We mentioned in our honeymoon story that our friend, Mary, wanted a beach holiday as part of her honeymoon. For many people, thinking of tropical islands and beach holidays is not something that associates with Japan. But nothing could be further from the truth. Today, we’re going to introduce one of the tropical islands that […]
Culture
Celebrating O-bon in style
Traditionally, Japanese people like to take their holidays on mass. One of the biggest holidays of the year is O-bon or the Festival of Bon, which normally falls around mid-August of each year. A Japanese Buddhist custom held in honour the spirits of one’s ancestors, O-bon has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 […]
A theatrical workout for the senses
Take kabuki and remove from it the gorgeously colourful costumes, entrancing music and fantastical stories and what you are left with, in its bare essence, is a living, breathing traditional art form. Any visitor to Japan that goes to watch a kabuki show is blown away with how dramatic it is. Perhaps this is because […]
Sumo in Japan
Watching a sumo tournament in Japan is like taking a trip back to medieval Japan. Any visit to Tokyo would not be complete without seeing this living, breathing art form. Here are some handy titbits of information that will help enhance your sumo experience. When you alight at Ryogoku, the station closest to the sumo […]
Japan Discovered Cherry Blossom Tour Feedback from Tour Leader by Yuki Ito “We finished the April Japan Discovered tour a few weeks ago. Each participant had his/her own highlights of the tour, but the group was able to particularly enjoy 2 seasonal highlights — cherry blossoms and Takayama Spring Festival. We were blessed with the […]