Your trip to Japan begins the moment you board a Japanese airline.
Continue Reading
You Shouldn’t Skip Yonago
The city is an essential anchor for exploring Japan’s San’in region, its own charms as a destination notwithstanding.
Continue Reading
Is Nara Better Than Kyoto?
For certain sorts of travelers, Nara might be a preferable overnight base to Kyoto.
Continue Reading
San’yo Starts Here
When most non-Japanese people hear the word san’yō, they think of a slightly questionable electronics brand.
Continue Reading
The Truth About the Green Car
If you’re expecting a luxurious or even exclusive experience, I think the green car is going to disappoint you.
Continue Reading
Japan’s Most Important Shrine
Can you visit Ise Shrine?
Continue Reading
A Jaunt to Japan’s Daruma Temple
Don’t for a single second fool yourself into thinking that this place is off Osaka’s beaten path.
Continue Reading
Obama is Actually Outstanding
Whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat—or even an American at all—Obama-cho is a standout destination.
Continue Reading
Sometimes, the Snow Comes Down in June
By the time I finally got to the Japan snow tunnel, I’d been waiting literally for years.
Continue Reading
Kagoshima’s Best-Kept Secret
If Kagoshima is where Japan ends, then the Satsuma Peninsula is where Kagoshima ends.
Continue Reading
The Truth About Flying Delta to Japan
In a market served by some of the world’s best airlines, I’m not sure that “great” is good enough.
Continue Reading
Shikoku’s Best-Kept Secret
Tokushima’s Awa Odori Festival is right up there with the best of them.
Continue Reading
How to Choose Between Tokushima and Takamatsu
If you absolutely must decide, I can help you make the right pick.
Continue Reading
Why to See Japan’s Snowiest City in Summer
The Aomori Nebuta Matsuri is a pain to attend, but I promise you: It’s worth it!
Continue Reading
The #1 Reason to Visit Akita
Akita is a corner of Japan that’s impressed me since my first trip there almost six years ago. Back then, in the dead of winter, I took an unassuming winter sojourn to Kakunodate Samurai district—I was hooked; the rest is history. Only it wasn’t. Over the years, I’ve returned to a number of places in […]
Continue Reading
Why You Should Stay the Night in Nara
Everything changed when I decided to stay overnight in Nara.
Continue Reading
Off Okinawa’s Beaten Path
Miyako presents a conundrum.
Continue Reading
Tohoku’s Tamest Summer Festival
The Sendai Tanabata Matsuri is probably not what you’re expecting.
Continue Reading
Japan’s Fabulous Fireworks
You’re never far from a hanabi display—well, at least not if you visit Japan in summer.
Continue Reading
Kanagawa’s Top Tokyo Day Trip
Is Yokohama or Kamakura a better excursion from Tokyo?
Continue Reading
