Japan Travel Tips & Hidden Gems
While there is truly no wrong time to visit Japan, the month of November may very well be one of the best times to come here. Simply put, like with the cherry blossoms in spring, the arrival of the ever-beautiful…
The month of October is a bit of a weird one in Japan. On the one hand, it’s when the sultry heat of the Japanese summer finally subsides and temperatures start to cool. On the other, it’s also too early…
If you speak with any Japanese person for long enough about what makes the country great, praise for Japan’s four seasons inevitably comes up at some point in the conversation. Whether it is wrapped in the framing of food or…
Inevitably, I always get asked by people planning trips when the best time to visit Japan is. As someone who loves this country with all of my heart, I can confidently say that there really is no best time to…
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 blossoms that reach peak bloom 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…
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…