From trying on traditional samurai gear at Tsuruga Castle and visiting the only double spiral staircase in the world at the over 200-year-old Sazaedo Temple, to dipping into the wild Numajiri hot spring surrounded by dynamic volcanic valleys – Fukushima Prefecture (and the Tohoku region at large), is a true hidden gem in Japan.

However, according to Daniel, what makes Fukushima special goes beyond the vast mountains, delicious cuisine, and old Japanese architecture that still remains…the region’s true appeal lies in the people.

I don’t know if it’s partly because everyone had to come together during and after the Great East Japan Earthquake, but people are so welcoming and warm everywhere I go. From the waiter at the traditional ryokan inn kindly recommending the order to drink our sake, our guide sharing the over 350-year history of Numajiri hot spring, to getting free ramen and sake tastings at various humble shops, everyone is so passionate about sharing their culture with visitors. Locals are incredibly proud of their region’s unique story, which is also evident from the fact that they don’t try to hide their charming dialect. They embrace and retain their Fukushima-ness wherever they go, whomever they are with. If you don’t speak Japanese, you will just have to take my word for it. The people always make me want to travel back and I guarantee you’ll feel the same way too. Cheers to that! #FukushimaFriendly

Read more about Daniel’s Fukushima adventure in his newsletter HERE.

The post Discovering #FukushimaFriendly – Read all about JI Core 50 member Daniel Moore’s recent adventure in northeast Japan! appeared first on Jarman International KK.

When you come to Tokyo for a longer stay, consider using one of H & R Roppongi’s Service Apartments instead of a hotel room. Their apartments come fully furnished and equipped and are available to rent for a minimum of one month. Located just between the Nishi Azabu crossing and Roppongi Hills.

[May Campaign] (Campaign applies to leases starting in May 2016.)

◆ Offer valid through May 2016 – Designer’s Twin Type (44.70sqm)

382,500 yen / first month (discounted from 450,000 yen) 15% OFF !!

A chic, minimalist design for a mid to extended stay in the Tokyo metropolis. Highly recommended as an office / apartment space for those coming to Tokyo often who want a place to meet with customers.

※ Monthly Rent Includes : Free Wi-Fi, Weekly Room Cleaning, Utilities

Special features include:

• First floor lab area with work stations and meeting space available to residents.
• To Access COCONOMA Restaurant Where Our Expert Chef Offers Healthy And Delicious Meals Throughout The Day.
• Restaurant, cafe and private salon room space for gatherings, private meals and client meetings.
• Free building-wide Wi-Fi connection
• Regular networking and culture events for guests to mingle, build business, and learn more about Japan.
• Friendly, multi-lingual 24/7 service support via our on-site concierge
• Winner of the 2014 Good Design Awarded, iconic design and architecture with regular exhibitions from up-and-coming Japanese artists.
• Sports gym (Tipness Roppongi) available
• Enjoy our boutique designed rooms and explore the city from our convenient location in Roppongi, Tokyo Minato-ku.

For reservations and inquiries about our Serviced Apartments please contact us at residence@hr-roppongi.jp

Ando Residence Roppongi Hotel – Serviced Apartments: Click Here For More Information .

Take a look at their 360 degree tour of the building.

Please use H&R Roppongi as your home away from home.

Ando Residence Roppongi Hotel
Serviced Apartment

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Wherever your tastebuds lie on the shellfish enthusiasm, scale, Hiroshima’s diverse methods of preparation, the season’s swell of availability, and related drop in prices, are sure to keep your mind and mouth open to the possibilities.

If you’re most familiar with your oysters served on the half-shell, you may be surprised to discover some of the popular Japanese options. Although you can find some delicious ‘nama-gaki’, raw oysters, around Hiroshima, the Japanese specialties usually involve some heat. Most common is the ‘kaki fry’ or fried oysters, which are served mostly in set meals with Worcestershire or tartar sauce on the side.

The fried oysters are widely available at many restaurants and even supermarkets during the winter months in Hiroshima. A set meal featuring kaki-fry will usually set you back between 1000-1500 yen, and you can typically buy a package of them at the grocery store for around 500 yen.

Hiroshima Oyster Road 
This is the name given to a few restaurants that open both seasonally and year-around for oyster-lovers in Hiroshima. Here are two of its popular restaurants to try:

Oyster Hut Ujina
Open: (seasonally from October 24, 2015) 10:30am-9:00pm
Location: in Hiroshima Minato Park, Ujinakaigan 1-chome, Minami-ku, Hiroshima City
Official Website (Japanese): http://www.hiroshima-oyster.com/area/

Oyster Hut Fukuromachi
Open: (all year) 5:00pm-12:00am
Location: 8-11 Fukuromachi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima City
Closed: Sundays
Official Website (Japanese): http://umihei.com/

If you make your way to Miyajima island, there are many stalls that sell another version of the oysters, grilled. It’s a great way to test out the idea of cooking the shellfish that won’t break the bank. At most stalls you can buy 3 shells for 500 yen, and during this season the streets are even more crowded with vendors selling the juicy dish.

The most popular area to get your oyster fill is anywhere along Omotesando, the shopping street.

Omotesando
Reference website (English)

To continue reading a full story and learn about Oyster Season in Hiroshima, please click Getting Into the Spirit of  the Hiroshima Oyster Season

*Original article published on Japan Info Swap, which is full of timely and useful information in English about Japan for expats by the H&R Group.
Who is the H&R Group?

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A short trip to Kusatsu Onsen

You may be on a business trip in Tokyo, with jet lag and many meetings weighting heavily on your shoulders and mind. You do have one day and a half though to discover something about Japan. Something you don’t know. This is not your first trip to Tokyo, you’ve been to Roppongi, Asakusa or Aoyama. You enjoy the urban atmosphere and your travel partners but what you really need this time, is time for yourself, to restore your mind and your jetlag.

There is one place you can visit to do just that and discover a Japan that you did not know still existed. So, close your eyes, and listen:

« When I fear losing honesty with myself I climb to Snow Country. From a long tunnel, I emerge to behold the night sky overspreading a strange world of mountains, hot springs, and mysterious geishas. »1

Well, maybe not the mysterious geishas, but you’ll get the mountains, the snow and the hot springs. Kusatsu Onsen is a small and rural town located three hours from Tokyo. You board a shinkansen in Tokyo and when you get off in Takasaki, you are in another world, slightly different from the nowyou have known. The air is crisp and fresh, no high-rise building at the horizon, ladies showing off their hobbies in the train and, incredible but true, no one killing time with a smartphone. Did the train take you to another dimension? Well, maybe.

When you know Tokyo and Japanese big cities, your mind is hoaxed into believing that the whole country looks like Shinjuku.

When you step outside the urban life, even a throw of a stone away, somewhere just like Kusatsu hot spring, you enter a dimension you did not know existed: the rural Japan where time flows normally, where the night is dark and stellar, and where people are genuinely interested in you, saying hello when you cross them in the street, and providing information if you need it.

Kusatsu is on an isolated mountain hot spring and it smells like it. The sulfate water is green and hot. It infuses the city with fumes that remind you your college chemistry lab.

Kusatsu is a small town and you can easily wander in the forest and walk a certain time without meeting anyone, which is quite a success on its own in crowded Japan. You can also enjoy freely the public bath anytime you want. You will be surprised to see that Kusatsu people also come to the bath. Lucky people. The hot water works wonder to take that heavy weight from your shoulders.

There is a lovely museum of a television celebrity who happens to be a very fine artist and autodidact: Kataoka. His work is mainly calligraphy and Japanese aquarelles. He has re-invented traditional art into contemporary impressions. He draws fishes and flowers, and writes poetry. Somehow, his shrimps, not something that we would usually draw, I admit, look funny and alive.

You can leave your luggage in Tokyo and just take the train. In Kusatsu, all you will need is a towel and a good book about vain love and mysterious geishas.

—1 KAWABATA, Yasunari, Snow Country, 1948. First lines as translated by Edward Seidensticker.

How to access Kusatsu:

There are several ways to go there but the simplest one is to take the Shinkansen to Takasaki (1 hour), to take the local Agatsuma line to Naganohara Kusatsu (1 hour and a half) and then a local bus waiting for you at the station. It is all smooth and straightforward, well synchronised. Strange enough, everything is in Japanese, but you will manage your day because everyone is so kind and ready to help.

*Original article by Claire published on Deep Japan

Deep Japan – Experienced Senpais living in and enjoying Japan offer inside-knowledge on how to make your trip real, interesting and above all, unforgettable.

Join the Deep Japan Senpai Team – Anyone currently living in Japan for a year or more who can write tips for visitors in English is welcome to register on Deep Japan as a writer.

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The view of Mt Fuji from Enoshima Island Spa is especially good in winter. You can watch the sun set behind Mt Fuji while you take a warm bath or dine at the restaurant Island Grill.

The Enoshima Island Spa is bolstering its image as a “ Japanese onsen resort with the view of Mt. Fuji”, and identifying itself as the number one resort destination in the greater Tokyo area, complete with hot spring (onsen), healthy meals, exercise courses, relaxing aroma therapy treatment, Shiatsu massage experience and an all-around pleasant destination for tourists and residents alike.

Making your way to the cultural power spot, being healed by the expansive Shonan coastline and Enospa therapy, it will be truly a luxurious day to yourself that you won’t soon forget. Enoshima healing power gives you a sense that tomorrow will be a different day, that tomorrow you can begin anew and rejuvenated. We would love for you to experience the powerful day of healing.

In addition to Trip advisor review site as well as the Enospa facebook page, our English landing page can give you a good idea of what to expect at Enospa, and put your inquiry and research in the right direction.

Please also take a look at Enospa Photo Gallery. They will help you to get a better feel of what Enospa is like!

There is no reservation required for entrance and the entrance rate is 2,223 yen/person and the evening rate from 6 p.m. is 1,705 yen/person. (winter season discount rate until the end of February)

You have access to the Hot Spring, heated pools (don’t forget your bathing suit), relaxation room, a Spa robe and towels for your time in the spa. Massages or other treatment packages, etc. would be separate and we recommend making reservations by email in advance.

Give yourself a day off, and experience the holistic healing for yourself.

http://enoshimaislandspa.com/

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Women Leaders, Awa-Odori Spunk and Much Laughter in Tokushima

This place was the Awa Han (Awa Clan), across the mountains from Kochi, where Ryoma Sakamoto began his effort to forge a new future for Japan.

I spotted the dancers as soon as the escalator neared the first floor of the newly opened airport terminal building. Behind my hosts, through the huge windows I glimpsed the Awa-Odori dancers of all ages, caught in joyous dance by cool gray stone; an able mason’s rendition of this locales prized tradition.

My hosts in their somber deep blue suits whisked me to the awaiting car and off I went to experience the people of Tokushima for the very first time. This date in Shikoku was for a speech about globalization and how Japanese can have much confidence in their ability to take on the exciting possibilities of growing tourism and the changing “norm” in an internationalized world.

Delicious food and interactions in Tokushima

After a quick stop at a delicious local Soba shop where I enjoyed zaru soba (cold soba on a mesh to be dipped in chilled soup filled with shallots and the sharp, fresh taste of Wasabi, we headed toward the town hall.

I asked my host what the specialty of Tokushima was, and they pointed to a beautiful mountain, Bizan (the Chinese character used refers to the curve of the mountain resembling an eyebrow), which they noted appears in Japan’s oldest known text, Manyoshu, and that it is the Mt. Fuji of Tokushima.

Adding the mountain was the backdrop for a popular piece of art by Masashi Sada (one of the silver generations most popular performers). When they mentioned Sada san, a touch of nostalgia played in my mind as I remembered my late mentor, Hiromasa Ezoe’s love of Sada-san’s meaningful lyrics and soothing voice. I realized the people I met in Tokushima were contemporaries of Ezoe san and I automatically felt drawn to their depth of experience and again was grateful for the opportunity to interact with the core group, the ones who literally “built” modern Japan.

My speech and the event about 1.5 hours hence, with no waiting room or coffee shop nearby, I was able to sit inside as everyone set up. My biggest surprise was that EVERYONE REALLY WAS setting up. I knew from previous email exchanges that Mr. Okada was the central leader for the event, but someone without that knowledge, would never guess. I’ve been in multiple situations where set up was required for an event. Ladies arranged the flowers, organized papers and name tags on the reception desk, brought in the signs and organized the handouts on each chair. Men did the “heavy work” setting up chairs, moving around the podium, checking the screen and projector, climbing the ladder to tack up the event poster, etc. This time though, there was no division of responsibility by gender. Everyone did everything, very naturally, very much in a positive fashion.

Women CEOs Abound!

Later, I asked another person about the specialty of Tokushima and he noted that this prefecture has the highest percentage of women CEOs. This confirmed the hint I had from the how everyone cooperated to set up the room.

After two speeches, an essay contest for neighborhood schools about the “Kizuna” or bond in families, much laughter and home made cake to end the evening and a dip in the 100 percent natural onsen on the roof of my Sunroute Hotel accommodation: I was ready to come back.

When I do, it will be for the beloved Awa-Odori festival in summertime. Another specialty of Tokushima that spans some 400 years, they say even your heart will dance as you watch the rhythmic moves and let yourself alight on the choppy waves of Shamisen-centered music. Lines and lines of brightly dressed Awa-Odori dancers stream through the streets, and the stars above Shikoku together with the undulating slopes of Bizan are awash in the magic of this ancient land.

If you are headed to Shikoku to walk the 88 Temple journey, I definitely recommend a stopover in Tokushima, a succulent bite of Tokushima Ramen, a few interactions with the refreshingly frank people and a moment of peace from the bright blue ocean, meandering Yoshinogawa River and the easy curve of Bizan Mountain.

Also, don’t forget that Tokushima might just be the “girl power” capital of Japan. Go go go Yamato Nadeshiko (Samurai Ladies)!

*Original article by RuthieJ published on Deep Japan

Deep Japan – Experienced Senpais living in and enjoying Japan offer inside-knowledge on how to make your trip real, interesting and above all, unforgettable.

Join the Deep Japan Senpai Team – Anyone currently living in Japan for a year or more who can write tips for visitors in English is welcome to register on Deep Japan as a writer.

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Do you like Japanese beers? Yes, they’re light, fine and refreshing. I love them! But sometimes, I feel like having something different, like Belgian beers. In Tokyo, you can find bars offering Belgian beers, more easily than before. So, you might know what kind of taste they are. How about Belgian food and dishes? I must say there aren’t many places where you can enjoy both beers and dishes. But in Akasaka, there is a Belgian restaurant, “Chez Mikawa” which locates in 2 minute walk from Akasaka station on Chiyoda line.

“Chez Mikawa” isn’t a bar, but a restaurant with 80 seats. Why don’t you have a party there? You can reserve the whole space with 80 people! Or, if you’re with 20-30 people, I recommend reserving ‘a big table’- their impressive main table with benches around. It could be for casual parties in relaxed atmosphere. If you’re with 10-20 people, there is a private room in Japanese style where you take off your shoes and sit down on the floor. The table is called “horigotatu” style and you can stretch out your legs under the table.

“Chez Mikawa” offers several course menus with good amount. If you aren’t familiar with Belgian cuisine, it would be better to choose a course menu. But following dishes are my recommendations! Their homemade fried potatoes would be a good start with your first toast-“KANPAI!” (Fried potatoes are originally from Belgium, not from France!) Then, you shouldn’t forget to order ‘mussels escargot style’ or ‘steamed mussels in white wine’, traditional Belgian meals. ‘Waterzooi’-chicken cooked with cream sauce and ‘Carbonnade’-beef stew cooked in beer are also traditional ones. They really go well with Belgian beers!

“Chez Mikawa” offers 3 Belgian draft beers and more than 20 kinds of bottled ones, and each beer has its own glass to be served. You can enjoy all different shapes and designs which are especially made to be served in the best condition. Some of Belgian beers are very fruity and flavored with fruits like cherry, raspberry and banana. As they’re like cocktails, most of women do love them!

Though I recommended “Chez Mikawa” for parties, it’s also suitable for small groups and even to yourself. There is a counter in front of the kitchen. You can enjoy your quiet time with Belgian beers and dishes.

“Chez Mikawa” also opens over the lunch time on weekdays and offers lam steak, venison stake, fish and chicken etc. You can check out their weekly lunch menu on the Facebook.

The owner-Mr.Horigome and his son speak English and French. So please don’t hesitate to ask any kinds of questions and your requests when you make a reservation!

Restaurant Chez Mikawa

Tel.03-3583-5212
2F, 3-13-4, Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo
http://www.chez-mikawa.co.jp/ 
https://www.facebook.com/chez.mikawa.jp 

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Deep Japan – Experienced Senpais living in and enjoying Japan offer inside-knowledge on how to make your trip real, interesting and above all, unforgettable.

Join the Deep Japan Senpai Team – Anyone currently living in Japan for a year or more who can write tips for visitors in English is welcome to register on Deep Japan as a writer.

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Subterranean Spaghetti

To people new to Japan, the Tokyo subway system, stylishly called “Tokyo Metro” is a confusing labyrinth of lines going every which way. Orderly thought and planning, it would appear, seem to be the main ingredients neglected when designing the subway subway system.

Once you live here a bit, you start to understand how things work, but it does take time and you do have to get lost once or twice (or more!) before you start to understand how things work in the Tokyo underground.

Apps To The Rescue

Time was when you had to carry around a subway map with you to get used to the system. Now, in the smartphone era, there are a raft of apps designed to help you keep you on track when navigating the underworld of Tokyo.
This list is by no means exhaustive, and there are a lot of apps out there that do a lot of things, but I used a common set of criteria (such as data refreshes, offline/online requirements, app feedback, etc.) to judge these apps for recommendation all while focused on the question, “If I knew nothing about Tokyo, what would help me get from Point A to Point B?”.

The top 3 for English-language capable apps for Droid and iOS are:

DROID
1) Tokyo Offline Travel Guide. Cost: Free
(https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tripreps.offline.guide.tokyo 

2) Tokyo Metro. Cost: Free
(https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.travelguide.tokyomap )

3) TOKYO Subway Japan Metro HD. Cost: Free
(https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.red.tokyoo )
Note: this app has been panned in Google Play as an ad pusher, but it does operate as advertised. Just be careful of the ads.

iOS:
1) ekipedia Subway Map. Cost: Y300
Probably the best subway map app for the Tokyo Metro out there. Has notations for handicapped/barrier-free facilities as well as a host of other features.

2) Tokyo Rail Map. Cost: Lite version, Free. Full version Y800
The Full version can be used offline; the lite version requires an Internet connection.

3) Tokyo Subway Navigation. Cost: Free
Created by the Tokyo Metro Co., this app gives you timetables as routes, and can be used offline.

Have fun on the Metro!

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Deep Japan – Experienced Senpais living in and enjoying Japan offer inside-knowledge on how to make your trip real, interesting and above all, unforgettable.

Join the Deep Japan Senpai Team – Anyone currently living in Japan for a year or more who can write tips for visitors in English is welcome to register on Deep Japan as a writer.

The post Deep Japan: Ride The Tokyo Metro Like A Boss With These Apps appeared first on Jarman International KK.

Asakusa is an old part of Tokyo. In a city that changes quickly and often, it is not surprising to read about the many changes that have happened in this area. Asakusa was a major entertainment district with theaters, restaurants, and all kinds of entertainment. While many of the theaters have disappeared, a small amusement park has survived. It is called Hanayashiki and has celebrated its 160th! anniversary. It is tiny and old-fashioned and small children and adults today love it.

Hanayashiki is one of the places in Asakusa that seem to be more popular with Japanese visitors. Maybe it is because some of them have their own childhood memories here. I have been reading “My Asakusa: Coming of Age in Pre-War Tokyo”, a memoir by Japanese actress Sadako Sawamura. It is a collection of scenes from her childhood. Born in 1908, she describes memories from when she was a small child, making her stories about 100 years old.

Scenes from different festivals at Senso-ji temple still show many similarities to today. Others like the Kabuki scene seem to have changed quite a lot. Still many things are essentially the same. The approach to Hanayashiki and the joy children can experience are still here today. This is the beginning of the chapter “The District Around the Hanayashiki”:

“On the right side of the road leading to Rokku [an administrative unit comparable to a ward] from the Kannon Hall of the Senso-ji temple is the Hanayashiki [the flower estate], facing the site of the former Gourd Pond. Much earlier, as I heard the old people say, it was a beautiful garden for admiring flowers in each season, and tanka and haiku poets held meetings there. Later, the garden became an amusement park for children, because, as I was told, the increasing number of movie houses and theaters eventually turned the adjacent Rokku into an amusement quarters. The Hanayashiki could no longer be maintained as a garden for people of refined taste. Now it is a lively amusement park with a variety of rides. In my days it was also, in its way, a good place for amusement.”

So Hanayashiki had taken the place of a former garden and changed with its surrounding area. But for now over 100 years this tiny place has continued to create sweet memories for its visitors. When Sawamura was a child, a puppet theater was one of the attractions here. Now actors in ninja and superhero costumes perform stories and fairy tales for children. There is a very small ferris wheel and a merry-go-round that any small child will love. Several slow rides and a roller coaster weave around the park and every corner and building is filled flowers, statues, pictures, and fun games. You can take a ride on a mechanical panda bear or visit a haunted house. When you climb the stairs up to the roof, you will find a small terrace overlooking Hanayashiki. It is a great spot for taking pictures and you can see Senso-ji temple’s pagoda, the golden Asahi Breweries building near Sumida river and Tokyo Skytree from here.

If you come to Asakusa, at least walk along the Hanayashiki-entertainment-dori street that runs along one side of the park from near the Main Hall of Senso-ji temple. It is a fun street and you can take a look inside through the gates.

More about this side of Asakusa in another article
http://www.deepjapan.org/a/3607

About Hanayashiki today: See the map for this tiny place and admission fees on the English page. It also has some old pictures. On the Japanese site you will find more detailed information about upcoming performances and special events. On most days the park is open from 10:00 to 18:00. In the evening Hanayashiki can be rented out for exclusive use.
http://hanayashiki.net/e

The post Deep Japan: Hanayashiki – Asakusa’s Tiny Amusement Park appeared first on Jarman International KK.

The kimono is famous worldwide as a national costume in Japan and many tourists who visit Japan would like to try on a kimono or purchase one. However, a genuine kimono is very expensive. Besides, the maintenance is difficult and the dressing skill is needed.

Kimono Photo Studio WA offers a portrait sitting with luxury kimonos at a reasonable price. All of their authentic Japanese kimonos are hand-selected by professional kimono makers and weaved from genuine silk. The style of their kimonos is called “Uchikake”, which was the popular style worn by aristocratic women living in castles during the feudal era. Even Japanese women do not wear this style of kimono often.

The studio is located 1 minute walking distance from Meguro station, Tokyo. You can receive the prints and digital images when you leave. Also, you can taste green Matcha tea and relax there after your photo session.

The price is from JPY15,900+tax/person~ For more information, here is the website.
www.kimono-wa.com

Please enjoy your kimono experience!

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Deep Japan – Experienced Senpais living in and enjoying Japan offer inside-knowledge on how to make your trip real, interesting and above all, unforgettable.

Join the Deep Japan Senpai Team – Anyone currently living in Japan for a year or more who can write tips for visitors in English is welcome to register on Deep Japan as a writer.

The post Deep Japan: Be a princess in Authentic Japanese Kimono appeared first on Jarman International KK.