Food Visiting Mikan Orchards in Arida Alena Eckelmann Mikan (satsuma mandarin) orchards in Arida City, Wakayama Prefecture, date back to the beginning of the Edo Period (1600) and they..
Accommodation Koyo Ryokan in Kaminoyama Alena Eckelmann Koyo Ryokan in Kaminoyama Onsen near Yamagata City and near the Zao mountains is ranking amongst the best ryokan in Japan. The Ogami..
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...
Activities Virgin Forest in Hyakkenzan Gorge Alena Eckelmann Hyakkenzan Gorge in the south of the Kii Peninsula is not only a scenic place with many waterfalls but there is also a virgin forest...
Activities Scuba Diving in Kushimoto Alena Eckelmann The largest coral colony in the northernmost part of the world is found in the ocean off the southern tip of the Kii Peninsula!..
Culture Tea Harvest in Kumano Alena Eckelmann Living in a village near Hongu on the the Kumano Kodo trail, I have watched my neighbors pick tea leaves from the tea bushes located..