Japan Kyoto Travel

18/11/2024

Bingata is a discourse on what art is, whether it is the expression of life or nature. It draws parallels with Mingei ideas of bamboo patterns, in that simplification is beauty.

What is art? What is creation, or creativity? Overflowing with love and beauty, the people of Okinawa expressed their joy in the form on Bingata for centuries.

16/11/2024

A new service counter prepared to help the incoming tourists is available just a minute walk away from the Central Gate of Kyoto Station

16/11/2024

What happened to William Adams, the English ship pilot featured in **un ?

The memorial stone of William Adams, the British shipmate, ship pilot, and trader that the main character in Sh**un was modeled on, sits on a hilltop in Yokosuka.

16/11/2024

In the 1270's Marco Polo spoke of the fabled land of Japan. In 1492, Christopher Columbus sets sail for this fabled land, only to land in the Americas. No wonder the Portuguese wanted this fabled land to themselves. **un

St Agnes Cathedral is a story of modern day Kyoto, a story of faith and the uniting of the two cultures in Kyoto today, that of the United States and Japan. Bilingual Services in English and Japanese are held at 8:30 am every Sunday in Central Kyoto near the Imperial Palace.

16/11/2024

Truly magical! Keep it under wraps and surprise your significant other.

04/11/2024

Which countryside villa would you prefer to unwind alone or in good company?

Kura, a renovated traditional storehouse, is perfect for architecture lovers and honeymooners with its king-size bed, 60㎡, and expansive garden view through larger-than-life windows.

For separate beds, friends and siblings would favour the Doma villa (61㎡) with its landscaped garden and extensive araidashi floor (washed-out concrete with small pebbles), or the Wa villa for its veranda and extra 10㎡.

Izumigaya Crafts Inn Waraku (hereinafter Waraku) offers authentic stays at its one-of-a-kind villas that will delight art and crafts enthusiasts, honeymooners, discerning families, and business teams yearning for an intimate and exclusive atmosphere. Located off-the-beaten-track in Shizuoka—one of...

17/09/2024

While I enjoyed the wonderful cuisine flying First Class, it is the acts of hospitality that had me bowled over. https://en.japantravel.com/hyogo/fly-first-class-from-osaka-to-tokyo/1344

All you want to know about JAL First Class domestic services to and from Tokyo, the lounge, in flight service, frequencies plus the delightful surprises on the way

21/08/2024

Arashiyama is also called Storm Mountain in Japanese. However, its scenery is best enjoyed on a fine day, as the combination of gentle sunlight and bamboo groves make for a photographer's paradise. This area is well known for Togetsukyo Bridge, Tenryuji Temple and the Bamboo Grove, and is very popular during fall because of the amazing hues. There are a number of smaller temples that you can visit as well.

The most enjoyable and convenient way to explore Arashiyama is by renting a bicycle, available from around the train station.

09/07/2024

Don't just eat ramen, learn from the best! This ramen workshop is led by Andrew Baba Rowe, a ramen master chef (and enthusiast) who has artfully distilled ramen’s typical multi-day cooking process into a fun and intensive 3.5/4-hour workshop session.

With Baba Ramen, discover the secrets of crafting this delectable dish and gain insights into unique techniques and the art of perfecting broth, noodles, and toppings.

21/06/2024

I am all alone. The leaves on the trees above are rustling in the breeze, but there is no sound, either of wind or life. The sound of the waves is gently breaking on the beach, its slushy supple sound massaging the powdered grains of sand beneath my feet. There is a gentle whisper as the water kisses the warmth of the sun dried sand. The foam of the waves float with effervescence like the sound of just opened lemonade. Like an old rocking chair, its rhythm slowly lulls me to another consciousness.

Like the north shore of Hawaii, the north shore of Kyoto Prefecture is one little known to tourists and locals alike. Its quiet alternative lifestyle attracts those marching to a different drum. Like its namesake in Hawaii, its deserted beaches are calm in summer, yet in winter surfers come out to t...

18/06/2024

Nintendo Museum Coming Autumn 2024. Can't wait!

In Nintendo's recent financial earnings report released in May 2024, the company confirmed the Nintendo Museum will finally be opening this autumn in Kyoto's Uji City.

10/04/2024

Grand Nikko Awaji Resort is part of the Awaji Yumebutai, a stage in which to dream. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, it was Takao Ando’s dream to transform a scarred hillside into a sanctuary to rebuild both the physical and spiritual landscape following the Kobe Earthquake. Ando wanted to create a space where “visitors are surrounded by the richness of nature and find sensory pleasure in their existence”.

Yumebutai is the stage where dreams take place. In ancient times, the indigenous people had the idea of Dreamtime. It is a timeless reminder of the power of dreams, the universal essence of life. Don't let anyone take away your power to dream.

23/03/2024

The pink is so surreal, it is other worldly, almost referring to some Buddhist paradise filled with angelic beings. What is it about the pursuit of beauty and perfection that encapsulates all our dreams and desires?

Hanezu, the colour of plum blossom. The pink is so surreal in the paintings, it is other worldly, almost referring to some Buddhist paradise filled with angelic beings. What is it about the pursuit of beauty and perfection that encapsulates all our dreams desires

06/03/2024

In the heart of Ebisugawa dori is Kyoto Sashimono Table Furniture Museum. Here they have documented the history of Japanese furniture down to the very last detail. I could spend hours reading the pattern guides and the design sketches for various items, let alone peering through the design magazines from forty, fifty, or even eighty years past. There are also lots of small furniture items and even toy furniture tools which would make a great souvenir or a special gift to keep for many generations.

See Craftsmen at work hand-making tansu (kimono chests) and discover how Japanese furniture looked up to 100 years ago.

06/03/2024

A stroll away from the 500 year old Honke Owariya Noodle Restaurant in Central Kyoto, there is a narrow street called Ebisugawa dori. This is THE street to go to for traditional Japanese furniture, from wooden screens and period items to bamboo to kimono chests.

The Miyazaki Emporium is a Kyoto Institution, century old makers of traditional and modern Japanese furniture, kimono chests (tansu) and other keepsakes

17/02/2024

Guidebooks speak of Kyoto as frozen in time. But after hours, Japan's former imperial capital reveals a live music scene that can be loud and irreverent. At venues like Jittoku and Field, rock, swing, and even Irish music echo into the night.

From a horseback safari in Kenya to river rafting in West Virginia, here’s our ranked list of the top travel experiences right now.

10/02/2024

Happy Lunar New Year, may the year of the dragon take you to new adventures. For a playful atmosphere, stay the night at at school converted into a hotel, The walls are illustrated with animals, the hot spring waters are salty sulfuric, take in regional specialties like boar and fish, join in a cooking class, making mochi-bana (rice balls on branches) then cooking it over a fire during a Dondo-yaki (New Year) festival.

Mount Minobu is a time portal! Here, life isn’t measured in years but in centuries and millennia, it’s engraved into the rocks, whispered down streams, and celebrated generation after generation. Every wrinkle on a villager’s face tells a story, and every sunrise softly echoes the Lotus Sutra....

02/02/2024

From 738, the fame of Obama's quality seafood had escalated, until it caught the tastebuds of the Royal Court at Kyoto. They then bestowed the miketsukuni title on Obama making them Royal Purveyors, primarily of saba mackeral, to the Royal Family.

This unique museum tells the fishy tale of Obama's rise as a miketsukuni port in the Edo Period, with its mackerel regarded as so good, it could feed the Royal Family.