Travel Archives - Page 25 of 26

Spring Has Sprung in Akita

April 15th, 2009By Malcolm ErnstCategory: Culture, Travel

Hello everyone! It's me, Akie. Sure hope you are all feeling great, very genki. You know, spring is here, and there is nowhere else in the whole world I'd rather want to be than here in Akita. Wow, I can't believe when we first met I was still all wrapped up in my ... » Continue Reading
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Okazaki

April 14th, 2009By Iain MaloneyCategory: Culture, Travel

For the Nagoya day-tripper, Okazaki makes for an effortless and engaging change of scene. Less than 30 minutes from Nagoya station on the Meitetsu line, Okazaki is renowned for being the birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu, first Shogun of the Edo period (1603 - 1868). ... » Continue Reading
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Seimei, it’s like Obon on Steroids

April 13th, 2009By Keith GraffCategory: Culture, Travel

The people of Okinawa don't celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter or many of the religious holidays many westerners are familiar with. But they do have plenty of their own special holidays and traditions to speak of. They even have one or two that are not c ... » Continue Reading
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Ice Hockey Alive and Well(?) in Japan

April 13th, 2009By drifterCategory: Arts & Entertainment, Travel

photo credit: tata_aka_T Many transplanted hockey fans such as myself, thought they would be forced to give up their passion when they crossed the pond to live in Japan. Perhaps Japan's best kept secret is that an entire hockey culture exists just below the radar of ... » Continue Reading
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Dinner time at the Onsen

April 10th, 2009By Malcolm ErnstCategory: Culture, Travel

AE - You know, after a long dip in an onsen I'm usually really famished... AK - I hear you. A hot onsen not only takes your stresses away, leaves your skin silky smooth, but also leaves you starving. AE - Hey, don't interrupt me when I'm talking during my blog ... » Continue Reading
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Te-Ge

April 8th, 2009By Keith GraffCategory: Culture, Travel

One of the things that make a place like Okinawa so attractive to the many tourists who visit here is the carefree lifestyle of the inhabitants. While people up in mainland Japan hustle and bustle about at breakneck speed cramming themselves like sardines into ste ... » Continue Reading
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The Luck of the Okinawan Irish

March 17th, 2009By Keith GraffCategory: Culture, Travel

Its spring here on Okinawa and everything as far as the eye can see is turning a bright fresh shade of green. That reminded me that St. Paddy's day is upon us once again. I'm not Irish but having lived in Okinawa these last few years, I couldn't help but notice th ... » Continue Reading
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Splish, Splash I was takin’ a bath

March 16th, 2009By Malcolm ErnstCategory: Culture, Travel

Oooh! Hello there. Didn't know people were watching. Oh, that's right it's time for me to talk about the wonders of Akita and the secrets of Akita Bijin. Well, if you don't know by now, Akita is on the northwest coast of Japan's main island of Honshu (part of ... » Continue Reading
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Meiji Mura and Showa Mura

March 11th, 2009By Iain MaloneyCategory: Culture, Travel

The Meiji era ran from 1868 to 1912, and all aspects of Japanese culture underwent fundamental change as Japan opened its ports to the outside world. Architecture is one area in which this shift is most obviously seen, as tastes moved from the traditional wooden str ... » Continue Reading
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Kamikochi – My favourite place in Japan

March 2nd, 2009By Iain MaloneyCategory: Travel

Kamikochi is, without a doubt, my favourite place in Japan. It is an area of astoundning natural beauty in the highlands of Gifu easily reachable from Takayama and Matsumoto. Jagged snow-covered alpine peaks encircle a network of small lakes, melt-water rivers, wi ... » Continue Reading