Food Tanabe’s Famous Plums Alena Eckelmann The Tanabe area has the most ume (Japanese plum) orchards in Japan. Many farmers and companies here produce ume foods, such as umeboshi..
Activities Welcome Spring with Ume Viewing Alena Eckelmann The Kishu Ishigami Tanabe Ume Orchards near Tanabe City in the south of Wakayama Prefecture have more than 300,000 ume trees. The..
Culture Niwaka Lantern Festival 2026 Late Aug You might have heard of Kiriko in Wajima but do you know Niwaka? A procession of colorfully painted floats mark the end of sum..
Culture Wajima Grand Festival 2026 Aug 22nd - Aug 25th The Wajima Grand Festivals are the highlight of late summer in the Wajima area of the Noto Peninsula. The festive activities center..
Culture Okutsuhime Shrine Festival in Wajima 2026 Aug 22nd - Aug 25th Young men dressed in women's clothes and with make-up on their faces carry a portable shrine into the ocean at Sodegahama Beach...
Culture Dejima Island's Legacy Alena Eckelmann Dejima, once a small man-made island off the shores of Nagasaki, is now enclosed within modern Nagasaki City's hustle and bustle...
Activities Hyakkenzan Gorge Alena Eckelmann Hyakkenzan Gorge, a deep valley in the south of the Kii Peninsula, has your ideal summer hiking course. Why? It is a short trail..
Activities The Green Pheasant - Japan's National Bird Alena Eckelmann Did you know that the Green Pheasant is Japan's National Bird? This pheasant is endemic to Japan and one can still see it roaming..