From April 9th until September 6th, 2022, the POLA Museum of Art will host an exhibition to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the venue's opening. The event will focus on new items in the museum's collection, with works on display […]
The Nitoyo Coast stretches from the southern part of Oita Prefecture to the northern part of Miyazaki Prefecture, and it's famous for one thing in particular - rock oysters. The oysters in this part of the country are nourished by […]
Metsa, comprising Metsa Village and Moomin Valley Park, is a Moomin theme park in rural Saitama. However, it can be reached from Tokyo in just over an hour by either public transport or by car. The Umbrella Sky Project is […]
Hisaizu Shrine is located in Iwatsuki Ward in Saitama City. It is known fondly as the "Quiz" shrine as the kanji (Chinese characters) for the shrine 久伊豆 can be read as "Ku - i - zu". Hence many people pray […]
The Gion Matsuri (Gion Festival) is a month-long festival that takes place in Kyoto in July each year. The name comes from the neighborhood of Gion, which is home to some of the more traditional parts of Kyoto—including the geisha […]
Hakata Gion Yamasaka is a festival with a 750-year history that features fundoshi (that ever-popular festival garment) clad men racing elaborately decorated floats that weigh in at 1 ton. The event is one of Fukuoka’s largest with approximately 1 million […]
Each year during Japan's rainy season, Fukushima's Jupia Land Hirata is home to an impressive hydrangea festival which also coincides with a variety of colorful lilies in bloom. There are a number of paved walking paths through the grounds where […]
There's no doubt that the evolution of technology has presented new opportunities in the art world. Tokyo-based favorites like TeamLab Borderless and TeamLab Planets are just a couple of examples of immersive, technology-based art exhibitions, and this summer there will […]
Held every July, this is the fourth of Japan’s six annual Sumo Tournaments, known as honbasho. With sumo rankings released a few weeks before, it’s a chance to see the traditional sport up close and personal. While the fights are […]
Sumo is lauded as the national sport of Japan and six times every year, around Japan, tournaments (honbasho) are held in various parts of the country. The Nagoya-basho is held in July at the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, located right next […]
The Yasukuni Shrine is notable for many things: its history, its purpose, and the intense political controversy surrounding it. For a few nights each summer, however, many people put aside their political stances and enjoy the wonderful Mitama Festival. "Mitama" […]
In the Tone River area, every summer in just a few towns acrobats performs a curious centuries-old ritual that is sure to astound locals and visitors alike. This is Tsukumai, a rite meant to invite rains to bless agriculture. Noda […]