Culture The Beauty and Charm of Yamagata Niaya Harper Yamagata Prefecture prides itself on its distinctive four seasons and is blessed with an abundance of nature and delicious foo..
12 Gardens & Parks The Birds of Dogo Park L. MacLean Dogo Park is the site of a long-disappeared castle. It's also home to an attractive variety of large and small birds.
12 Gardens & Parks The Wonderful Ashikaga Flower Park Larry Knipfing Tochigi Prefecture's Ashikaga Flower Park delighted me in a number of ways. The special treat, of course, are the gorgeous wisteria..
Culture Oyama Mountain Hiking Rey Waters Hiking Mt Oyama, a one-day trip featuring lots of history, temples/shrines, and good food.
Culture Basho Memorial Hall Sleiman Azizi The Basho Memorial Hall in Koto City sits by the banks of the Sumida River on the site where Basho himself once lived. Along with..
14 Culture Dogen-ji Temple, Akasaka Peter Sidell In the middle of Tokyo's modern Akasaka ARK Hills complex, Dogen-ji is an ancient Buddhist temple, untouched by the development..
11 Traditional Inside a Kanagawa Sake Brewery Larry Knipfing The Kanei sake brewing company has been creating wonderful tasting sake for 150 years. The brewery is not large (but colorful!),..
Culture In Search of the Sakai Daimyo in Tsuruoka City Alena Eckelmann The Sakai, a samurai clan that originated in the 14thcentury, became chief retainers to the Shoguns of the Tokugawa Clan. The Sakai..