ocated in the heart of Hirosaki city in Aomori (northern Japan), the Fujita Memorial Garden was built in 1919 by Fujita Kenichi who was the first chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. While not unique in Japan, this garden features both a traditional Japanese house, now used as an art gallery, and […]

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lso known as Tsugaru Jamisen, the Tsugaru Shamisen refers to both the Japanese genre of shamisen music originating from Tsugaru Peninsula (Aomori), and the instrument it is performed with. Imported from China via Okinawa, the Shamisen, looks like a little guitar and is widely associated with Japanese culture. Every region in Japan has developed it’s […]

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ocated in Shizuoka City, Sunpu Castle, is also known as Fuchi Castle and on some occasions the “Castle of the Floating Isle” because of its design and surrounding moats. It was supposedly built between 1560 and 1585 by Tokugawa Ieyasu. Burned down in 1653, most of the Sunpu Castle has been rebuilt, including the castle […]

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eta are perhaps Japan’s most iconic footwear, despite actually being a Chinese creation, and a piece of the cultural heritage still widely used today in modern Japan. Available in different forms and shapes, the traditional geta here is, thanks to Sano-san and his daughter Hitomi, given a little make-over where both tradition and modernity meet […]

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ere you are, another video coming straight from our new “Daily Life” project where we will upload videos of our daily life and commute in Japan. Today’s video will be a quick ride I made from Shibuya Station to Omotesando Station on the Ginza line on my way to meet some friends. Not much to […]

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y far one of Okinawa’s best islands, Iriomote offers spectacular sunsets all year long, and while there on holidays, I could not resist getting out my camera with me to share a piece of Okinawan heaven with you! I hope you will enjoy this very relaxing 25 minutes of pure Okinawan sunset!

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hizuoka Sengen Shrine is in fact the name for a collective group of three Shinto shrines with the Kambe Jinja, Sengen Jinja and Ohtoshimioya Jinja. They are located around Shizuoka city and now form a single religious corporation with the main shrine based in the center of the city. The oldest of the three shrines, […]

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riginally located in Tokyo and used as a residence for a branch of the Tokugawa family, and later used temporarily as the Imperial Palace, the Tomozawa Imperial Villa has been in Nikko since 1899. This gorgeous house that blends traditional Edo design and early model Meiji period architecture offers no less than 106 rooms, with […]

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hen I started this project I knew that I would have to spend a lot of time on the road and after running out of podcasts and music to listen to, you start to get a little bored. So in June, on my way back to Tokyo from a trip to Shizuoka, I decided to […]

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ocated near Nikko, Kanmangafuchi Abyss was formed centuries ago by an eruption of the nearby Mount Nantai, and offers a few nice long trails alongside a pleasant river. Not only does Kanmangafuchi Abyss offer a stunning view of its nearby river, Kanmangafuchi is also known for its row of about 100 stone statues of Jizo, […]

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ocated at the foot of Mt Iwate, the Yakehashiri Lava Flow is the result of an explosion on Mt Iwate that took place in 1732 and spread along its northeastern slope. This 3km long and 1.5km wide lava flow is, depending of the area, between 5 to 10m thick and has been turned into a […]

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ansa Odori is an amazing festival held every August in the city of Morioka. The origins of this festival lie in the legend of Mitsuishi, which gave Iwate its name. There was a demon that was causing problems for the villagers but the god Mitsuishi captured the demon and forced it to swear that it […]

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