Nagano Prefecture (長野県) has always been known as the number one winter paradise in Central Japan. With its position surrounded by the Japanese Alps, Nagano Prefecture has become home to many world-class ski resorts and famous natural hot springs. The most famous ski resorts area is Hakuba (白馬), a former 1998 Winter Olympics site. But…
Odawara is attracting more visitors by re-opening Odawara Castle which recently renovated its viewing room. Located in the southwest of Kanagawa prefecture, Odawara has been playing a vital role since the Sengoku era (1493-1590). Due to the unique geographic nature, it was valued as a fortress and a gateway to Kyoto, especially during the Edo…
The rising temperature this summer in Japan cannot be stopped. Both hot and humid at the same time, people are heavily sweating and it’s hard to make it through some of the incredibly hot days. With air conditioners and fans to cool you down, some people turn to food and drinks to help the cooling…
Hi, readers! This is the Japan Info staff. We wanted to say thank you for always reading our articles and we’ve got a way for you to enjoy them more! Out of all the posts that have been published over the last week (June 20-26) on Japan Info and/or on Facebook, we are happy to…
Of the four main islands in Japan, Shikoku is the smallest and least populated one. It is an island not only popular for temples associated with pilgrims but also for legendary traditional dishes which attract both local and foreign tourists. To name a few, here are three yummy delights that you should try if you…
With such a great variety of mouth-watering food to indulge in on your travels throughout the land of the rising sun, you may encounter what many people dread – food allergies. In Japan, many food industries, supermarkets, and restaurant establishments take the time to label food or the menu clearly to ensure consumers are aware…
Followers of the Islamic faith are prohibited from eating certain foods such as pork and cannot consume alcohol or tobacco. Although it is easy to avoid drugs and beer, it isn’t always as simple to distinguish what contains pork or other foods which Muslims consider to be forbidden for them to consume. This can be…
In Japanese folklore, there are two types of mythical beings: yokai and yurei. There is a dizzying array of classification systems with the precise definitions varying by author and time period, and regardless of which you choose, there will always be fuzzy exceptions and beings that are hard to classify. That being said, in modern…
For foodies all over the world, Japan is, by far, the culinary mecca. There are so many fantastic restaurants within 1 block of each other, especially in a metropolitan city like Tokyo. It comes as no surprise that when the new Michelin restaurant guide was released in 2016, Tokyo was well represented, with 217 restaurants…
Most countries are familiar with a food court, a food bazaar, or simply a bunch of food stores in a communal area in a mall. Besides malls, there are food courts at rest stops too which are semi-malls where long distance buses stop en route to their destinations. In addition to the normal grub at…
