew almost entirely under the radar, known mainly to domestic travelers and the occasional adventurous visitor. These days, however,…
Ahhh Christmas… cue the traditional festivities, costly shopping, Christmas melodies, glittering lights, and…KFC?!?! What the hell? Yes you read that right! Christmas in Japan is definitely a different beast when compared to Western countries. From good gone bad to straight-up…
Truth be told, few things are scarier than the morning commute in Tokyo. But Halloween in Tokyo is finally stepping up as a true challenger to the throne! A decade ago, Halloween was still relatively obscure in Japan. Large-scale Tokyo…