Heading to Kumagaya Stadium during your time at the Rugby World Cup this year? Saitama City is just a stone’s throw away, and it’s a great destination for sports fanatics looking to explore a local, welcoming city—one that loves sports as much as they do. Saitama City is just a 40-minute train ride from…

Hiroshima Prefecture is in western Honshu, Japan’s main island. It is home to the beautiful Miyajima Island, one of the Nihon-Sankei, or three most scenic spots of Japan. The prefecture’s capital, also called Hiroshima, is a vibrant and modern city, home to the Peace Memorial Park and the Genbaku Dome, the only surviving building in…

Tokyo is one of the best places to find a perfect cup of coffee. Although the best and trendiest coffee spots in the city sell their products at a reasonable price, they are often crowded with people. If you’re looking for a relaxing coffee shop during your day off, might as well head to these…

You are probably familiar with the cute Japanese art form called “bonsai,” but are you familiar with the so-called art project “Air Bonsai?” This project allows people to create their own ‘floating star’ by growing and nurturing it. It was made by a small company called “Hoshinchu” in Kyushu, Japan. It doesn’t only treasure the…

There has been a recent trend on social media for succulents and cute potted plants; they seem to be all over social media sites like Instagram and Tumblr. This miniature potted plant trend has merged with the traditional Japanese bonsai (盆栽) to create easy-to-make and cute miniature bonsai trees! The Shop 1000’s BASE (センズベース), pronounced…

Have you heard of the term “bonsai (盆栽)?” If you have and think of those little trees that you see in a friend’s house or in gardens, you are partly right. But more than just the plant themselves, did you know that bonsai is actually a form of Japanese art? As a matter of fact,…

Want to make a memorable experience on your visit to Japan? Immersing yourself in another culture is a wonderful step to gain an arsenal of new skills and knowledge that you can bring home. In the process, you’ll learn to respect and value foreign culture and tradition. Most importantly, you’ll be able to expand your…

If you’re familiar with bonsai (miniature trees), then you probably have come across “bonseki” which are miniature landscapes presented in a black tray. It is an ancient Japanese traditional form of art which uses small dry elements such as white sand, pebbles, rocks and other tiny decorative things. These elements are combined together similarly to…

Finding the perfect souvenir for your family and friends is a hard decision to make. There are many things you can give them ranging from food, handicrafts and even clothing. However, have you ever thought of which souvenir your family and friends would really appreciate? If you’re planning a trip to Japan and would like…

What is Bonsai? Bonsai is the art of growing miniature trees. They differ from pot plants because it needs a variety and especial skills that allow the artist to capture the reality of nature in a smaller version. More than this, bonsai is complex to describe and most of the masters prefer to point out…