Hundreds of hot springs known locally as Onsens dot the landscape of Japan. The natural hot springs have been developed into spas where people can rejuvenate and relax. There are many hot spring baths and resort towns in Japan. The popular Kusatsu Hot Spring Resort is located in the Gunma region. The town boasts of […]
Youth Hostels in Japan
Regulations and membership It is possible to stay at a youth hostel even if you aren’t a member, but it will cost you approximately 600 yen more per night at the privately owned ones (the government run youth hostels charge you the same regardless of whether you are a member or not). At the privately […]
Weekly Mansions in Japan
What is a Weekly Mansion? A weekly mansion is a furnished apartment for short-term stays. From a size vs price perspective, they are generally more expensive than other housing such as guesthouses and ryokans. One of the big differences between a guesthouse and a weekly mansion is that guesthouse accommodation is conducive to meeting other […]
Super Hotels in Japan
Super Hotels Although Super Hotels are classified as a budget hotel, they offer some pretty good services which separate them from other hotel chains. For example, they have a free breakfast buffet, well lit rooms and lobbies, wireless internet access, some buildings with all non-smoking rooms and even some hotels featuring hot springs (onsens). The […]
Serviced Apartments in Japan
Serviced Apartments in Japan Most serviced apartments are located in city areas in convenient locations and provide you with a more ‘homely’ stay than a normal hotel. In most cases, what separates a serviced apartment in Japan from a normal hotel are: 1. A separate work space 2. A kitchen area 3. Lounge area 4. […]
Business Travel Tokyo
The prominent economy of Tokyo attracts millions of business persons annually. The city being a hub for banking, finance and industry is completely geared to cater for those travelling for commercial purposes. The city is amazing. It’s a blend of style, glamour, success and interesting culture. It is also very much abuzz with activity but […]
Japan Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Fallout
My heart goes out to the people of Japan. In 1970 I was a member of a hula troupe and we performed at The Narugo Hotel in Nagoya for three months. After landing in Tokyo, our troupe boarded the ‘bullet train’ to Sendai (the northern capital of Japan). Then we rode by car for a […]
Things to Do and Food to Eat in Fukuoka, Japan
Fukuoka isn’t that small of a place. Actual numbers bring the population to about the 5 million mark, with the city having roughly 1.3 million people. With that amount of people around, you know there has got to be something to do. On any day of the week if you look you will be able […]
Shibuya Hotels – Finding a Good, Cheap Shibuya Hotel
Shibuya Hotels are a great place to stay when you are visiting Tokyo. One of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Shibuya is known for its shopping and youthful vibe. It is easy to get to, has a lot of shopping, and plenty of attractions. Shibuya is also known as one of the places where […]
A Memory of Kyoto
It’s often that chance encounters, the unplanned events, linger, long after the excursions and the sights of a particular trip have faded. It was in 1998 when my wife and I visited central Japan, basing ourselves in Kyoto, having availed ourselves of cheap flights from Bandar Seri Begawan, courtesy of Royal Brunei. I can place […]
The Japanese Diet and Cold Noodles in the Summer
Noodles are a major part of the Japanese diet, hot and cold. Ramen, soba, and udon are probably the three most popular types of noodles served hot with a broth, or cold without one. Wikipedia tells us that most ramen is made from wheat flour, salt, water and kansui. Kansui is an alkaline mineral water […]
Japanese and Australian Sister City Relationship Suspended Due to Dolphin Hunting
Interesting article from September 2009 The Japan Times recently covered the suspended sister city relationship between the coastal towns of Broome in Western Australia and Taiji, in Wakayama prefecture, Japan. Their ties date back at least 100 years to the pearling industry in Broome. At that time, Broome was the biggest pearling center in the […]
Best Way to Learn Japanese – a Tale of Two Cities
Living in Japan is the best way to learn how to speak Japanese because you have the bonuses of having first hand experience of Japanese culture, the country and its people. But before you leave, you need to get your brain ready to take on Japanese and Japan. To lessen culture shock and fortify your […]
Not all you see is Sushi
Recently, after not having returned to Australia for 5 years, we made a trip home to celebrate Christmas and New Year with our families. After so long away, it was great to see all the various fare that I had loved, growing up on the Gold Coast. My sister cooked up her delicious recipe of […]
Living in the Land of the Rising Sun
A friend recently asked me what it’s actually like for a non-Japanese person to live in Japan, (knowing that my wife and I have lived here for 14 years). The hardest part about answering that question is fitting it into the length of an article, but as the Japanese say, “Ganbarimasu!” (I’ll do my best!) […]
Climbing Fuji-san
In the year 2000, my wife Mandy and I celebrated the new millennium by climbing Mt Fuji, which straddles the border of Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures in central Japan. When we arrived back home two days later, every muscle in our body ached, our feet had blisters, and our toes were bruised, but it was […]
Summer Customs in Japan
Japanese summers are usually introduced by a warm, sunny spring season, but this year, the temperatures and conditions have been wildly erratic. However, ‘Tsuyu’ (the rainy season) has arrived on schedule as usual, bringing with it the typical heat and humidity that can be expected at this time of the year, and the realization that […]
Japanese Year in Sync with the Seasons
One of the first things I noticed, as a schoolteacher in Japan, is that so many countries start their school year in a different month. I come from Australia, where the school year is the same as the calendar year, and so the students begin their classes in January. Being in the southern hemisphere, Australia’s […]
Explore the Land of the Rising Sun
Japan, known as the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’, is the most developed country in entire Asia. Most of Japan’s terrain is mountainous and is dotted with numerous dormant and active volcanoes. Situated on eastern most point of the continent, Japan is an archipelago nation which comprises of more than 3000 islands. Japan is a […]
Baseball in Japan
This article is a few years old but still interesting for the history of baseball in Japan In recent years, the arrival in the United States of players like Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui has enlightened Americans about the popularity of the sport in Japan. But most Americans don’t know that Japan has almost as […]