Most trips to Japan come with a must-see list: a Torii shrine gate, a Tokyo skyscraper, cherry blossoms in full bloom. Traditional streetscapes are up there too and one of the best-preserved examples can be found in Ouchijuku, a timeslip town just a couple of hours from Tokyo that’s making a name for itself as a leading tourism heritage destination.
Ouchijuku, in the Aizu area, began to
In the "Little Edo" town of Kawagoe, Experience the Shinto Illness-Shunning Ritual of Chiniwa Kuguri; Stay in the Villa Annex to a Historic House, Set Within a Gorgeous, 150-Year-Old Japanese Garden; Enjoy the 30th Anniversary Fireworks Display – Returning After a 3-Year Covid-Initiated Hiatus.
Chinowa Kuguri at Kawagoe Hachiman Shrine
From June 30 – July 10, visitors to the lovely, "Little
Just half-an-hour northwest from Tokyo's Ikebukuro station, along the Tobu Tojo Line, is the charming, well-preserved Koedo or "Little Edo" town of Kawagoe. Any time of year, this is a splendid, convenient Tokyo daytrip, but in Mid-November, when the maples are fiery red and the ginkgoes are golden yellow, it is a truly special experience.
Kawagoe Kita-in Temple, 15-minutes by foot from
In this edition, we focus on cute scenes and items you can’t resist photographing. Kawagoe, with its historical atmosphere, is still known as Koedo, which means Little Edo (Edo is the former name for Tokyo from Japan’s samurai days).In spring, there are many excellent spots in the city where you can capture photographs of the beautiful pink blossoms. You can also enjoy cute sweet potato–based conf
TOKYO SKYTREEistheworld’s tallest tower. This month, we introduce various destinations for experiencing Japanese culture in the area around the foot of the tower. Options include tours, popular with foreign visitors, for learning about Japan’s national sport of sumo, a museum full of Japanese swords, and an art gallery showcasing the works of world-famous ukiyo-e (Japanese woodblock print) artist
Asakusa, Tokyo, is part of the Shitamachi, an area of Tokyo famous for its local traditions, craftsmanship and proud distinctive culture. Since the Edo Period, Asakusa has prospered as a center of many trades. The culture of craftsmanship remains strong today. First-person craftexperiences are recently extremely popular among foreign visitors to the district, with visitors trying their hand at cra
In this edition, we introduce a journey through the history and culture of old Edo, Japan’s ancient capital. After discovering history and culture at the Edo-Tokyo Museum, we recommend you to take a journey of approximately 70 minutes on Tobu Railway from Asakusa Station to reach Tochigi City, a town that still retains some of the atmosphere of Japan’s days gone by, with traditional warehouses fro
It takes just 30 minutes by train from Ikebukuro, Tokyo to get to Kawagoe City in Saitama Prefecture. During the Samurai days of the Edo Era, Kawagoe flourished as a merchant town, sending supplies to Edo (today’s Tokyo). Traditional warehouse buildings still line the streets to this day to create a yesteryear atmosphere. It is now a popular tourism destination, affectionately known as “Little Edo