Sumo was first mentioned in a Kojiki manuscript dating back to 712 describing how possession of the Japanese islands was decided in a wrestling match between the divine being (Kami) Takemikazuchi and Takeminakata. It is only several years later, around 720, that the first Sumo match between mortals took […]

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Famous for its onsen, its beautiful mountain an as a world-class ski resort, Mt. Zao is also extremely popular among foreign tourist for its magnificent Snow Monsters also called Juhyo in Japanese. [...]

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Also known as Chichibu Yomatsuri, the Chichibu Night Festival is the festival of the Chichibu Shrine in Chichibu. It’s just over 150 km away from central Tokyo and is considered as one of Japan’s top three festivals to feature both majestic floats and fireworks. [...]

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Osaka Castle was built by Daimyo Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1583 on the former site of the Ishiyama Honganji Temple. It was originally intended to be the center of Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s vision where he would rule a unified Japan. As such Osaka Castle was, at the time, Japan’s largest castle. [...]

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Located in the outskirts of Osaka city, Sumiyoshi Taisha, also known as Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine is actually one of Japan’s oldest shrines. Founded in the 3rd century, Sumiyoshi Taisha displays a unique style of shrine architecture, called Sumiyoshi-zukuri, that is free of influence from the Asian mainland. [...]

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Located in the city of Sakkai in Osaka prefecture, JIKKO Kitchen Knives Cutlery is one of the best and most famous companies for anyone looking for the finest Japanese cutlery. JIKKO started relatively recently in 1901. Sakkai has been known for the past 600 years for its knife craftwork […]

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The Dotonbori area in Osaka needs no introduction. It’s one of Japan's most famous tourist destinations thanks to its unique and frankly, gaudy neons. Dotonbori is one spot you should not miss when traveling in Japan. [...]

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Shizuoka’s Izu Peninsula is a trove of amazing scenic spots often ignored or forgotten by both Japanese and foreign tourists. Today we would like to give you a unique chance to enjoy the Majestic Mount Fuji from one of Shizuoka’s secret spots : Osezaki Cap [...]

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Oomiya Jinja is a nice little Shinto shrine located on the west side of Oshima Island. While not a lot of information is available on this shrine, it is said that it used to be located on the northern part of the island [...]

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Just a few minutes walk from Kyujinnomaru Tei, a traditional Japanese ryokan turned into an open museum (See previous video), Odoriko no Sato is another free and open to all museum. It’s dedicated to Oshima Islands famous Odoriko or “Dancing girls”. The profession was popularly depicted in the past […]

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Kyujinnomaru Tei used to be the estate of the head of the Oshima island fisherman’s union during the Meiji period, today it’s an open and free to the public house turned into a small museum giving the chance for anyone to get a look at […]

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Did you know that Tokyo is one of a few megacities in the world that has its very own active volcano and Japan’s only desert? And that the last time this volcano erupted was just recently in 1990? Now did you know that Tokyo also features not one but […]

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