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…
Cherise FongMay 7, 2025
Here is the list of all the real-life Tokyo locations of Wim Wenders's cult indie film Perfect Days, including the…
Cherise FongMay 16, 2024
Learn about the culture and history of indigenous Ainu people in Hokkaido, who lived in harmony with their natural environment…
Cherise FongMay 1, 2024
Venture into the dense forest mountains of Akita (秋田) prefecture in northeast Japan, and peek under the surface of its…
Cherise FongMarch 27, 2024
At the heart of the Setouchi region, the four cardinal cities of Okayama, Hiroshima, Matsuyama and Takamatsu frame the Seto…
Cherise FongFebruary 29, 2024
From the sea to the mountains, Fukushima Prefecture offers an exciting range of landscapes, offering its own varied gastronomical flavors.…
Cherise FongMarch 8, 2023
Beyond symbolic icons such as limestone castles, centenarian citizens, three-stringed sanshin, and earthen lion dogs perched on tiled rooftops, Japan’s…
Cherise FongMarch 4, 2022
Venturing into the heartland of samurai history and culture may be closer than you imagine. If you find yourself in…
Cherise FongDecember 15, 2021
Once upon a time, the Okayama (岡山) plain was an inland sea called Kibi no Anaumi, which was surrounded by…
Cherise FongSeptember 22, 2021
The legendary island of Enoshima (江ノ島) is just a stone’s throw away (or one hour by train) from Tokyo, and…
Cherise FongAugust 31, 2021
As Japan’s second-largest city, Yokohama (横浜) is best known for bridging past, present, and future with its historical gardens and…
Cherise FongAugust 31, 2021
Ten years after a monstrous tsunami devastated the Pacific coast of Tohoku (東北) on March 11, 2011, it’s still a…
Cherise FongJune 17, 2021
If the wind blew strong through Tokyo’s Kokyo Gaien (皇居外苑) National Garden on Sunday, gusting through rows of a captivated…
Cherise FongMarch 19, 2021
For more than 20 years, Okinawa has nurtured a growing trend toward achieving sustainability on all levels of society. In…
Cherise FongMarch 9, 2021
As we carefully plan our post-pandemic travels, personal health and safety remain among our top priorities. Okinawa’s subtropical climate makes…
Cherise FongMarch 9, 2021
No doubt, the most striking piece of artwork inside the National Theatre of Japan in Tokyo is the Kagamijishi (鏡獅子),…
Cherise FongMarch 5, 2021
The lush mountainous landscape of Mie prefecture (三重県) is so vast and varied that sometimes, the best way to immerse…
Cherise FongFebruary 8, 2021
If you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to harvest your own food and then cook it for supper,…
Cherise FongFebruary 8, 2021
As I approached the tiny port of Inujima (犬島) from the mainland, the first thing I saw was the two…
Cherise FongNovember 12, 2020
The fabled Momotaro Peach Boy may have killed a few ogres, but Okayama (岡山) is steeped in many timeless ingredients…
Cherise FongNovember 12, 2020
