I first came to Japan in 2000. A year later, in 2001, I visited Kobe for the first time and absolutely loved it. Since then, I’ve been back to Kobe and the surrounding areas of Hyogo Prefecture many, many times. I’ve always said that if I could turn the clock back, I’d probably move to […]
06
Jul
Jul
You have one spare day in Takayama, and the same two names keep coming up. Hida no Sato and Shirakawa-go both have traditional thatched roof houses, but they are not the same kind of day out. If you want the easier, calmer choice, go to Hida no Sato. If you came for that famous valley […]
02
Jul
Jul
Transport fares, bus schedules, and service windows verified against current timetables. Confirm specific connections before travel as rural services update seasonally. If you have already figured out that the Kiso Valley deserves more than a day trip, you are ahead of most people who research this region. The next question is harder, and it is […]
29
Jun
Jun
Choosing the right area to stay in Nagoya during the Asian Games matters more than most visitors realise. Around 15,000 athletes and team officials are coming to the city for the 20th Asian Games. With that many people arriving, central hotel rooms will be taken long before regular travellers start looking. That is why choosing […]
28
Jun
Jun
Japanese supermarkets are cheaper than convenience stores, better for real meals, and far easier to use than most tourists expect. Once you know a few basics, you’ll wonder why you ever paid conbini prices. Most visitors to Japan discover the discount sticker system entirely by accident. They wander into a supermarket around 7:30 PM looking […]
23
Jun
Jun
This Japan food itinerary covers fourteen days, seven cities, and seven food cultures that are genuinely distinct from each other. It runs as a loop from Osaka, so you fly in and out of Kansai International without backtracking. Most long-distance legs work on the Japan Rail Pass. The Matsuzaka day trip uses Kintetsu and requires […]
21
Jun
Jun
Every time you tap through a ticket gate in a Japanese city, there’s a decent chance you’re paying more than you need to. Most visitors stick to single rides on an IC card without checking whether a day pass would be cheaper. Japan City Day Passes solve this, and on weekends and holidays several get […]
18
Jun
Jun
You have almost certainly seen the photo. A massive straw rope draped across a shrine entrance, or coiled around an ancient tree, or binding two sea-washed rocks together. These ropes are called shimenawa, and once you understand what they are doing, every shrine, sacred tree, and holy rock you encounter will read differently. Not in a […]
17
Jun
Jun
“Every hotel says it is near Nagoya Station” is the most common thing visitors tell me when they ask for help planning accommodation in this city. They are right, and that is precisely the problem. What the booking sites leave out is that “near Nagoya Station” can mean directly above the Shinkansen platforms, or it […]
15
Jun
Jun
JR pricing changes regularly. Always check your specific routes before buying anything. For most visitors to Japan, the answer is no. That is not a provocative opener designed to be softened later. It is arithmetic. After a 70% price increase in October 2023 and another increase arriving this October, the Japan Rail Pass has moved […]