Unagi (Eel) in Japan: Where to Eat It & Why Summer Is the Season
Unagi (ι°» / freshwater eel) occupies an unusual position in Japanese food culture β simultaneously a highly refined…
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Wajima: Japan’s Lacquerware Capital & the Noto Peninsula Morning Market
The Noto Peninsula (θ½η»εε³Ά) extends northward from Kanazawa into the Sea of Japan like a peninsula reaching toward…
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Winter Illuminations in Tokyo & Yokohama: The Best Light Shows by Month
Roppongi Keyakizaka-dori β the tree-lined street between Roppongi Hills and the surrounding development β hosts one of Tokyo's…
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Zao Onsen & Snow Monsters: Japan’s Most Surreal Winter Experience
On the ski slopes of Zao Onsen (θ΅ηζΈ©ζ³) in Yamagata Prefecture, something happens every winter that requires seeing…
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Sea of Japan vs Pacific Coast: Why Japan’s Two Coastlines Feel Like Different Countries
Japan's main islands sit between two fundamentally different bodies of water β the Sea of Japan (ζ₯ζ¬ζ΅·) to…
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Shirakawa-go & Gokayama: UNESCO Thatched Farmhouses in the Japanese Alps
Deep in the mountain valleys where the Sho River (εΊε·) cuts through the Japanese Alps between Gifu and…
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Shiretoko Peninsula: Japan’s Last True Wilderness β UNESCO Site & Brown Bears
At the northeastern tip of Hokkaido, a peninsula juts into the sea between the Sea of Okhotsk and…
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Snorkeling in Japan: Okinawa, Izu & the Best Spots for Non-Divers
While Japan's diving culture (covered in the dedicated Okinawa diving article) requires certification and equipment investment, the country's…
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Stargazing in Japan: The Best Dark Sky Spots Near Tokyo & Beyond
Japan's extraordinary urban light pollution β Tokyo's metropolitan glow is visible from satellite imagery extending well beyond the…
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New Year in Japan: Hatsumode, Osechi & How Locals Celebrate ε ζ¦
OshΕgatsu (γζ£ζ / New Year) is unambiguously Japan's most significant annual holiday β more culturally central than Christmas…
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