Spring hasn’t quite sprung yet but we can still soak up its essence in the humble yet mighty plum blossoms.
Ibaraki
Fives places around Japan to appreciate the plum blossoms this season
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Krista Rogers
Feb 16, 2026 - Tweet
Does the maxixe live up to its promise of being a whole new flavor for our Japanese reporter?
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Krista Rogers
Nov 13, 2025
Enjoy glamping among blossoms, soaking in herbal hot springs, and shooting virtual dinosaurs hiding among the trees on your next weekend away.
- Japan
- (accommodation • AR • barbecue • botanical garden • COK • glamping • hot spring • Ibaraki • nature • onsen • resort • Rinne • sauna • The Botanical Resort Rinne • tourism • travel • zipline)
60th Anniversary Sanrio Exhibition opens this month to celebrate the Japanese culture of cute
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Krista Rogers
Jul 8, 2025
“The Beginning of Kawaii” exhibition explores the backstories of famous Sanrio characters and more.
- Japan
- (anniversary • COK • cute • exhibition • exhibitions • Hello Kitty • Ibaraki • mascot • mascot characters • Sanrio)
Nattoku! Factory offers free factory tours of a famous natto brand production process
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Krista Rogers
Jun 24, 2025
Diehard lovers of Japan’s infamous fermented soy beans can now get a glimpse of the sticky production process.
- Japan
- (COK • cool • factories • fermented soybeans • food • Futon Natsuno • Ibaraki • museum • natto • Nattoku! Factory • Okame • SNJO • Takano Foods • weird)
Japan’s plum blossom season is here, and after-dark garden is one of the best spots to see them
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Casey Baseel
Feb 25, 2025
One of Japan’s three most beautiful gardens gets even more beautiful with special ume illumination event.
Where’s the happiest place for foreigners to live in Japan? Study investigates
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Casey Baseel
Dec 12, 2024
Ibaraki’s first Foreign Resident Happiness Index finds some surprising variety in its three subcategories.
- Japan
- (cafes • cakes • food • Ibaraki • review • sandwiches • SNJO • sweets • taste test • Tsukuba Expo Center • Tsukuba Space Center)
- Japan
- (COK • cool • crazy • food • Ibaraki • Japanese food • Japanese street food • octopus • review • SNJO • street food • takoyaki • taste test • weird)
Akutai Matsuri: Japan’s Verbal Abuse Festival, where insults and bad behaviour are encouraged
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Oona McGee
Dec 28, 2023
- Japan
- (Akutai Matsuri • festivals • Ibaraki • Japanese festivals • society • tourism • tradition • travel • videos • weird festivals • winter festivals)
Bungee jumping in Japan at the longest pedestrian suspension bridge on the mainland
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Oona McGee
Dec 20, 2023
- Japan
- (activities • adventure • bungee jumping • COK • dragons • Ibaraki • SNJO • things to do • things to do in Japan • tourist site • travel)
This regional pizza buffet offers so many flavors you won’t be able to try them all
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Dale Roll
Nov 10, 2023
- Japan
- (all-you-can-eat • buffet • Gunma • Ibaraki • Italian food • local chain • Masanuki Sunakoma • Nagano • Napoli no Shokutaku • pizza • Saitama)
- Japan
- (Bando Taro • COK • cool • family restaurant • family restaurants • food • Ibaraki • Japanese food • Kanto • Masanuki Sunakoma • miso nikomi udon • Noodles • restaurants • review • SNJO • soba • udon)
Japanese popcorn comes with collectible cards of women who own traditional ryokan inns【Photos】
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Casey Baseel
Oct 7, 2023
- Japan
- (collectible cards • food • Frito-Lay • Ibaraki • inns • Mike popcorn • Okami • popcorn • ryokan • snacks • trading cards • travel)
Eiko Digital Creative High School opens in two cities where students can study e-sports and more
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Krista Rogers
May 2, 2023
A new flexible learning-based high school program allows students to pursue their passions in preparation for careers in the gaming industry.
- Japan
- (COK • e-sports • education • Eiko Digital Creative High School • esports • Ibaraki • pro gaming • Saitama • schools • video games)
Japanese prefecture replaces Ibaraki as Least Attractive Prefecture in annual ranking
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Shannon
Oct 28, 2022
- Japan
- (47 prefectures • attractiveness • Hokkaido • Ibaraki • Kyoto • national survey • Okinawa • ranking • saga)
Survey picks Japan’s most attractive prefectures – Familiar spots at top and bottom of rankings
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Casey Baseel
Oct 13, 2021
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Recent Posts
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The average age of Japan’s hikikomori shut-ins is getting older, survey shows
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Viral tweet suggests Japanese convenience store ripping off customers with donuts, so we investigate
Japan enters Golden Week vacation period, survey shows one in three plan to ride it out at home
Studio Ghibli releases new anime keychains that are like miniature figurines
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Tifa’s Final Fantasy VII bar is going to pop up in real-world Tokyo
Monthly
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
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Yearly
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
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Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
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