April 11, 2012 | Felicity | Destinations, Getting Around, Nagoya, Travel Interests | No Comments
Nagoya is not your regular Japanese tourist destination: it is industrialized, dense, large, and yet it is utterly charming. Despite being one of the largest cities in Japan, there are spots in Nagoya that feel just like a small town, with the same sense of peace and community. But head to the city center, to the nightlife, entertainment and shopping area, and you'll find yourself in the middl... [read more]
TAGS: subway, transport April 5, 2012 | Felicity | Family and Fun, Sights, Travel Interests | No Comments
Tokyo Disneyworld is one of the most famous theme parks in the world, thanks to the Disney franchise's popularity, but it is far from being the quirkiest, most unusual and most interesting theme park in Japan. The Japanese have a real flair for coming up with theme park rides and attractions that have something unique about them. Theme parks are popular spots for weekend outings in Japan, for ... [read more]
TAGS: attractions, Kuwana, Nagasaki, theme parks, thrill rides, Yamanashi April 3, 2012 | Felicity | Adventure, Beaches, Sports, Travel Interests | 1 Comment
With four large islands and thousands of smaller islands in tow, Japan has more beaches than you could find, and for a surfing addict beaches mean one thing - an opportunity to find some great waves. Despite being an underrated surfing destination on the international surfing scene, Japan has more than enough surfing spots, as well as surfers to enjoy them. Surfing is quite popular in Japan, s... [read more]
TAGS: Aichi Prefecture, Ibaraki, Izu, surfing 
Nagoya is not your regular Japanese tourist destination: it is industrialized, dense, large, and yet it is utterly charming. Despite being one of the largest cities in Japan, there are spots in Nagoya that feel just like a small town, with the same sense of peace and community. But head to the city center, to the nightlife, entertainment and shopping area, and you'll find yourself in the middle of an amazing tangle of traffic, people, billboards and non signs. Nagoya is more relaxed than Tok... [read more]
Tokyo Disneyworld is one of the most famous theme parks in the world, thanks to the Disney franchise's popularity, but it is far from being the quirkiest, most unusual and most interesting theme park in Japan. The Japanese have a real flair for coming up with theme park rides and attractions that have something unique about them. Theme parks are popular spots for weekend outings in Japan, for romantic dates or a family afternoon. There are many theme parks, small and large, classic and out o... [read more]
With four large islands and thousands of smaller islands in tow, Japan has more beaches than you could find, and for a surfing addict beaches mean one thing - an opportunity to find some great waves. Despite being an underrated surfing destination on the international surfing scene, Japan has more than enough surfing spots, as well as surfers to enjoy them. Surfing is quite popular in Japan, so much that often the way a surfing spot looks like doesn't even matter much if it has some good bre... [read more]
Usually, when a city is described as an industrial hub, tourists will be automatically turned off - the phrase rarely conjures up images of tourist paradises. But Nagoya is the a true industrial powerhouse, and more than that, it is the city than invented pachinko, that ever popular Japanese game, and yet it manages to be one of the most attractive tourist cities in Japan at the same time. Nagoya is the fourth largest city in the country, and yet it has a more low key and laid back feel than... [read more]
Japan might be one of the most modern and developed countries on the planet, but that doesn't mean that the old ways and traditions have been completely erased from Japanese culture. Many Japanese cherish their cultural heritage, and some of the are sticklers for traditions. The tea ceremony is one of the best examples of surviving cultural practices that are still very much in vogue today, and not only among the elderly, as some might think! The tea ceremony, also known as the Way of Tea, i... [read more]
The Japanese are as crazy about 'western' sweets as westerners about Japanese food, that is to say cakes, chocolates, parfaits and mousses of all kinds are treats that have a lot of fans in Japan. If you visit any Japanese city, you will most likely find at least a few French bakeries, or patisseries selling all manner of scrumptious cakes and desserts. But European style desserts are not the only kind of delicacy that sweet-toothed travelers can enjoy in Japan. Japanese cuisine has a lot of... [read more]
One of the worst nightmares that any traveler could imagine is being in the middle of a huge, completely unknown city, in a country whose language you don't speak, and without a clue about how to get from where you're standing back to your hotel, or to some interesting sight that you've been planning to see. Feeling a little lost and bewildered in Tokyo is a common occurrence, and not only for travelers, don't worry! But if you are going to make your visit to the Japanese capital a fun one, ... [read more]
Japan's landscape is amazingly diverse, and many other countries of a similar size could not boast of such a great mix of mountains, valleys, lakes, hot springs and beaches like Japan. And despite being among the most densely populated countries on earth, Japan's natural environment is quite well preserved - no matter how developed and neon-tinged the metropolises are, the countryside is just as tranquil and picturesque as ever. When you feel like you need to escape the urban jungle for a da... [read more]
Traveling throughout the country is quite a popular pastime among the Japanese, and many people take advantage of their school breaks and vacations in order to explore their country. Of course, many travel destinations that are extremely popular with domestic tourists might not yet have risen to international fame, but it is only a matter of time. Japan is an amazing country, where technology, culture and traditions complement each other almost flawlessly, and visiting the most famous travel... [read more]
Public baths are a thing of the past in most developed countries, yet in powerful and rich Japan the tradition hasn't died out yet. As strange as it may seem to a non-Japanese person, even in large metropolises like Tokyo there still are a few public baths, or sento left. In the past, when not all apartments were built with a bathroom, people went to sentos sometimes daily in order to get their baths. Sento means hot water for coin in Japanese, but these public baths were much more than simp... [read more]
