Discoveries from around the archipelago
Want to visit a neighborhood in Tokyo that will make you completely forget that you are in Tokyo? Then head for Daikanyama, one of Tokyo's trendiest areas, tucked in between the party powerhouses of Ebisu and Shibuya. Daikanyama is one of those areas that you go to for the "feeling", not for the sights. The... Continue Reading →
Last year, around this time, I took off for the mountains of central Japan. During that trip, I spent a few nights in Takayama, one of my favorite destinations in Japan. Takayama is a small city that sits at the edge of the Central Japan Alps. Takayama was renowned in the Edo Period (1603-1868) for... Continue Reading →
Nara is quite possibly the most popular day trip you could take from Kyoto. Many people don't always realize that Nara was Japan's first established capital, serving as the seat of power from 710AD to 784AD. However, when Japan's powerful ruling families upped sticks and moved to Kyoto at the end of the 8th century mostly... Continue Reading →
When Tokyoites want to get away, they book it south to Kamakura and the beach. When Kyoto residents need a bit of green, they head west to the leafy suburbs of Arashiyama and Takao. Arashiyama doesn't even feel like a suburb. Step off the train and walk through the quiet streets and you'll be forgiven... Continue Reading →
When I worked as a tour guide on Okinawa, I spent a lot of time wandering Kokusai Street, the main thoroughfare in the city of Naha. At times kitchsy, at times beachy, and an eclectic mix of Japanese, American and Pacific island culture, a wander along Okinawa's "Miracle Mile" is always an entertaining afternoon. Kokusai-dori,... Continue Reading →
If you haven't been to Kanazawa, prepare to be delighted. I've long had this city on my to-go list mostly due to Kenrokuen, one of the top three gardens in Japan, but it turns out that Kanazawa offers a whole lot more to the average visitor. Having been spared from the bombing raids of World... Continue Reading →
As evening falls in Kyoto, there's no where else I would rather be than wandering the streets of the Gion neighborhood. This is quintessential Kyoto at its best - willows and cherry trees hang over a languid canal; light filters out the slatted windows of wooden ochaya (teahouses); maiko and geisha dart back and forth on cobbled streets... Continue Reading →
Kurashiki is consistently ranked as one of Japan's most picturesque cities and after my trip there at the beginning of the month, I must say I wholeheartedly agree. This canal-laced city rose to prominence as a trading center in the Edo Period (1603-1867); Kurashiki's storehouses held rice, sake and textiles until they could be ferried... Continue Reading →
You could spend an entire week in Tokyo and never really leave the "inner circle" the neighborhoods that sit within the circular route of the city's Yamanote train line. But you really should, if only to make the short trip out to Kichijoji, Tokyo's original bohemian hangout and an excellent place to spend an afternoon... Continue Reading →
It's time I branched out from the Tokyo neighborhoods I've been covering in this series and start introducing some other cities. So, on to Kyoto, a city that I just can't seem to get enough of lately. I was just up there in March and already I am scheming on how to go back before... Continue Reading →
