Arashiyama 嵐山 is on the western outskirts of Kyoto. While it is famous for its bamboo grove, this picturesque area has much more to offer visitors. Here are some places where you can escape the crowds when in Arashiyama.
Read More
Three elderly women in a tiny mountain village continue their tradition of collecting and transforming chestnuts into sweets with the help of volunteers.
Read More
Kurotani in rural Kyoto is one of the oldest paper-making villages in Japan. For more than eight centuries, the villagers have transformed the mulberry plant into elegant washi (Japanese paper) products.
Read More
The Yangon Circle Line is a slow ride, taking three hours to complete the loop as it passes through the city’s outlying areas. It is, however, a good way to see the rest of Myanmar’s former capital.
Read More
During our brief sojourn in Higashi-Yoshino, we took leisurely walks by the river, passed a waterfall and ancient shrines, climbed over many moss-covered stones, weaved amongst skinny tall trees, and listened to riotous symphonies by unknown insects.
Read More
Once in a blue moon, I would select my next travel destination because of an unusual or exceptional lodging in the area. This has brought me to places that I had not heard of before; the mountainous village of Higashi-Yoshino 東吉野村 in Japan’s Nara Prefecture is one example. I was looking for a place to stay…
Read More
Compilation of a series of posts about a self-drive trip in Hokkaido. I hope these stories will continue to inspire someone to discover the low-key charm of Hokkaido and its remarkable natural landscape, and, ultimately, to see another side of Japan.
Read More
Located within the Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Noboribetsu 登別 is the largest onsen in Hokkaido and one of the most well known hot spring resorts in Japan. The source of the town’s fortunes comes from Jigoku-dani 地獄谷 – also known as “Valley of Hell”, a massive geothermal crater formed following the eruption of Mount Kuttara some…
Read More
One summer night in Sapporo where we stumbled upon the Hokkaido Bon dance and automated multi-storey car parks.
Read More