Karuizawa is the perfect day trip from Tokyo to explore nature, local shopping and Udon. Karuizawa is an upmarket resort town in the mountains of Nagano prefecture and an hour from Tokyo by Shinkansen. Karuizawa is popular all times of the year, as an escape of the heat of summer, a place for skiing in…
Read more
Enoshima is a small island off the coast of Kamakura and an easy day trip South of Tokyo. Enoshima Island is known for its legend of a five headed dragon. It is said that Benzaiten, the goddess of good fortune, arts, music and knowledge, subdued a five headed dragon that was terrorising the area. He…
Read more
Kamakura is an easy day trip South of Tokyo, it boasts shopping, mountain trails and a giant buddha statue. Shopping street From Kamakura station to the Tsurugaoka shrine is Komachi-dori street, excellent spot for shopping! From traditional crafts to dried fruits, chocolates and Japanese anime characters. And of course lots of places to stop and…
Read more
Matsumoto is the second largest city in Nagano and is best known for the dramatic black crow castle. It is the gateway to the Japanese Alps and a popular spot to access Nagano, Kamikochi, Kiso Valley and Takayama. What to do in Matsumoto Matsumoto Castle The most famous landmark in Matsumoto is the Crow Castle,…
Read more
The famous tuna auctions of the Inner Tsukiji Fish market have moved to Toyosu, however, the original outer markets and stalls are still on the original site. The outer markets are well worth the visit for fresh sushi and sashimi and more fish products than you can imagine! Some stalls will cut the fresh tuna…
Read more
Tokyo Tower is a worldwide recognisable icon of Japan, so should this be on your to do list when you visit Tokyo? Tokyo Tower was completed in 1958 and at 634m is the worlds tallest self supporting steel structure, standing 3m taller than the Eiffel Tower. It also functions as a broadcast antenna. If you…
Read more
North of Tokyo is a little wonderland that will take you back in time, back to the Edo period, a time when Samurai and Ninja walked Japan. Edo Wonderland Nikko Edomura is an amazing theme park where you can roam the streets with Samurai and Ninja and explore what life was like in the Edo…
Read more
Nara deer park you can walk among the 1200 wild deer that freely roam around the park each day. Deer were considered messengers of the gods, they are now a national treasure. Throughout the park, stalls sell deer crackers which you can feed to the deer, they will bow first to ask for food before…
Read more
