Fukuoka: A City Transforming Traditions Into Innovation
Kyushu’s largest city of Fukuoka has long been a gateway to the dynamic, volcanic attractions of southern Japan and its many remote islands.
Cherise Fong
24 articles
Articles by Cherise Fong
Iki: An Ancient Island Inhabited by Gods and Gastronomy
Iki was once an independent kingdom and border island on ancient sea routes between Japan and the rest of Asia. Today, the island is home to 280 kofun burial mounds, 150 Shinto shrines, some 300 traditional ama divers, and up to 900 cows.
Travel Further on the Golden Route to West Japan
Municipalities from Kobe to Kagoshima are introducing a series of itineraries to extend visitors’ trips westward: the Golden Route to West Japan.
Shoplifters: The Real-Life Film Locations Around Tokyo
Hirokazu Kore-eda’s original film Shoplifters 万引き家族 was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2018. It portrays a motley handful of individuals who scrape by in various ways, while living together as a family...
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Drive My Car: The Real-Life Film Locations in Hiroshima
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car is a road trip in more ways than one. What started out as a cinematic adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s eponymous short story took on a life of its own as the filmmaker added original characters,...
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Visit the Real-Life Tokyo Locations of the Film Perfect Days
Here is the list of all the real-life Tokyo locations of Wim Wenders’s cult indie film Perfect Days, including the famous public toilets in Shibuya!
Close Encounters with Ainu Culture in Hokkaido
Learn about the culture and history of indigenous Ainu people in Hokkaido, who lived in harmony with their natural environment and heritage.
Discover Akita in 6 Gourmet Cities and a Smiling Train Ride
Venture into the dense forest mountains of Akita (秋田) prefecture in northeast Japan, and peek under the surface of its famous winter snowscapes, behind the scenes of its fermented gastronomy. On the way, look out for monstrous deities on the...
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Journey Through Time and Legends in 4 Setouchi Cities
At the heart of the Setouchi region, the four cardinal cities of Okayama, Hiroshima, Matsuyama and Takamatsu frame the Seto Inland Sea with a rich blend of history and modernity. Our journey unfolds across landscapes steeped in legend, through streets...
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4 Best Places to Eat When Traveling in Fukushima
From the sea to the mountains, Fukushima Prefecture offers an exciting range of landscapes, offering its own varied gastronomical flavors. Sample local seafood, savor a gourmet meal, or even learn to make a local sweet. Learn about four places to just sit back and enjoy the food during your Fukushima gourmet journey.
Okinawa’s Local Culture and Ryukyu Heritage
Beyond symbolic icons such as limestone castles, centenarian citizens, three-stringed sanshin, and earthen lion dogs perched on tiled rooftops, Japan’s southernmost archipelago has a distinct culture rooted in the deep history of the Ryukyu Kingdom. From eating local longevity food...
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Walking in the Footsteps of Samurai in Aizu and Yonezawa
Venturing into the heartland of samurai history and culture may be closer than you imagine. If you find yourself in Tokyo’s Asakusa district, then you’ve already taken one step back in time toward Japan’s flourishing Edo period. From Asakusa station,...
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Cycle Momotaro’s Monster-Slaying Route in Okayama
Once upon a time, the Okayama (岡山) plain was an inland sea called Kibi no Anaumi, which was surrounded by the powerful province of Kibi. It was a time of belligerent princes, carnivorous cormorants, eye-piercing arrows, shape-shifting ogres… or was...
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Enoshima, Tokyo’s Eternal Spiritual Pleasure Island
The legendary island of Enoshima (江ノ島) is just a stone’s throw away (or one hour by train) from Tokyo, and is best known for the spiritual pilgrimage along its towering cliffs, all the way down to the Iwaya caves where...
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Top Sights for a Summer Stay in Yokohama
As Japan’s second-largest city, Yokohama (横浜) is best known for bridging past, present, and future with its historical gardens and forward-looking harborfront, open to the world since 1859. Best of all, it’s just thirty minutes away from Tokyo. Table of...
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On the Traces of the 2011 Tsunami in Northeast Japan
Ten years after a monstrous tsunami devastated the Pacific coast of Tohoku (東北) on March 11, 2011, it’s still a deeply moving experience to travel through the region in its traces. Provoked by the undersea magnitude-9.1 Great East Japan Earthquake...
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Japanese Prayers through Noh Masks and Okinawan Dances
If the wind blew strong through Tokyo’s Kokyo Gaien (皇居外苑) National Garden on Sunday, gusting through rows of a captivated audience, billowing through elaborate costumes of performers on stage, whispering through microphones and swaying trees to create a moving backdrop...
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How Responsible Travelers Can Contribute to Sustainable Islands
For more than 20 years, Okinawa has nurtured a growing trend toward achieving sustainability on all levels of society. In a rapidly changing world that is still negotiating a pandemic, many Okinawans have been working to create initiatives that both engage tourists and enrich the local community and environment.
Post-Pandemic Retreats in Northern Okinawa
As we carefully plan our post-pandemic travels, personal health and safety remain among our top priorities. Okinawa’s subtropical climate makes it an ideal place at any time of year to take a peacefully insular workcation. Stay focused and relax with family in a secluded villa, then enjoy socially distanced outdoor activities such as trekking through the forest, exploring ancient castle ruins, or cycling along quiet coastal roads in northern Okinawa.
Kabuki Medley Spotlights the Timeless Sounds of Japan
No doubt, the most striking piece of artwork inside the National Theatre of Japan in Tokyo is the Kagamijishi (鏡獅子), a life-size statue of the lion spirit that dances vigorously among the spring blossoms. Even frozen in a dramatic pose,...
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Kumano Kodo Hiking, Cycling, and Visiting a Hermit
The lush mountainous landscape of Mie prefecture (三重県) is so vast and varied that sometimes, the best way to immerse yourself in it fully is by being an object in motion: cycling on country roads through rural suburbs; hiking a...
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A Taste of Traditional Farm Life in the Mountains of Mie
If you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to harvest your own food and then cook it for supper, an overnight farm stay with the Ogura couple in Mie prefecture (三重県) will show you just how it’s done. As...
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Inujima, Eco-Art Gem of the Setouchi Islands
As I approached the tiny port of Inujima (犬島) from the mainland, the first thing I saw was the two kanji characters of its name (dog island) painted graffiti-style onto a concrete seawall. As I debarked on a floating dock...
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The Cultural Pleasures of Okayama
The fabled Momotaro Peach Boy may have killed a few ogres, but Okayama (岡山) is steeped in many timeless ingredients for sightseeing and enjoyment: peaches, pottery, Nihonga paintings, old-style sushi, remote mountain onsen, and moon-viewing pleasure gardens. Korakuen: A Peaceful...
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