Category: Japan
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Sake Tasting in Japan: For Beginner’s
Sake —more accurately called nihonshu in Japan—isn’t just a drink. It’s an expression of place, season, and craftsmanship. From the water used to the rice chosen and even the climate outside the brewery walls, every decision shapes the final cup. Sake brewing in Japan dates back over 2,000 years, originally practiced in Shinto shrines as…
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Hiroshima in 2 Days
Hiroshima is an emotionally complex place to visit. Once a university, cultural, and military growing city, the Atomic Bombing in 1945 reshaped Hiroshima forever. Today, it has once again become a city that is full of life, cafés, university energy, and one of the most powerful peace museums. Hiroshima never hides from its past –…
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2 Days in Kanazawa: Gardens & Gold Leaf Traditions
Kanazawa feels like Kyoto’s quieter cousin. With immaculately preserved samurai and geisha districts, Edo-era lanes, one of Japan’s top three landscape gardens, and a centuries-long love affair with gold leaf, the city offers a deep sense of history without the crowds. Once a wealthy castle town during the Edo period, Kanazawa escaped WWII damage, allowing…
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How to Spend 4 Days in Kyoto
Kyoto is considered the heart of traditional Japan. With over a thousand temples, quiet wooden streets, refined cuisine, and centuries-old rituals woven into daily life, it’s a city that rewards finding small moments under the hum of modern Japan – lantern-lit canals, incense drifting from temples, and the rhythm of seasons shaping everything from gardens…
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Guide to Japanese Food & Restaurants (for Beginners & Visitors)
Japanese food is a sensory experience. Subtle flavours, seasonal ingredients, and beautiful presentation all work together to create dishes that feel both comforting and artful. Whether you’re slurping ramen in a busy station, savouring melt-in-your-mouth sushi, or discovering a local specialty in a small coastal town, eating in Japan becomes an adventure of its own.…
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Trains & Metro in Japan: How to Get Around
Trains in Japan are famously efficient, clean, and almost always on time. They form the backbone of travel across the country, whether you’re zipping between cities on a shinkansen or navigating local metros and trams. While Japan’s rail system can look intimidating at first—multiple companies, lines, and ticket types—it quickly becomes one of the easiest…
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Two Days in Takayama: Sake & Japan’s Alpine Old Town
Tucked into the Japanese Alps, Takayama is one of those places that quietly wins you over. At first glance, coming out of the train station, it feels like a small regional city. But walk toward the old town and the atmosphere shifts quickly—preserved wooden streets, temple rooftops, and mountains rising in the distance. Known for…
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Japan Cycle Touring Packing: 2 Short Trips
Japan is one of those rare places where cycle touring feels both adventurous and approachable. Incredible infrastructure, thoughtful drivers, convenience stores everywhere, and routes that blend nature, culture, and food — sometimes all within the same kilometre. But packing for cycle touring, especially for your first trip, can feel overwhelming. What do you really need?…
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Lake Biwa: A 3-Day Guide To Japan’s Iconic Lakeside Loop
Just north of Kyoto is Japan’s largest freshwater lake — Lake Biwa — a calm, scenic place where locals swim, cycle, paddleboard, and temple-hop. Lake Biwa has been a cultural heartland for centuries: ancient shrines, Zen monasteries, and old post towns ring the shoreline. Much like the Shimanami Kaido route, the Biwaichi route is a…
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Cycling the famous Shimanami Kaido route in Japan
Back home in Vancouver, the rainy season had already settled in. We hadn’t been outside on our bikes in weeks, and while indoor trainers keep your legs moving, they’re undeniably a little soul-crushing. So I cannot tell you how wonderful it felt to be on the bikes outside – especially for an adventure on the…