There are plenty of unique activities to do in Okinawa. Marine activities such as scuba diving, snorkeling, and canoeing are popular for the beach. If you can rent a bike, cycling along the road and finding new places that are not on guidebooks is a great way to spend time. Driving is the best way [...]
Bright blue skies, clear oceans, unique culture, delicious local food, friendly people. These are a few of the many reasons why Okinawa is the perfect place for a summer getaway. I myself have been to Okinawa on several occasions with my friends, and those vacations were the most adventurous, inspiring, and fun. Okinawa is located [...]
The Ashikaga Fireworks Festival, held on the first Saturday of August, is one of my favorite firework festivals. Firework makers each get about 5 minutes to show off their best creations. The festival starts from 7 pm and finishes at about 9 pm. This is one of the longer firework festivals. 20,000 fireworks in total, light up [...]
31st Kanagawa Shimbun Fireworks Festival. August 2, 2016. I recently went to a famous summer firework festival in Yokohama city. Here, I will share my experience. The Kanagawa Shimbun Fireworks Festival is an annual festival where more than 20 thousand people from around Japan gather to Yokohama. From the ocean, a total of 15000 fireworks [...]
Summer festivals are an important summer event in Japan. There are hundreds of small festivals for the local community, and many famous festivals that invite people from all over the world. During the summer, Japan celebrates O-bon, the period to celebrate the dead. In order to calm the spirits, people sang and danced together outside [...]
Mount Fuji, the most famous volcanic mountain in Japan, has been a national symbol for hundreds of years. It has been often depicted in various types of artwork. The famous ukiyoe paintings, the "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji," by Katsushika Hokusai, shows the famous mountain from different viewpoints. “Fine Breezy Day,” illustrates a red Mount Fuji [...]
Japan is a narrow island country with diverse geographic features. Its land is surrounded by the ocean, with plains, mountains, and volcanoes all down the middle. However, big cities that are popular tourist attractions like Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya, do not have a lot of beautiful nature. The plains, mountains, and natural oceans that once dominated the land, have [...]
The samuri culture was not so promminent in Osaka, my hometown, as it was in Tokyo (Edo region) and other significant cities. Rather than fighting and protecting its territory with weapons and soldiers, the city strengthened its power in commerce business. As a city of merchants, Osaka gained its influence by becoming the country's center [...]
We woke up refreshed and ready for another jam packed day. After having a big Japanese breakfast served by the ryokan, we packed our bags and headed south towards Mount Fuji in Shizuoka. Breakfast at the ryokan Along the way, we stopped by a strawberry patch, where we could pick and eat as [...]
During Golden Week, a one-week holiday during the first week of May, I went on a two-day vacation to Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefecture. Surrounded by rich green mountains, beautiful lakes, and historical sites, these two days were relaxing and fun. We rented a car and headed to the center of Yamanashi prefecture. It was a 2 [...]