When you visit Japan, I highly recommend spending one night at an onsen ryokan to relax and understand Japanese culture better. Onsen 温泉 means hot spring and ryokan 旅館 is a traditional Japanese inn, a place where you can experience genuine Japanese omotenashi おもてなし hospitality. A stay at an onsen ryokan will include dinner and…
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Tsuru no Yu is the onsen I wanted to visit most in Akita Prefecture; it is a unique onsen mainly because of its milky white water found only at a few other onsens in Japan. Tsuru no Yu means “hot spring of cranes” in Japanese, and apparently, it got this name from a legend of an injured crane who was seen bathing in here.
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One thing that I love about living in Tokyo is that I can always have something new to explore. It can be a neighborhood I haven’t explored yet, a new cafe that just opened nearby, a new exhibition! This weekend, I finally went to Yanaka 谷中, a quiet neighborhood in the Taito ward, east of…
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Japan is very proud of its four seasons and I don’t know why but quite a few Japanese people often think that not many other countries are blessed with four seasons… Although its summers might be too humid and winters too dry and cold, Japanese autumns and springs are the best time to visit the…
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This September, my family finally came to Japan and I was super happy and excited to show them around, to bring them to all my favorite places and to see what they think about this country that I love so much: Japan. Planning everything for 5 persons was not easy, but starting early with the…
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This year’s rainy season was very looong… rainy season in Japan usually lasts throughout June, however, this year it officially ended this week (last week of July). It is also true that in June we had many sunny days for a rainy season, but most of July was so gloomy and cold, I would even…
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With every new place I visit in Japan, I wonder how can there be so much beauty in a single place? That is what I felt when I visited Ashikaga Flower Park for Golden Week this year. With the beginning of the new imperial era, Reiwa, this year’s Golden Week was 10 days long! Double…
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I have been living in Japan for almost three years, but there are still many places left for me to discover in this beautiful country. I mentioned before that I wish to visit as many prefectures as possible or maybe even all 47! All prefectures have something special, be it a picturesque landscape, a must-try…
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Apparently, in Japanese, there is an expression for a trip that relieves heartbreak or a sentimental journey and that is 傷心旅行 shōshin ryokō. That is what I felt when I booked this trip on a whim last week, three days before the trip’s day. It was a non-romance related heartbreak for me, but still, it…
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Hello everyone and Happy New Year! I started this year with a small family trip in Romania, revisited the famous Bran Castle after many many years (last time I went there was when I was in kindergarten, too long ago for me to count the years) and also revisited Brasov (when I’m in Romania, a…
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