Shibuya crossing is one of the busiest pedestrian intersections in the world and is a vibrant place where just standing on the corner and watching the people will give you a sense of modern Japan. Video screens on each corner vie noisily for your attention along with bright blinking neon billboards and vibrant advertisements that [...]

Along the street marking the border between Yanaka and Nishi-Nippori lies a quaint shopping street (shotengai) that is home to a number of food vendors, restaurants and shops.  It’s not a typical destination for most Tokyo tourists but bustles with activity nonetheless and the area is worth a visit for not only the shopping street [...]

My favorite place in Japan was the subject for this months Japan Blog Matsuri and the entries are as varied as the country itself.   From north to south, from some the places we’ve all heard about to those that will likely never be written about in a Japan Guidebook.  They are all beautiful, if only [...]

During the Edo period(1600-1867) a Japanese scholar named Shunsai Hayashi traveled across Japan on foot and documented the three most beautiful places he encountered in a book titled “Nihon Kokujisekikou” (Observations About the Remains of Japan’s Civil Affairs).  Despite the passing of more than 200 years, these three places still hold a special place in [...]

My Favorite Place in Japan will be the topic for this months Japan Blog Matsuri (blog carnival) and everyone is welcome to participate!  The hosting duties fall to The Nihon Sun after Ken from What Japan Thinks hosted last month with a great round up of Slow Times in Japan. The goal for this month’s [...]

From your own feet to two wheels, and from four wheels on pavement to the shinkansen (bullet train) that races on rails or domestic airline flights, your transportation options in Japan run the gamut. You’ve got your plane reservation and are on your way to Japan and now the question becomes how to get around [...]

Although there have been no reported cases of Influenza A(H1N1), formerly labeled swine flu, in Japan as of May 2nd, visitors arriving into Narita Airport (Tokyo) and Kansai International Airport (Osaka/Kobe) from the Unites States, Canada and South America can expect delays of two hours or longer when deplaning due to an onboard health screening. [...]

In a recent edition of Views From The Street in the The Japan Times five people were asked “What’s one thing to do in Japan before you die?“  Some of the answers were great and others left me uninspired so I’d thought I’d take my own poll via Twitter as see if we could come [...]

Today, Chris, an avid mountaineer and guest photographer for The Nihon Sun writes a follow up Go to the Mountain in Japan Part 1 and talks about preparing for your mountaineering adventure and offers tips on where to stay and what to bring with you.  Take is away Chris… Whether you are planning day trip [...]

Have you discovered the the top 10  things that tourists do when they visit Japan?  This is not be an article about what to do and see when you come to Japan but it will help you know what not to do when you visit and it may even make you chuckle.  Consider it a [...]