Did you know that there are hundreds of varieties of cherry blossom trees and the earliest variety blooms from February each year? This species of cherry blossom is called ‘Kawazu Sakura (河津桜)’ and can not only be found in its’ originating town called Kawazu on the Izu Peninsula, but also in a few spots close…
Category: Weekend getaway
Snowboarding in Nozawa Onsen
Early in January, we decided to go on a 3 day snowboarding break to the accessible-from-Tokyo resort of Nozawa Onsen in Nagano. Just a 15 minute bus ride from Shinkansen station Iiyama, we were there in what felt like no time and checked into Lodge Matsuya. Immediately striking were the huge snow drifts and incredible…
Hokkaido Winter Tales: Sapporo
Being Hokkaido’s capital, Sapporo has lots to offer from culinary experiences to spectacular viewpoints, a vibrant nightlife and nature in the city. In this article, we would like to introduce you to the top five things to do in Sapporo in winter. Experience a nature winter wonderland If you love long snow walks, snow activities…
Japan Winter Tales: Karuizawa
’twas a bleak night in January and we spontaneously decided to get away from Yokohama to the nearby winter wonderland Karuizawa in Nagano. Our friends have been recommending Karuizawa for the past years to us, as it’s famous four its autumn leaves, cute town and large outlet shopping mall. Well, it wasn’t quite autumn season…
Roppongi Winter Illuminations
With temperatures dropping close to 0 °C, winter is in full swing in the Greater Tokyo area. Just before the second state of emergency was declared in December, we headed over to Roppongi to see the annual winter illuminations. At Roppongi station you can ascend an elevated platform for perfect views over the sparkling illuminations…
3 Nights in Osaka
Explore different sides of Osaka in this two-day itinerary covering history & culture, Japanese craft beer, street photography in nostalgic districts and artsy neighbourhoods.
In Search of Mount Fuji: Lake Kawaguchi
It was my second birthday celebration in Japan and once again, the weather was rainy and rather chilly. But nonetheless, we went ahead with our plan to spend the weekend in a traditional Japanese guesthouse by Lake Kawaguchi, one of the Fuji Five Lakes! Having spent my birthday on a weekend trip away to Hangzhou…
Autumn Leaves Festival at Showa Kinen Park
With this being our second year in Japan, we’re trying to catch up on as many events that we missed last year, as possible. One of them being: attending an autumn leaves festival. There are actually quite a number of parks and gardens in Tokyo that open late in the evening with the trees lit…
Escaping Tokyo‘s summer heat
It‘s the beginning of our second year living in Yokohama, near Tokyo, and there are still so many places in Tokyo on our bucket list. One of them came highly recommended for hot summer days by Tokyo tourist website „Tokyo-go“: Todoroki Valley. Todoroki Valley The valley is easy to reach as it’s just a few…
Maokong Gondola: A Scenic Viewpoint with Tea Plantations in Taipei
When we boarded the train to Taipei Zoo station to get on the Maokong Gondola, we had no idea what to expect and were completely blown away by the whole trip, leading up to stunning mountain views. This was easily one of our best day trips in Taipei! As Taipei’s summer weather changed from raining…
Jitensha Adventure 