April Flowers – the when and where of ten different flowers and their meaning in Japan. Whether you live in or are planning to visit Japan, you can be certain that in April you have a choice of flowers to admire. Moreover, April – specifically early April – is famousRead More →
January in Japan Have you always wanted to visit Japan, but its a little on the pricey side for you? Or maybe you’ve been to Japan several times and seen the cherry blossoms, autumn leaves and summer festivals. What next? Without a moment’s hesitation, after 20 years living in Japan,Read More →
I have been to several dams in Japan over the years. They are all very picturesque and the engineering admirable. I never really had a favorite… until earlier this month. I was instantly bewitched when I visited the Shimokubo Dam that straddles Fujioka City in Gunma and Kamikawa town inRead More →
Hamley’s Santa – To be perfectly honest, I really didn’t think anywhere would have a Santa Claus meet and greet this year, so I haven’t really been looking for updates. But by pure luck, while perusing some news articles, I saw that he is scheduled to visit both the YokohamaRead More →
Arakawa Roadside Station is a rest area in the Arakawa Hino area of Chichibu. The area is also known as the Hino Sightseeing Plantation Village. Attractions within and around the roadside station include fruit picking, nature museum, flowers, playground, restaurant, shopping, hot spring and steam locomotive! And in September theRead More →
Greenpark Fukiware is a riverside and forest campsite near the Fukiware falls in Numata, Gunma. The geography and set up of the camping grounds make it suitable for all year round camping. In winter there is snow play, spring brings the cherry blossoms, summer water play and in Autumn theRead More →
Golden Week Golden Week is a group of public holidays that fall at the end of April to early May annually. During an average Golden Week (GW) the entire population of Japan gets out and about at some point during Golden Week. Many people travel from cities where they workRead More →
Santa Tokyo Guide – the Ultimate Santa Guide for the Greater Tokyo area. Santa Visits in Japan generally start from the end of November. Occasionally you can find a couple of places that Santa visits as early as October, a few more in early November, but the main Santa greetingRead More →
Santa House, Santa Hills, Tochigi – December 2019 For the last few years I have tried unsuccessfully to book a coveted spot in the Santa House in Santa Hills, Tochigi Prefecture. I have been determined, since discovering it while researching Santastic Tochigi in 2015, to stay in the Santa HouseRead More →
Green Santa, Motomachi, Kanagawa 2020. Green Santa Motomachi Santa Claus will hopefully be back in Motomachi again this year. However, with the Coronavirus Outbreak he may not be able to do his usual meet and greets. If he does come to Motomachi, he usually walks around the shopping district. IfRead More →