When one thinks of items representative of Japan the list inevitably includes kimono, sushi and bullet trains but one shouldn’t overlook the beauty of Japanese woodblock prints or ukiyo-e.  The word ukiyo refers to the world of common people and e means picture. This art form originated in the late sixteenth century in the ancient […]

Ishikawa, Nagano and Niigata Prefectures are just three of the nine prefectures that make up the Chubu region of Japan and are the subject of A Closer Look at Chubu Part 2.  Last week we took a closer look at Aichi, Fukui & Gifu Prefectures and Shizuoka, Toyama, and Yamanashi will round out our closer […]