9 days that my sister visited us in Tokyo from Germany flashed by as though she was with us for mere 9 seconds. As mentioned in the last week's post, we haven't seen each other in 2 and a half years, my sister hasn't been back in Japan for 7 years and we haven't been … Continue reading Clash of the classic and the current: Tokyo
My sister has visited me in Tokyo from Germany for 9 days. Same as me, she was born in Tokyo to Japanese parents.She lived in Japan until the age of 14, moved to Australia and for the last 8 years she has been living in Europe. The last time she visited Japan was 7 years … Continue reading Native Expat interviews (temporary) Native Expat
I have noticed much more foreigners wandering around Tokyo this spring. Regulations have loosened up slightly first allowing students and some business travelers to enter Japan early spring. We know a family who have moved to Japan in mid-April from New Zealand after waiting for months for the green light to land in Japan. The … Continue reading Japan is opening
We have recently returned from 3 nights 4 days Chubu region road trip where we visited: Toyama city and Iwase area in Toyama prefecture and Shirakawa, Gifu prefectureAwara onsen , Fukui prefectureYamashiro onsen town, Ishikawa prefecture In this post, I’ll share the second half of our trip.(For the first half of the trip where we … Continue reading Japan Sea and onsen road trip Part 2 : Ishikawa, Fukui and Toyama
A public holiday on April 29th 2022 started the “Golden Week” in Japan where taking Monday May 1 and Friday May 6 creates a 10 days off extra long weekend. (Please read my previous blog to learn more about the Golden Week). This year was the first in 3 years without any restrictions set due … Continue reading Japan Sea and onsen road trip Part 1 : Toyama and Shirakawa
Cherry blossom season has nearly come to an end in Tokyo area but it doesn't stop the flowers bursting throughout Tokyo.I am amazed at how much azaleas, dogwood and many flowers decorate not just the park but the streets around me. Although surrounded by pink and white petals, I made a special trip to Sumida … Continue reading Spring in Sumida: fuji flower viewing
桜(Sakura) or cherry blossom is the symbol of Japan and although the cherry blossom season seemed to be over, I came across this stunning cherry tree last weekend. All the flowers with lots of petals were facing down that when you stand right underneath it, all the flowers were facing you. Simply stunning. This variety … Continue reading Spectacular sakura: the variety of the Japanese symbol
Baseball is the most watched sports both on TV and live in Japan.So much so, even high school baseball tournament is aired on TV. Baseball tournament continued with no spectators followed by limited spectators during the pandemic. Now that there are no restrictions and the baseball season started at the end of March, we headed … Continue reading Play ball! Watching baseball game at Tokyo Dome
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
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