Tokyo. The capital of Japan is an unmissable stop on a trip to the Land of the Rising Sun. The largest city in the world, full of things to do and see, with almost 14 million inhabitants, mostly concentrated in the 23 special districts that we can consider “the center…
The perception of time changes in the Valley of Iya. Everything flows according to the rhythms of nature in this isolated and remote valley, which became one of the places of refuge of the Taira clan, defeated by the Minamoto in the Genpei War. So far from the neon and…
The small single-car train crosses the Japanese countryside, the rice fields, and then is surrounded by mountains. Pass a station with a cat stationmaste and stop at a small thatched station. A short bus ride and you find yourself in the Edo period, on the Aizu Nishi-Kaido that connects Aizu…
Seeing the monkeys close, in total freedom, perhaps while they are enjoying the warm thermal waters of a Japanese onsen…. Is the reality of the Jigokudani park, also known as Snow Monkey Park, in Japan, precisely in the Nagano prefecture. Totally one of the experiences to not to miss in…
Travel to Japan – F.A.Q and everything you need to know to travel to Japan
When planning a trip to Japan, it is normal to have a lot of questions and doubts about this distant country. We all have in mind the splendid images of cherry blossoms, Mount Fuji and the amazing shinkansen, the bullet trains, and many people dream of a trip to Japan…
Entering an onsen means to remove everything, literally. Onsen, the traditional Japanese hot springs, are not just a place to relax by immersing yourself in the hot thermal waters, but they are a place where you enter totally naked, stripping off your clothes, make-up, prejudices and anxieties about your body.…
Located in a hollow in the heart of the Japanese Alps, Nagano was the city that hosted the 1998 Olympic Games and due to its location it is an excellent gate to other destinations in the prefecture, first of all the Snow Monkey Park, the park of the snow monkeys,…
Loyalty, obedience, sacrifice, honor… these are the values that we associate to the Samurai spirit of Bushido. In modern Japan there are still many traces of the feudal Japan of the past, such as the story of the 47 Ronin or that of the Byakkotai, the brigade of the White…
Among the many Japanese rites of the beginning of the year, such as the Hatsumode, the first visit of the year to the Shrine to pray for luck in the new year, there is also the Shichifujukin Meguri, or the pilgrimage of the 7 lucky gods. This pilgrimage is usually…
When I travel I usually choose where to overnight based on location and price, often choosing hostels, airbnb or simple guesthouses. They just need to be clean and well connected, because I’m just sleeping there, as I spend most of my time out exploring! The Japanese ryokans, however, are a…