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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Today is an important day in Japan, the last day of the Heisei Imperial Era, the day of the abdication of Emperor Akihito. From tomorrow on, a new era starts, the Reiwa Era. All day today I’ve seen news about this event, about the ceremonies, about how Japanese people feel, what do they do on…
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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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Have you ever heard of monkeys who like bathing in onsens (hot springs)? You might have seen photos of the famous monkeys at Jigokudani Monkey Park (地獄谷野猿公苑, Jigokudani Yaen Kōen) in Japan. Photos of the so-called snow monkeys can often be found in Japan travel guidebooks, so, visitors from all over the world come to see…
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Another year is over and it’s that time of the year when we reflect upon the year that has just passed and see what has been good and what has been bad and how we managed to get through the difficult times and become better versions of ourselves. One of my resolutions for this year…
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Watching fireworks ( 花火 hanabi) during summer is a national favorite pastime in Japan. Throughout July and August, fireworks are displayed at least once every week in different parts of Japan. Many people outside of Japan asked me what was the occasion for the fireworks, but there was no occasion such as a national day…
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It’s June which means the month of 梅雨 tsuyu (rainy season) in Japan. Although the rainy season can be quite depressing, with weeks of endless rain and rarely a sunny day, one thing to look forward to is the 紫陽花 ajisai (hydrangea) season. I used to have white hydrangeas in my garden back home but…
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This blog post is all about summer and summer’s early flowers: poppies! Les Coquelicots is the name of my favorite painting by Claude Monet, coquelicots in French meaning poppies. You know summer has arrived with the first poppies that start to appear here and there in June. Fields of poppies can usually be found in…
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Spring in Japan is not only about cherry blossoms; many other beautiful flowers start blooming around the country, so don’t be sad if you can’t visit during the cherry blossom season. There are many beautiful gardens, parks, shrines, and very well-organized fields that showcase various flowers. Japanese people love flower-viewing so much that these places…
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