The season for fireworks has come! Here let us introduce Shinmei Fireworks Display which is going to be held at Ichikawamisato-cho, Yamanashi. This event is held every year on Aug. 7, known as "Fireworks Day". Look at this beautiful view changing colors one after another! You can enjoy
The way to recover from the fatigue, stress and tiredness of daily work, is not your girlfriend or boyfriend, or even a massage - it is of course through visiting a hot spring. The indescribable, liberating feeling you get when you soak up to your shoulders in hot bath water; how much happiness woul
This series is our collection of selected locations (machi) from all around Japan – places with various different cultures and local specialties, and those with novel customs of some sort. In the last volume we went to Oita, in volume 4 we feature Ehime of the Shikoku region! Ehime prefecture
For some, the words “flea market” might conjure thoughts of people selling niche items in an unappealing atmosphere. But actually flea markets have a welcoming feel, meaning anyone can feel easy about visiting one. Lately, purchasing vintage items such as crockery and ornaments for home interiors ha
Recently Japanese traditions and culture have gained notice and products that are “made in Japan” have become popular. Shops selling Edo period items continue to pop up. Do you own any “Japanese things”? I think there are many people who don’t actually own anything that they can stand up and shou
This is a continuation of the previous part one “thing” edition, this time I present the “food” edition. There are still depths we don’t know about the Japanese food we eat as part of our daily lives. Here I will introduce shops specializing in Japanese style snacks and items for side dishes.
Japan is a place where it is safe to walk throughout the night. Especially in Tokyo, where you can enjoy shopping at all hours - with many restaurants and convenience stores running 24 hours a day. That said, there are not many amusement centers to enjoy throughout the night. Even though Shinjuku Ka
Koedo is a place where you still have the look and feel of the Edo area. With buildings that hold a history of prosperity and liveliness, a townscape from the good old days, these areas are still enlivened with sightseers and visited as a date spot. When the weather becomes warmer people have the
This series is our collection of selected locations (machi) from all around Japan – places with various different cultures and local specialties, and those with novel customs of some sort. In the last volume we went to Gifu, in volume 3 we feature Oita! Oita is home to 4,538 hot springs and has a
Mashiko Town is located in the South-East of Tochigi Prefecture and is proud to be the home of the traditional craft, “Mashiko ware”. Since the end of the Edo period, this town has been known as a ceramic arts town and they hold the “Mashiko Pottery Fair” every year. From works of veteran ceramic ar
While cafés where you can pet cats and rabbits are rapidly increasing, my attention was brought to that of a slightly different animal café. A hedgehog café! A small round animal, covered in prickly spines. I’m sure many of you are quite surprised, I was too, but they are just too cute once you have
Anime culture is something that Japan can be proud of and in recent years anime series depicting real locations and scenery from around Japan have increased. For people who actually live in these locations, seeing everyday scenes from around town featured in an anime is exciting and for anime fan
I’m going to introduce three well-known restaurants that exhibit a Japanese taste among the many theme restaurants that continue to pop up. There’s no question you will be surprised by the unique culture of the Heian era and the Sengoku period exhibited within these interiors. These businesses boast
