
Traditions

In late September and early October, Unique Japan Tours joined a familiarization trip organised by the Japan National Tourist Organisation. The purpose of these trips is to introduce new, unique places in Japan to promote trips there. The familiarization trip
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Towns of Japan: Kawayu Onsen
By Unique Japan Tours on 21/08/2015 in Summer, Japan, Traditions, Beauty, History, Knowledge, Travel, Samurai, Tours, Culture, Hiking, People, Winter, Onsen
The Kumano Kodo is a religious experience in itself, a multi-day mountain hike (though you can also go by bus), following in the footsteps of royalty, visiting some of the most magnificent temples and shrines on the islands of Japan.
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Cities of Japan – Takayama
By Unique Japan Tours on 03/08/2015 in Japan, Traditions, Beauty, History, Knowledge, Tours, Autumn, Culture, Food, Cherry blossom, People, Takayama, Kanazawa, Religion
Unique Japan Tours loves Takayama. It’s a beautiful city, located high in the Hida mountains (hence why it’s sometimes called Hida-Takayama). After the hustle and bustle of modern Tokyo, Takayama is a welcome reprieve. A merchant city famed for it’s …

Japanese Pilgrimage Route: The Kumano Kodo
By Unique Japan Tours on 24/07/2015 in Osaka, Japan, Traditions, Beauty, History, Knowledge, Travel, Samurai, Tours, Culture, Hiking, Shrine, Religion, Nara, Kyoto, Buddhism, Shinto, Ritual
The Kumano Kodo are a series of pilgrimage trails, located in the Kansai region of Japan, south of Kyoto and Nara. Kumano is the name of the area, and “kodo” means the “old ways”, so the name literally translates as
…Samurai Postal Routes: The Nakasendo, Tsumago & Magome
By Unique Japan Tours on 17/07/2015 in Japan, Traditions, Beauty, History, Knowledge, Samurai, Tours, Culture, Magome, Tsumago, Edo
In our last blog post we talked about the Gokaido, the five routes built in the Edo period of Japan, which connected the capital of Edo, modern Tokyo, with the outer provinces of the country. We also talked about the
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Samurai Postal Routes: Gokaido and Tokaido
By Unique Japan Tours on 15/07/2015 in Japan, Tokyo, Traditions, Beauty, History, Knowledge, Samurai, Autumn, Culture, People, Takayama, Magome, Tsumago, Edo
In 1601, soon after he came into power, the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu started to build five routes connecting the capital of Edo (modern day Tokyo), with the other provinces. These routes were essential for the success of the Sankin-Kotai system,
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Autumn Foods in Japan
By Unique Japan Tours on 28/04/2015 in Japan, Traditions, Knowledge, Travel, Autumn, Food, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Service
Autumn is one of our favourite seasons to eat in Japan. Sanma, the long, sleek fish (pacific saury in English), grilled with salt. The crisp skin cracks under the pressure from your chop stick, and you come away with …

Japanese New Year – New Year in Japan
By Unique Japan Tours on 31/12/2014 in Festivals, Japan, Trains, Traditions, History, Knowledge, Travel, Tours, Culture, Food, Winter, Shrine, Ritual, New Year, Osechi
With the Christmas holiday season coming to a close, we are approaching the close of the year and the celebration that entails. Where as Christmas in Japan is more of an excuse for couples to have another date, New Years …

