Last weekend, we visited the Kinki region to view the cherry blossoms. To start, we caught the shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto and caught 2 Kintetsu railway trains to 吉野山 (Yoshino mountain). Note: For Kintetsu railway, additional charge applies to reserve seats. About Yoshino Mountain in Nara Yoshino Mountain's cherry trees have been protected for … Continue reading Cherry blossom season in Kyoto, Nara and Shiga
We took last Friday off to celebrate our wedding anniversary💒 and decided to visit Nagano/Gunma prefectures for what we love: good food🍴, nature🌳 and onsen♨️. Start with good food at a rare cured ham maker in Japan On Friday, we visited 高山村 (Takayama Village) 45 minutes drive east from Nagano train station. A population of … Continue reading Anniversary trip to Nagano and Gunma
Tokyo has been experiencing a lot of rain so when the forecast said last Sunday was going to be sunny, we decided to head over towards the edge of Tokyo for some fresh air. Our destination was Umenokitoge, a hiking spot that ends with an onsen located near Okutama which has become one of our … Continue reading Hiking within Tokyo at Umenokitoge
After this long weekend (Monday being spring equinox), all of Covid-19 pandemic restriction called まん延防止等重点措置（Manen boshi to juten sochi or set of restrictions placed to prevent the spread of Covid-19) that was in place since the end of January will end all around Japan🎉. As around 80% of the Japanese population have completed the 2nd … Continue reading Earthquake that shook Japan
Last Sunday was Tokyo Marathon and we went to have a look at one of the biggest sporting events in Japan. I remember when we lived in Sydney, many Japanese visited Sydney's running events because- there's a big running culture in Japan- entering a race in Japan is so competitive that many Japanese will go … Continue reading Cheering on at Tokyo Marathon
After a long, refreshing holiday in Kyushu, I should be recharged and full of energy....but I'm a bit blah. It can be the post-holiday blues but it's probably because I haven't seen sunlight for a week, Japan is entering 梅雨 (tsuyu or East Asian rainy season) early this year. Usually in Kanto region which includes … Continue reading Yutsu na Tsuyu ~ melancholy rainy season that sweeps Japan~
This week's post is the third and final part of Kyushu Road Trip we traveled to the southern region in Japan during our Golden Week 2021 holiday. (If you missed the previous posts, here are the links to the previous posts of Kyushu road trip:- Part 1 where we started our journey in onsen prefecture … Continue reading Kyushu road trip part 3
During the Golden Week holiday season that started from April 29, we have been road tripping in Kyushu, Japan. Last week, I shared the first 2 days of our trip where we flew into Oita prefecture to enjoy onsen in Japan’s onsen town, Beppu, and drove to Kumamoto in the mountain side (if you missed … Continue reading Kyushu road trip part 2
Hello from Kyushu! Japan is now in Golden Week. Starting with Showa Day on Thursday April 29, the Golden Week where public holidays occur one after another making it a long, long weekend continues until the following Wednesday where public holidays of Constiution Day (May 3), Green Day (May 4) and Children’s Day (May 5) … Continue reading Kyushu road trip part 1
Collectively known as 谷根千 (Yanesen) which takes the first syllable from the 3 adjacent suburbs of 谷中(Yanaka), 根津 (Nezu) and 千駄木 (Sendagi) in Bunkyo ward, this area is a popular strolling area with a 下町 (Shitamachi or downtown) vibe. Luckily, the areas avoided bombing during wars and many temples and buildings have been preserved. Similar … Continue reading Tokyo suburbs highlight: “Yanesen” Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi
Native Expat 