Food A Taste of Shiga at COCOSHIGA Tom Roseveare COCOSHIGA offers a literal taste of Shiga, thanks to its souvenir and craft store, sake tasting bar and Omi beef sukiyaki restaurant, KAN KAN KAN.
Culture Nada no Kenka 2026 Oct 14th - Oct 15th Nada no Kenka is a festival in Himeji celebrated every year on October 14 and 15. A dangerous, but very colourful and vibrant festival.
Culture Ishihama Shrine Sleiman Azizi Ishihama Shrine, in Arakawa City, was established almost 1300 years ago by the Emperor Shomu..
28 Culture A Hot Summer's Day in Rikugien Anne Lauenroth Built around 1700 and opened to the public in 1938, Rikugien’s name is... Spreading out over close to 88,000 km², vast Rikugien can be easily reached
12 Culture Kokuzo Shrine Ekaterina Bespyatova Kokuzo shrine is featured in the Engishiki, a thousand-year-old book from the Heian period. It's one of the oldest shrines in the Aso region.
Culture Tōshi Island, Miketsu-Kuni Cathy Cawood When the seaweed is plunged into boiling water it changes color to the... The wakame harvest takes place in March every year.
13 Culture Kyo-on-ji Temple in Kamakura Peter Sidell In Japan's ancient capital of Kamakura, Kyo-on-ji is a charming, intimate Buddhist temple, where you can enjoy the peaceful atmosphere away from the tourist
Activities Hakusan Shrine Hydrangea Festival Kim Bergström Each year in June, Tokyo's Hakusan Shrine is home to an impressive ajisai (hydrangea) festival, where around 3000 blooms in various shades of purple and