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Every article on the site β hotel guides by station, day trips, and culture deep-dives. Filter by category, or just scroll with a drink in hand.
Koenji: The Anti-Harajuku β Where Tokyo’s Subculture Locals Actually Shop
If Harajuku is where Tokyo performs its subculture for cameras, Koenji is where the subculture actually lives. Ten…
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Shimokitazawa: Tokyo’s Bohemian Village of Vintage Shops, Live Music & Curry
Shimokitazawa β βShimokitaβ to everyone who actually goes there β is a knot of narrow lanes just two…
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Ghibli’s Mountains: Climbing the Real Peaks Behind Castle in the Sky and Princess Mononoke
The castle floating in the sky in Laputa, the highland vistas of The Wind Rises, the deep mountains…
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Ghibli’s Waterfronts: The Real Seas and Rivers Behind Ponyo and Spirited Away
Water carries special meaning in Ghibli films. The sea in Ponyo, the river in Spirited Away, the marshes…
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Ghibli’s Countryside: The Satoyama Behind Totoro and Princess Kaguya
The rice-paddy lanes of My Neighbor Totoro, the bamboo groves and farm villages of The Tale of the…
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Where Is the Bathhouse From Spirited Away? Japan’s Real Onsen Towns
Where is the bathhouse from Spirited Away? No single building β but Japan's real onsen towns come remarkably…
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Ghibli’s Real Architecture: Edo-Tokyo Open Air Museum, Yokohama Yamate & Kurashiki
Ghibli films carry a deep affection for buildings: old wooden houses, Western-style mansions, merchant homes standing since the…
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Yufuin: A Quiet Onsen Town in the Oita Mountains β Worth the Hype?
Yufuin (η±εΈι’) has been one of Japan's most popular onsen destinations for decades β and this popularity has…
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Yakushima: Japan’s Ancient Cedar Forest β How to Trek to Jomon Sugi
"It rains 35 days a month" (γ²γ¨ζγ«35ζ₯ι¨γιγ). This is an exaggeration, but not by as much as it…
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