There always seems to be something crazy happening in Dōtonbori. I have a connection to this place, it’s the first area of Japan I every visited, way back in 2009. This particular location is the ...
The imposing Japanese Shinto shrine tower gate 「rōmon, 楼門」 is an impressive structure, acting as an entrance to sacred ground. The bright vermillion coloured paint makes it an unmissable shrine landmark. Intricate under-side of Shimogamo-jinja’s ...
Mount Sanage is located on the outskirts of Toyota City in Aichi Prefecture. The mountain contains a hiking trail which is popular among the locals. From certain points on the mountain you can see Seto ...
Japan has some massive train stations. Nagoya Station is deemed to be Japan’s biggest train station at 245m high. The building includes the JR Central Towers containing the headquarters of JR Central, other offices and ...
Anyone who has travelled this country knows that Japan is super convenient – convenience stores are always near, vending machines on every block and hotel amenities that mean you can leave your toiletries at home. ...
[dropcap]H[/dropcap]ousing the entire collection of Buddhist sutras and scripts published by Tenkai, this small structure contains a hexagonal revolving bookcase which is where the building gets its name. Tenrinzō 「てんりんぞう, 転輪蔵」in English means “revolving cylindrical ...
Deer in Nara. They’re everywhere! Freely roaming the streets, Nara-koen 「Nara Park, 奈良公園」 and the entrance to Tōdai-ji 「Great Eastern Temple, 東大寺」 with their wide eyes and curiously sniffing snouts. These wild deer, called shika ...
The Kamo Shrines – Kamigamo Shrine and Shimogamo Shrine – are surrounded by wonderfully peaceful ancient and sacred forests. Kamigamo-jinja is a UNESO World Heritage shrine which claims to be the oldest shrine in Kyoto ...
Leaving Kyoto is never fun. The only part of leaving that is enjoyable is the ride on the shinkansen 「新幹線」 and speeding along at 270km/h to the next destination. N700 Series Shinkansen This bullet train ...
Wakamiya-Hachiman-sha 「Wakamiya-Hachiman Shrine, 若宮八幡社」 in south Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture is a small local shrine with a rustic worship hall. Surrounded by a small wooded grove, this shrine is an isle of green in an ...
Orion Draft Beer 「リオン生ビール」 is Okinawa’s standard beer. The beer is brewed in Okinawa by Orion Breweries and distributed throughout the rest of Japan by Asahi Breweries. Orion Draft Beer 「Orion Nama Biiru, リオン生ビール」 One ...
Close to the summit on Ontake-san 「Mount Ontake, 御嶽山」 is the upper shrine of Ontake-jinja called Ontake-jinja Okusha. Pilgrims dressed in white robes with a conical hat and wooden walking stick trek up the mountain, ...
Attending a Grand Sumo Tournament 「Honbasho, 本場所」 in Japan is an amazing spectacle. The unique sport has ancient origins, and the ceremonies and rituals preceding and following each part of the tournament have many layers ...
On a cold winter’s night in the middle of December in 2011, we headed to Toyota Stadium to watch the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup semi-final match between J-League team Kashiwa Reysol and the Brasileirao team ...
During a recent trip to Osaka, while stocking up on food and drink for a day of traveling, I stopped in a convenience store and spotted these special edition Glico Pretz… If you’ve been to ...
After following a beautiful path from Moto-Hakone village, lined with traditional Japanese lanterns and surrounded by a tall cedar tress, visitors to Hakone Shrine reach the water purification pavilion and gate leading up to the ...
While out and about in Japan, even just in my every day life (i.e. not traveling) I always have a camera with me. So one day when I was out for a bike ride in ...
This bullet train was designed with one purpose in mind: to get from Tokyo to Osaka as quickly as possible – well of course there is the spotless safety record and awesome comfort – but ...
As an English teacher working in Japan, I’m often invited to enkai 「宴会」 work parties. One school I worked at had a particular taste for, very regular, high class izakaya (Japanese bar/restaurant) parties. Each party ...
Facebook
Follow Japan Travel Mate