Culture and Lifestyle

Hiking: Mitake-san -> Okutama

June 8, 2009

Recently I’ve been trying to get out and get more hiking done in and around Tokyo so each time I get to do something, I’ll try and write up a quick summary for you so if you’re interested, you can have a go at it too. The route The route I took was Mitake-san (御岳山) […]

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What to do and see in Kamakura

May 25, 2009

has long been regarded as a great 1-day trip out of Tokyo.  It’s typically one of the first places ex-pat residents will visit on their Japanese temple/shrine trail, and would be a noticeable omission from any guide book.  So why is this the case?  Is it worth heading out there?

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Eating out in Japan – the healthy option

May 19, 2009

Recently I have become very conscious about what foods I eat, especially when eating out.  If possible now I aim for the vegetarian option, and where the option exists, I shoot for the organic / macrobiotic catering restaurants.  The whys and wherefores for this can be followed on my personal blog as I explore and […]

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Japan’s National Public Holidays

March 31, 2009

There are quite a few public holidays in Japan… there are some special days though which are not national public holidays but are typically taken as holidays by the Japanese.  Below is a quick list of the dates for official national holidays. 

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Kōya-san [高野山]

November 12, 2008

Any visitor to Japan, or to any other South-East Asian country, will be familiar with the sights of a Buddhist Temple or two, or four, or ten…  Possibly, you’ve gone to a few Temple sites, taken them in and been ready to jump off the next Pagoda that dares to greet you.  There is sometimes […]

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