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01/09/2024

Today, September 1st, is the anniversary of one of the most devastating earthquakes to strike the city of Tokyo. On this date in 1923, at two minutes to noon, a violent jolt shook the Tokyo region. A 7.9 magnitude earthquake had struck and would last in duration for an estimated 4-10 minutes. The disaster would soon come to be known as the Great Kanto Earthquake.

The timing couldn’t have been worse on all fronts. At two minutes to noon, many people were in their homes, cooking lunch. The flames from their stoves would spread to the tightly packed wooden buildings, particularly in Tokyo’s old Low City - or Sh*tamachi - neighborhoods. Winds from a typhoon passing just south of Tokyo would fan those flames and cause a three day conflagration throughout the city.

One of the neighborhoods most affected was Honjo, which encompassed present day Ryogoku, among other districts. In an unassuming park in current day Ryogoku, around 40,000 people lost their lives in the fires sweeping through the city.

I tell this story on my upcoming Ryogoku tours (see link in bio for more info), but if you can’t make a tour, you can learn more about this tragic part of history - and another tragic event 20+ years later - at the Tokyo Memorial Hall (see photo) and the Great Kanto Earthquake Memorial Museum, both in Ryogoku’s Yokoamicho Park.

19/08/2024

August isn’t typically a notable time in Japan’s flower calendar but if you’re in Tokyo this month, you may find yourself stumbling across the colorful crepe myrtle tree.

Crepe myrtle has some great names in Japanese. One is “sarusuberi” (さるすべり), which literally means “monkey slippery”. It’s believed to have gotten its name from the tree’s incredibly smooth bark.

The second name is “hyakujitsuko” (百日紅), which basically means “blooming for 100 days”. It’s a slight exaggeration but these flowers will last for several months, from August into early October.

Crepe myrtle trees can be found in a few colors, mainly white and shades of pink. In Tokyo, one of my favorite spots to enjoy them is the Kyu Yasuda Garden in Ryogoku.

09/08/2024

It’s almost Mountain Day! August 11th is the newest public holiday on the Japanese calendar, established back in 2016. Like Marine Day and Greenery Day, it’s vague purpose is to honor Japan’s mountainous terrain … but really, it’s the chance to extend the mid-August Obon holiday a bit.

Japan is indeed a mountainous country - almost 3/4 of the country is covered in mountains. Mt Fuji is Japan’s most iconic peak, rising above the plains to a height of 3776 meters (12,388 feet).

But Mt Fuji is just one of Japan’s hyakumeizan, or 100 famous mountains. This list of notable peaks was decided on in the 1960s by Japanese mountaineer Kyuya Fukuda. While some are famous peaks, like Mt Fuji, others are less well-known. Included in the list of 100 peaks are even some Mt Fuji lookalikes, like Mt Yotei in Hokkaido and Mt Kaimon in Kagoshima.

Japan’s summer weather is too hot for me to enjoy my usual hikes in the hills around Tokyo so I can’t wait to welcome autumn again and get back out on the trails!

Photo 1: Mt Fuji
Photo 2: Mountains on Yakushima
Photo 3: Climbing Mt Tanigawa (Gunma)
Photo 4: Mt Daisen and surrounding peaks (Tottori)

29/07/2024

🔘Manhole Monday: Akita🔘

It’s almost time for the famous summer festivals of Tohoku and this manhole cover from Akita gets me in the perfect mood.

There are so many summer festivals to choose from in Japan, but one of my favorite events is the Kanto Matsuri in Akita city. Here, teams balance long bamboo poles with dozens of lanterns, resting the pole ends in various positions (on their palm, forehead, shoulder, etc). The daily competitions are impressive, but I loved the night parade, when all the teams are out showing off their skills.

Kanto Matsuri is held annually from August 3rd-August 6th.

28/07/2024

🍴Taste of Tokyo: Day & Night🍴

Japan does many things well, but one thing that doesn’t always top the list is their prowess with the humble sandwich. If a simple egg salad is your thing, then your local convenience store has you covered. But if you want something with a bit more flair, head to between Hiroo and Ebisu.

The sandwich selection covers around 8 options, with a monthly special sandwich on offer. (In June, that special was a “fajita sandwich”, featuring beef, cheddar cheese, sweet onions and peppers). From what I can tell, all sandwiches are grilled - no cold lunch meats here. I’ve enjoyed the philly cheesesteak (highly recommend) and the grilled mushroom. All sandwiches are served with a simple side salad. On one visit, I ordered the fried potatoes, but they ended up being surprisingly sweet and not to my liking.

Day & Night is also known for their coffee and you can add that to your order for a discount at lunch time.

*Day & Night is a 12-15 minute walk from Hiroo metro Exit 1
*Sandwiches are on average ¥1300-¥1900

23/07/2024

If you’ve been browsing the aisles of a Japanese grocery store this week, you may have seen the selection of unagi (river eel) for sale. This week on July 24th, Japan celebrates the first of two Doyo no Ushi no Hi (quite literally "the day of the ox in the period before a seasonal change"). This is the day when it's tradition to chow down on a bowl of grilled river eel in the hopes of beating the summer heat.

It all started when an eel seller in the Edo Period (1603-1868) came up with a great advertising campaign to boost sales in the typically sluggish summer season. The rationale is a tad complicated, but if you eat foods beginning with a "u" sound (unagi, umeboshi, udon), you'll feel as cool as the month of December, which was known in the old calendar as the month of the ox (or "ushi" in Japanese - hence the "u" connection).

The original seller's marketing genius lives on today and supermarkets are filled with filets of eel in the weeks leading up to the yearly event.

Since the concept of "doyo" - the period of days before a seasonal change - is tied to the zodiac, some years we have two days of the ox. That's the case this year, so you can enjoy your eel on either July 24th or August 5th.

There are a growing number of people choosing NOT to partake in this age-old tradition, mainly due to the fact that native river eel stocks have been severely depleted and the animal is fast becoming endangered. If you’re looking for a fishy alternative, you could try grilled sardine.

If you do want to go out for eel, consider a trip to Narita (the town, not the airport). Numerous eel eateries line the main road leading to the famed Naritasan Shinsho-ji temple. Kawagoe, in Saitama Prefecture, is also famous for eel, as is Yanagawa in Fukuoka Prefecture.

17/07/2024

🦝Gunma’s Tanuki Temple🦝

The temple of Morin-ji in Gunma Prefecture is best known for the legend of the tanuki who was a tea kettle.

A junk seller was passing through the area and found a tea kettle on the side of the road. He sold it to the head priest of Morin-ji, who used it in an important Buddhist ceremony. No matter how many visitors were served tea, the kettle never seemed to run out of hot water.

Later that night, however, the priest caught the tea kettle growing arms and legs! Shocked, he soon realized that the tea kettle was none other than a shape-shifting tanuki.

Though some versions of the story differ, the priest and the tanuki essentially entered a partnership. Young priests spread the word of the tanuki’s powers and people came from far and wide to watch the creature dance, tumble and even walk a tightrope. The money raised by the tanuki’s performances allowed the priest to help make improvements around the local village.

Today, 21 tanuki statues greet visitors as they arrive at Morin-ji. They’re made in Shigaraki, a town outside of Kyoto that makes the majority of the tanuki statues in Japan. There are also numerous smaller tanuki statues on the grounds.

14/07/2024

Have you visited Japan and come across brown statues of somewhat strange-looking creatures holding bottles of sake outside of a shop? Then you’ve met a tanuki!

Tanuki are indeed real animals, often seen as a cross between a badger and a raccoon. Many people refer to them as Japanese raccoon dogs. Although they are highly social creatures, it’s rare to spot a tanuki in the wild. I’ve seen them a few times - usually at night - while driving along roads in the Japanese countryside, but that’s it.

Although real, tanuki are also a huge part of Japanese folklore and are considered yōkai, supernatural creatures with unique powers. They can shapeshift and are often thought to be tricksters. But with the tanuki, the tricks are usually all in good fun and he’s seen as a humorous character.

Shops and restaurants will often place a tanuki statue outside their building as an invitation to come in, spend money and enjoy a good time. They’re seen as a good luck charms or a symbol of prosperity.

You may have noticed that some tanuki statues tend to overemphasize certain parts of a tanuki’s anatomy. If you want to know why, come join me on tour! I often tell this story on my Asakusa after Dark walk and it definitely is worth hearing in person. 😊

08/07/2024

🔘Manhole Monday: Fussa🔘

Japan just celebrated Tanabata, or the Star Festival, this past weekend. One town near Tokyo actually memorialized this cultural holiday on its manhole cover - the town of Fussa in western Tokyo prefecture.

Tanabata is based on the old Chinese legend of a weaver princess named Orihime and a cowherd named Hikoboshi. They represent the stars Altair and Vega. Known to be lovers, the two became so obsessed with each other that they began neglecting their work. As punishment, they were banished to opposite sides of the galaxy. The two stars now spend the entire year separated by the Milky Way, only to meet on the 7th day of the 7th month for a long-awaited rendezvous.

Fussa has a large Tanabata celebration every year in late July (this year it will take place July 19-21).

05/07/2024

On July 7th, Japan celebrates one of its more colorful cultural festivals - Tanabata (also known as the Star Festival).

The festival is based on the old Chinese legend of a weaver princess named Orihime (the daughter of the Sky King) and a cowherd named Hikoboshi. They represent the stars Altair and Vega, a popular sight in the summer sky in the northern hemisphere. Known to be lovers, the two became so consumed with each other that they apparently began neglecting their godly duties. As punishment, they were banished to opposite sides of the galaxy. The two stars now spend the entire year separated by the Milky Way, only to meet on the 7th day of the 7th month for a long-awaited rendezvous.

You may have noticed bamboo cuttings outside shops, in front of department stores, near train stations and next to shrines. People write their wishes on colorful strings of paper known as tanzaku and attach them to the bamboo tree in the hopes that these wishes will come true.

In days past, Japan followed the old lunar calendar, meaning Tanabata really fell in mid-August. Because of this, some cities in Japan still celebrate Tanabata later in the summer. So if you miss the fun in early July, head north to Sendai in early August for one of Japan’s biggest Tanabata Festivals.

Here in the Tokyo region, however, you can enjoy large-scale Tanabata decorations in cities like Hiratsuka, or smaller celebrations at certain shrines (Tokyo Daijingu is a favorite).

27/06/2024

Today, I took a rainy season road trip with friends to a favorite hydrangea temple - Amabiki Kannon in Ibaraki Prefecture.

The slopes of the temple have long been covered in hydrangea bushes, with flowers in shades ranging from blue to deep purple. In recent years, the temple has added trendy touches like hanachozu, flower wreathes, and floating flower displays, like the colorful paper umbrellas.

This year, we also made a point to park further down the hill for a crowd-free wander up weathered stone steps lined with hydrangeas on either side. Definitely a magical spot!

The temple creates a hydrangea pond, using flowers cut from the bushes on the temple grounds as the blooms pass their peak. This year’s display will run from June 29 to July 7.

Amabiki Kannon is best reached by car in about 1.5-2 hours from central Tokyo. Two large free parking lots are available on site.

24/06/2024

🍴Taste of Tokyo: Pizza Marumo🍴

I may be starting a fight here, but I do think that Tokyo is full of good pizza. Will it ever measure up to the greasy goodness of a New York slice from home? Not quite. But Tokyo has its fair share of good pies. If you want to eat at one of the top-rated ones, head to in Ebisu.

Pick your pizza by its base - sauce, cream, cheese or vegan. You can even order up a desert pizza. All are cooked in an authentic wood-fired pizza oven in the middle of the store. I can definitely say the crust was divine.

On our visit, we split a sauce-based pizza topped with prosciutto and the shop’s highlight “umami pizza”, which is topped with various cheeses, mackerel, bonito flakes, kombu, green onion and dabs of sesame and soy sauce. Surprisingly, the umami one wasn’t my favorite and I ended up enjoying the prosciutto one more. I wouldn’t hesitate, however, to return and try more of the menu. The teriyaki chicken pizza in particular caught my eye.

What’s your favorite pizza place in Tokyo? Share below!

📌 Pizza Marumo is a 5 minute walk from Ebisu metro station exit 5.
💰¥1500-2200 per pizza

17/06/2024

🔘Manhole Monday: Kochi City (Kochi)🔘

We’re heading south to Shikoku again for this Manhole Monday and examing a cover with a lot going on - the manhole of Kochi city in Kochi Prefecture.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the fish on the left of the cover is bonito. 🙂 It’s not much of a stretch, as Kochi is known for its bonito, or skipjack tuna. It’s served both seared (tataki style, as mentioned above) and also dried, smoked and – in some cases – fermented into that staple of Japanese kitchens, katsuobushi.

The wave is fairly self-explanatory as well – when most people think of Kochi, they think of its coast. However, Kochi is surprisingly one of the most mountainous prefectures in Japan, with over 80% of its land taken up by high hills and forests.

The objects in the middle of the cover are naruko, the wooden clappers used by dancers during the city’s Yosakoi festival in August. These clappers were once used by farmers in the region to scare birds from their fields.

Apparently, every team’s naruko are different (shape, color, design, etc) and even the way they hold and maneuver them to achieve the click-clacking sound varies from team to team.

If you pay a visit to the Kochi Yosakoi Information Exchange Center, you can not only try your hand at using naruko, but you can design your own naruko (English instructions provided).

15/06/2024

If your June iris explorations carried you anywhere near Mizumoto Park in northern Tokyo, you may have stumbled across a unique figure on your way to the flower fields - the ropebound Buddha (or Shibarare Jizo) of Nanzoin Temple.

Jizo are one of Japan’s most popular Buddhas, considered a protector for both travelers and children. Many temples have Jizo statues (often more than a few) but Nanzoin’s is wrapped with straw cords.

The statue’s unique appearance dates back to the Edo Period, when according to legend a merchant who was traveling through the region stopped to take a nap under a Jizo statue. When he woke up, he discovered his goods had been stolen. He hurried to the local magistrate to report the theft.

The magistrate, seeing the lack of witnesses, ordered the Jizo statue itself arrested, tied up, and brought to his court, pronouncing that “It’s a crime to witness a crime and do nothing.”

The magistrate’s unorthodox action made people flock to his office to see the bound statue for themselves. One version of the story claims the magistrate supposedly grew so angry at the crowds mocking his action that he demanded three gawkers pay a fine - piece of cloth. When everyone had presented their swatches of cloth, the magistrate was able to identify which ones had belonged to the merchant and the thief was arrested.

From then on, a tradition began of tying a rope around the Jizo to get oneself out of a troublesome situation.

Visitors today are welcome to add a rope to the bunch. Place ¥100 in the offering box near the statue, take one of the ropes on offer, say a prayer or make a wish, and tie it on. You’re supposed to return and untie a rope when your wish comes true or your problem resolves.

11/06/2024

Tour Story Tuesday: Thieves of Asakusa

Have you seen this man? If you’ve been to Tokyo’s popular Asakusa neighborhood, you likely have run into him - quite literally - in the street. But who is he?

Asakusa was once home to playwright Kawatake Mokuami, who penned stories for the kabuki stage. (Kabuki is a type of traditional Japanese theater with elaborate costumes and dramatic storylines.)

One of Kawatake’s most famous plays was Shiranami Gonin Otoko, which involved a group of five chivalrous thieves led by a man named Nippon Daemon. The character was based on a real bandit from the 1700s who would dress as a samurai and rob travelers along the Tokaido, the road that stretched from Edo (Tokyo) to Kyoto. However, since he was known to avoid murder and bloodshed, Daemon earned a reputation as an honorable thief.

Daemon and his fellow robbers are scattered along Dembo-in Street to the east of Nakamisedori. If you’re in the neighborhood, see if you can spot all five.

This is just one of the stories I tell on my Asakusa After Dark tour and in my new Asakusa self-guided walk. Check out this walk and several others in the Shop tab on my website (see below). Use the discount code SUMMER24 for 20% off all self-guided walks until the end of June!

https://www.uncover-japan.com/shop

11/06/2024

This Thursday June 13th is my final daytime public walk until the summer break. Come join me in an exploration of two of my favorite neighborhoods - Ningyocho and Nihonbashi! This is one of my favorite walks and also one of the most popular! Hear stories of dogs and river sprites, long-dead emperors and family feuds, firemen and kimono merchants, and so much more.

Learn more and sign up at this link:

https://www.uncover-japan.com/groupexcursions/ningyocho-and-nihonbashi-cradle-of-old-tokyo-9l2ps

10/06/2024

In the list of hydrangea spots in and around Tokyo, Myoraku-ji in Kawasaki rarely makes the list (or at least the lists in languages others than Japanese).

However, it’s a joy to wander the grounds of this 18th-century temple when its 1000 hydrangeas are in bloom. There are multiple areas to enjoy the flowers, from a hydrangea mountain crisscrossed by paths to a section off to the left of the main temple. There’s a small hanachozu (flower water basin) and even a suikinkutsu (a garden feature known as a water harp) to the right of the temple.

This temple is popular with locals - many families were visiting on the day I went - but still doesn’t have the same crowds as hydrangea spots in nearby Kamakura. To me, many of the views at Myoraku-ji reminded me of a quieter Hasedera.

📍20 min walk from Shukugawara Station on the JR Nambu Line
💴 Free
🚙 There is a free parking lot on site good for about 8 cars.

04/06/2024

Want to experience a bamboo forest with almost no crowds? Head to the city of Sakura in Chiba Prefecture.

This town is home to the Hiyodori-zaka, a bamboo lined slope that allegedly remains mostly unchanged from its days as a thoroughfare for traveling samurai. The path itself is no more than about 500 meters but is beautifully maintained and rarely visited. On a weekday around 11am, I saw 3 other people.

At the top of the slope is a collection of samurai residences which can be visited for a small fee. The warriors in residence here would have served the lord of the clan who resided in nearby Sakura Castle.

Sakura is also home to the fantastic and detailed National Museum of Japanese History, which showcases the nation’s history from the Jomon Period up through World War 2.

And while the kanji for the town of Sakura is not the same as that for the beautiful blooming cherry trees, you can find a host of sakura in bloom around the castle grounds in late March.

Sakura is easily reached in 1.5-2 hours by train (JR line or Keisei Line) from Tokyo. The bamboo forest and residences are about 20 mins walk from either JR Sakura or Keisei Sakura Station.

🦟 If you’re visiting the bamboo forest in spring or summer, don’t forget bug spray!

03/06/2024

Do you always have bad weather on important days? Does rain seem to follow you where ever you go? You might be an ame-onna!

Ame-onna (women) and ame-otoko (men) are people who bring rain with them. If you feel that all of your vacations or important events are plagued by rain, you might be called this term by your Japanese-speaking friends.

But that’s the modern understanding of the word. Traditionally, an ame-onna was a type of yokai (a supernatural spirit). Farmers would pray to ame-onna to bring rain for their crops, but this yokai also had a darker side. Ame-onna were believed to kidnap infants, as well as turn grieving mothers into “rain women” themselves. You can spot an ame-onna by her drenched appearance; she may even lick rainwater from her hands and arms.

Today, ame-onna is a light-hearted term, so don’t feel too bad if you hear someone use it. And even better, if you’re known for having good luck with weather, you may just be a “hare-onna” or “hare-otoko”!

01/06/2024

Visiting Japan in rainy season? Want to pray to the gods for good weather? Then make your way to Kisho Shrine in Koenji (Tokyo).

Kisho Shrine is a small shrine on the grounds of Hikawa Shrine. It’s allegedly the only meteorological shrine in the country. People come here to pray for good weather on specific days, usually for weddings or travel days.

The shrine got its start during WW2, when the Army Weather Department was located nearby. The enshrined deity is Yagokoro Omoikaneno Mikoto, a mouthful to say but it’s the first syllable that matters. “Ya” means “8” and this god can control 8 weather phenomena - sun, clouds, rain, thunder, wind, snow, frost and fog.

The shrine’s prayer plaques are in the shape of wooden geta, a nod to a weather forecasting game from long ago. Children would toss a wooden sandal in the air to predict the weather - if it landed face up, the weather would be good; if it landed face down, the weather would be bad.

The shrine also has teru teru bozu (see previous post) as mikuji (fortunes). You can buy a teru teru bozu doll to take home or hang it on the rack with the prayer plaques.

Kisho Shrine can be visited anytime of year but it’s worth stopping by during the shrine’s annual festival in the first two weeks of June.

30/05/2024

Japan hasn’t declared a start to its annual rainy season yet, but with a typhoon currently swinging through Tokyo, it’s time to talk about the traditional anti-rain charm - the teru teru bozu.

Teru teru bozu (quite literally “shine shine monk”) are popular decorations in the rainy season. They’re constructed and hung outside windows or doors to wish for sunny weather. They were initially used by farmers, but became popular with city dwellers, particularly children, in the Edo era (1603-1868).

Teru teru bozu are most often made out of cloth or tissue paper and are usually white in color. Lately, however, I’ve seen numerous multicolored ones using either solid fabrics or patterned cloth.

To beg for rain, you still make a teru teru bozu, but hang it upside down instead.

#てるてる坊主

29/05/2024

Are you coming to Japan this summer when I’m on break? Or have you always wanted to hear my tour stories but never could make time for an excursion?

I’ve been hard at work on a series of self-guided walks and there are now four neighborhoods available! Each walk has many of my regular tour stories included, as well as photos and interactive maps. Great for exploring Tokyo on your own or even for armchair travelers hoping to learn more about the city.

You can check out all the guides at the link below:

https://www.uncover-japan.com/shop

Sign up for my monthly newsletter on the Uncover Japan website to receive the current discount code!

27/05/2024

🔘Manhole Monday: Imabari🔘

I’m sadly running out of colorful manhole cover photos, but they’re are still plenty of regular designs with stories left to share. So today, we’re heading to Imabari in Ehime Prefecture on Japan’s Inland Sea coast.

The boats depicted above technically represent ships in the Mukami suigin, a self-styled navy led by several branches of the Murakami clan. These privateers controlled all sea-based commerce in Japan’s Inland Sea for much of the medieval period. They collected shipping fees, provided safe passage to official (ie government) goods and personnel, supplied tugboats when needed and basically acted as the enforcers for those engaged in maritime trade in the region. Due to the monopoly they had on the area and their sometimes exorbitant rates, they could conceivably be called pirates as well.

There is a museum dedicated to the Murakami navy on Oshima (“Big Island”), just off the coast of Imabari and accessible by the Shimanami Kaido route of suspension bridges that hop between the islands.

24/05/2024

🍴Taste of Tokyo: Longrain🍴

The Thai restaurant Longrain - located on the 39th floor of a skyscraper at Ebisu Garden Place in Tokyo - is one of my favorite places for a flavorful lunch at an affordable price.

Longrain bills itself as Thai-Australian and brings the spices and herbs of SE Asia to its dishes without too much additional heat. It sounds trite but my favorite dish is their signature pad Thai. Their blue rice - colored by butterfly pea - with shrimp, onion, pineapple and peanuts is another solid winner. It’s also worth saving room for the taro pudding, one of my favorite desserts in the city.

Not only is the food good but if you luck into a table by the window (you can specify when you reserve by phone or online), you’ll be treated to sweeping views of Tokyo, from Shinjuku to the Rainbow Bridge.

📌 Longrain is a 7-8 minute walk from Ebisu Station (East Exit).
💰¥2800 and ¥3700 for 3-4 course lunch
📆 Make a reservation in English on Tablecheck.

18/05/2024

Heading out to Sanja Matsuri this weekend? Or visiting this summer when festival season is in full swing? Learn more about the mikoshi, or portable shrine.

Mikoshi are decorative palanquins used to transport the deity or god of a shrine. The first recorded use of a mikoshi was in the Nara Period (710-794), when it was used to carry kami to the battlefields. Today, mikoshi are most likely to be seen at a shrine’s annual festival or on the rare occasion that a deity is moved between shrines or rehoused.

Many mikoshi are topped with a golden phoenix known as a ho-o. This bird can have several meanings - fire, sun, south, rebirth, peace, fidelity and justice.

Tokyo has some amazing mikoshi, but you don’t have to wait until festival time to see them:

⛩️ Konno Hachimangu Shrine (Shibuya) - claims to have the oldest mikoshi in the city which dates back to the 1600s (photo 3)
⛩️ Tomioka Hachiman Shrine (Monzen Nakacho) - has two large mikoshi that feature in the shrine’s summer festival
⛩️ Akasaka Hikawa Shrine (Roppongi) - several mikoshi can be viewed here
⛩️ Asakusa Culture Tourist Info Center (Asakusa) - a mikoshi is always on display in the front window of the info center (as well as nearby in the metro tunnel of the Ginza line)

17/05/2024

Few things are more iconically Japanese than tea fields with a backdrop of Mt Fuji. Arguably, the best view can be enjoyed at Obuchi Sasaba in Shizuoka Prefecture.

Visitors are welcome to visit the tea fields year-round and walk the road that leads through the bushes. A small stand offers a complimentary cup of hot or cold green tea and sells some of the tea leaves harvested from the field.

🚗 Obuchi Sasaba is best reached by car. There is free parking on site.
📍 1445 Obuchi, Fuji, Shizuoka 417-0801
📆 Visit in early spring (March-May) to catch Mt Fuji with her snow cap and the tea bushes at their best

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It was a beautiful night for O-tsukimi, or moon viewing. This autumn celebration is akin to the Mid-autumn festival in other Asian countries, and is also known as Jugoya in Japan, tying it to the 15th day (jū-go nichi) of the 8th month of the old Japanese calendar. I’ll share some more Tsukimi fun facts tomorrow, but this evening, we went up to the rooftop garden of our building and enjoyed the full moon as it shone down over the city on a nearly cloudless night. What a sight! (Apparently you have to actually click on the video so it expands enough to see the moon! 😉)

Just frustratingly spent a bit of time creating a post on my old desktop (where all my photos are stored) only to have it crash while uploading, so today, please enjoy this moment of zen from Tokyo’s Kiyosumi Garden instead. Sound on for the summer cicadas! 😉

Good morning from the Meguro River walk, where the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. I hear the crowds were crazy over the weekend, so I looked elsewhere for blooms those days. On a Monday morning, however, the crowds are few, particularly if you start from the far end of the walk nearest Ikejiri Ohashi station.

Winter in Hakuba

I’m not sure if I’m a fan of skiing yet. But I am a fan of the ski lift, and the chance to enjoy the majesty of Hakuba’s mountains covered in a blanket of snow.

Cafe Tsumugi

I know I posted about this place before, but if you’ve never tried the breakfast at Cafe Tsumugi, the eatery next to Tsukiji Honganiji temple, you’re really missing out! Served from opening time (8am) until 10:30am, the “18 variety breakfast set” features - as stated - 16 varieties of small dishes, plus rice porridge and miso soup. Lift up the small dishes and you’ll see a description on the placemat of what each dish is, and - if applicable - what shop in Tsukiji’s Outer Market supplied it. The morning set is limited to a certain amount each day, though I’ve never arrived to find it sold out. The cafe also serves lunch plates, desserts and a host of teas.

Ryuokyo Gorge

The leaves aren’t quite changing yet at Nikko’s Ryuokyo Gorge, but the waterfalls are flowing stronger than usual. Foliage seems to be either late or underwhelming this year, but the season is not over yet! For those who haven’t been to Ryuokyo, the best way to enjoy the gorge is to do the hour-long loop walk that starts at the parking area/train station. Foliage should peak in about 1.5-2 weeks, I think.

Day Hikes with Heartland Japan

I haven’t done a Sunday Snippet in ages (and it’s already Monday here in Japan!) but as we approach autumn and the upcoming excursion season, I thought I’d showcase some of the hikes I offer in conjunction with Heartland JAPAN. Filmed at different times over the last year or so, it’s a great glimpse at some of the beautiful trails we explore. Registration is already open for our September tours and October tours open on Wednesday! See all our unique excursions here: https://heartlandjapan.com/excursions-tokyo-beyond/ (Expect continued Covid protocols on all excursions until further notice.)

Rice Planting

A new Sunday Snippet! After ten years in Japan, I finally had the chance to try my own hand at rice planting. It’s a fun, fascinating and muddy experience and I learned much more than I could fit into this one-minute clip. Still, I hope you enjoy this brief glimpse of “taue”, or rice planting, here in a corner of rural Tokyo.

Wisteria at Kameido Tenjin

Sorry for such a gap between these Sunday Snippets! Turns out I’m great at going out to gather content, but making myself sit at home and put it all together seems to be a perpetual struggle. 😉 While the wisteria has bloomed and gone - here in Tokyo at least - I hope you enjoy this little taste of spring in Japan.

Every year I say I prefer autumn leaves to spring flowers ... and then the cherry blossoms arrive and I go chasing them all over again. ☺️ Here’s a peaceful moment for your midweek pick-me-up.

Kawazu Nanadaru

A new Sunday Snippet! As the state of emergency lifts here in the Kanto region, some of you may be looking to get out and explore our beautiful backyard. This video highlights one of my favorite places, the Kawazu Nanadaru (or Kawazu 7 Waterfalls).

The Tokyo “Index Tree”

I just read this evening that Tokyo has recorded its first cherry blossoms today, tied with last year for the earliest opening to the season on record. It makes the newest Sunday Snippet - on Tokyo’s index tree - particularly timely. Enjoy!

I’m excited to share my first video for a new series called Sunday Snippets. At least twice a month I hope to share a short clip that recounts a tidbit I don’t always get to tell on my excursions ... or a story I DO share on tour, but want the rest of you to hear as well. ☺️ This video was inspired by my post on camellias yesterday. Camellias always make me think of my former home in Kyushu ... and the video will explain why. I caution you that my video skills are a work in progress, but practice makes at least better, if not perfect! (There's narration, so its best to watch it with sound.)

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