7 days 60 minutes Japanese: 120 Second Book Review

7 days 60 minutes Japanese: 120 Second Book Review
Essential Japanese language learning for traveling Japan Reading and writing Japanese is very difficult. Over 2,000 kanji are taught throughout Japanese high school, and there are thousands more in use. So while I do learn kanji, I focus on speaking ...

Shinjuku: strolling around inner city Tokyo

Shinjuku: strolling around inner city Tokyo
Shinjuku is the central business district of Tokyo, with plenty of shops and tourist sites for travelers visiting Tokyo. Hundreds (probably thousands) of shops and restaurants connect to Shinjuku station (the busiest train station in the world!) via ...

Kagawa Prefecture: Smiles of Shikoku Week 4 of 4

Kagawa Prefecture: Smiles of Shikoku Week 4 of 4
Kagawa Prefecture「香川県」is in the north-east corner of Shikoku. Kagawa is across the Seto Inland Sea from Okayama, joined by the huge Seto-Ohashi Bridge. The bridge gives easy access to the prefecture by car, bus and train. Ritsurin Gard...

Ehime Prefecture: Smiles of Shikoku Week 3 of 4

Ehime Prefecture: Smiles of Shikoku Week 3 of 4
Ehime Prefecture 「愛媛県」 is on the west/north-west side of Shikoku. Traveling clockwise around Shikoku’s 4 prefectures, Jamie and Katy the traveler writer/photographer duo spent a week exploring Matsuyama City and the surrounding areas ...

The Bizarre Drinking Rituals of Wakayama Izakayas

The Bizarre Drinking Rituals of Wakayama Izakayas
This article is a guest post by Christian Thurston who works at JTB Australia in Sydney. Wakayama is a magical place for a childhood adventure filled with lovely and bizarre delights. Yacht Drina, right, at Tannowa Marina in Wakayama, 1994. Japan ha...

Kochi Prefecture: Smiles of Shikoku Week 2 of 4

Kochi Prefecture: Smiles of Shikoku Week 2 of 4
Kochi Prefecture 「高知県」 covers most of the southern coast of Shikoku. Two travelers, seeing Shikoku’s four prefectures in four weeks, have just spent a week exploring the coast and natural beauty of Kochi. Kongofuku-ji Temple, Tosashi...

Tokushima Prefecture: Smiles of Shikoku Week 1 of 4

Tokushima Prefecture: Smiles of Shikoku Week 1 of 4
Shikoku is the smallest of Japan’s 4 main islands and contains 4 of the country’s 47 prefectures. Pagoda at Yakuo-ji Temple, Tokushima In this article: Naruto City 「鳴門市」 Iya Valley 「祖谷渓」 Minami 「美波町」 How to...

Smiles of Shikoku: 4 Prefectures in 4 Weeks

Smiles of Shikoku: 4 Prefectures in 4 Weeks
A very special 4 week travel adventure has begun, where a British travel writer and photographer couple embark on a 4-week live journey to Shikoku’s four prefectures. Shikoku is southwest of Osaka and south of Hiroshima and is easily accessible by ...

60+ of the Best Sakura Photos from Japan『日本の桜の写真』

60+ of the Best Sakura Photos from Japan『日本の桜の写真』
Japan’s best cherry blossom photos of 2013 Only the best of Japan’s cherry blossoms from the spring of 2013… …a warm start to March (the first month of spring in Japan) saw the bloom of sakura come early this year. Sakura pho...

Shimogamo-jinja/下鴨神社 in Kyoto (info and 20+ Photos)

Shimogamo-jinja/下鴨神社 in Kyoto (info and 20+ Photos)
Hidden in the “Forest Where Lies are Revealed”, at a fork in Kyoto‘s Kamo River, just north of the Gion area, is the ancient site of Shimogamo Shrine. Shimogamo Shrine’s Tower Gate In this article: Explore Shimogamo-jinja (p...

WIN! Japan Stuff Giveaway Jidai!

WIN! Japan Stuff Giveaway Jidai!
Win your choice of Japan prizes with Japan Travel Mate’s first giveaway! To thank all of Japan Travel Mate’s loyal blog readers, 3600+ Facebook fans and 860+ Twitter followers, you now have the chance to win some cool Japanese stuff just ...

Bitchu Matsuyama Castle and Takahashi in Okayama Prefecture

Bitchu Matsuyama Castle and Takahashi in Okayama Prefecture
One of 12 original castles in Japan that survived orders to be demolished in the early Meiji era, this very unique castle is situated on a mountain next to a very small town in a rural area of Okayama prefecture. This was the first castle I ever visi...

15 Amazing 360° Interactive Panorama Photos of Japan

15 Amazing 360° Interactive Panorama Photos of Japan
From the the web’s largest collection of 360° interactive panoramas – 360Cities – there’s now a brand new way to see the sites of the world, and Japan, online. Forget Google’s Street View, these 360° panoramas ha...

JapanTravelMate.com’s Best 10 Posts of 2012

JapanTravelMate.com’s Best 10 Posts of 2012
2012 was a big year for Japan Travel Mate. I’d like to give a big thanks to all my visitors and followers. Traffic to the site grew at an amazing rate! In September I had to upgrade the website’s hosting as the previous one just couldn...

Kyoto by Bicycle – The Definitive Day Trip Guide

Kyoto by Bicycle – The Definitive Day Trip Guide
Seeing Kyoto by bicycle is the best way to take in this historic city. This detailed guide will show you where to hire a bicycle and exact routes to get you around the city. See multiple World Heritage sites and explore places most tourists will miss...

Tokyo National Museum – A Few Hours in the Japanese Gallery

Tokyo National Museum – A Few Hours in the Japanese Gallery
Stay for an hour or spend the whole day, the Tokyo National Museum (東京国立博物館 Tōkyō Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan) gives visitors an insight into the rich and unique history of Japan. The museum contains some fascinating artifacts and exhibiti...

From Up On Poppy Hill – Japanese Anime Film Review

From Up On Poppy Hill – Japanese Anime Film Review
A feel good story of young love that was meant to be, then wasn’t, but then was again, is Japan’s animated film of the year – or so the Japan Academy Prize panel would say. This is JapanTravelMate.com’s first movie review. I&#...

Kyoto: Fushimi Inari Shrine and the 10,000 Vermillion Gates

Kyoto: Fushimi Inari Shrine and the 10,000 Vermillion Gates
All of Kyoto’s World Heritage Sites are unique and stunning in their own way, and the mountain complex of Fushimi Inari Shrine (AKA Fushimi Inari Taisha) is one of the most breathtaking. Thousands of vermillion coloured “torii” (a t...

Castles in Japan – Site Showcase & Expert Interview

Castles in Japan – Site Showcase & Expert Interview
Visiting a castle in Japan is one of those must do things when you visit Japan. Many people, like me, are interested in seeing these amazing castles while travelling Japan and will visit a handful, walking away in sheer awe at the beauty and strength...

50 Reasons Why Japan Is Awesome (or, 50 Things To Do & See In Japan)

50 Reasons Why Japan Is Awesome (or, 50 Things To Do & See In Japan)
This is a MONSTER post with lots of photos, so let’s get straight into it. In no particular order, here is 50 cool things about Japan… Vending machines: Mostly they are really nothing special. We’ve heard rumours of vending machin...
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