Taking pictures of Japan is a must for visitors and residents alike and there are so many great things to photograph that it can be overwhelming.  As an amateur photography buff I have recently taken on the personal challenge of capturing images that are not what you might expect to see in a photo album [...]

Tokyo beers gardens can be found in parks and on building rooftops throughout the city  and there’s nothing better than enjoying a cold beer, or two, with friends on a warm summer evening in the city. Social and business networking on Tokyo has now been taken to a new level with the creation of the [...]

Nothing goes to waste in the Japanese kitchen says Elizabeth Andoh.  It’s a statement that she goes on to prove as she conducts a recent workshop on how to make tsukemono, Japanese pickles.  A nub of ginger that is too small to grate without risking harm to your knuckles, a small piece of carrot or [...]

“Bon Odori is a Japanese Buddhist Folk Dance performed outdoors and danced in concentric circle around a raised platform called a Yagura“* Late July and early August is Obon season in Japan, a time when Buddhists honor their ancestors with Obon Festivals and Bon Odori (Bon dances) that stems from the tale on a monk [...]

The streets were awash in lantern light and food stalls lined the area around the Bishamonten Zenkokuji Temple this past week at the  Kagurazaka Festival. After partaking our fill of great matsuri food and beer amongst the other revelers we decided to wander through that alleys of Kagurazaka to get away from the crowds along [...]

Sitting 52 floors above Tokyo, you will find Tokyo City View in the Roppongi Hills’ Mori Tower where you will share great views of the city with the fish of “Sky Aquarium III” from July 17th – October 4th. The Sky Aquarium intersperses art among fish tanks and utilizes fish tanks and their occupants as [...]

Everyone loves a bargain and whether you live in Japan or are planning a visit it’s always good to look for Japan Travel Specials and ways to save a few Yen. Japan Rail, better know as JR to locals, offers a selection of special tickets that will do just that!  Some promotions are seasonal but [...]

In the center of the Tokyo’s Yamanote line you will find Kagurazaka Slope, an area that was once just beyond the walls of the imperial palace grounds, and where artists, politicians and Geisha once mingled. The name Kagurazaka is a combination of kagura (a shrine-dance to music) and saka (hill) and evokes the sites and [...]

Guarding a construction site is serious business but the frogs holding up the barrier below make the view from the street fun for kids of all ages!  This shot was taken by today’s guest photographer, Hugh Ashton, who has teamed up with nine other photographers from Japan to bring you The View From Japan. In [...]

The arts of the Geisha are not often witnessed by foreigners or even the ordinary Japanese, so I was told by my host Takehara-san.  The six Geisha districts of Tokyo, Shinbashi, Akasaka, Asakusa, Kagurazaka, Mukoujima and Yoshicho, have teamed up with Muromachi Fukutokujuku to present performances that are a great way to “feel”  Japanese culture [...]