Kamakura
A Beatle and a Nobel Prize-winning writer is just the start of what makes Iwata Coffee Shop so famous.
Our latest get-rich-quick scheme takes us to a Shinto shrine in Kamakura with an 835-year history.
Now’s your chance to snag a samurai armor-inspired T-shirt during your next visit to Kamakura, a beautiful day trip destination from Tokyo.
One more reason to visit beautiful Kanagawa, just a 30-minute train ride from downtown Tokyo.
Bioluminescent plankton turn Kanagawa seashore into something that looks more like a Final Fantasy game.
Anime-style outfits have become so popular they’re inspiring their own fan art.
History buffs and cosplay fans won’t just look like samurai, but eat like them too on their visit to Kamakura.
Non-Japanese applicants also being accepted for unique housing program from interior goods brand Mujirushi.
Though summer vacation is a lot shorter in Japan than it is in the U.S., most tudents here aren’t exactly itching to go back to school once it’s done. Even worse, since it falls in the middle of the Japanese school year, the end of summer break is also the start of the second, and more demanding, semester.
Needless to say, a lot of kids would rather blow off school and kick back with a good manga, which is exactly what one library in Japan is encouraging them to do. The reason, however, is far more important than just finding out what happens to their favorite fictional characters .
Having grown up a quick drive from southern California’s miles and miles of prime coastline, I’ll admit Japanese beaches can sometimes be a little underwhelming. Among other problems, they’re crowded with day trippers during midsummer, and infested with jellyfish as the season winds down.
One great thing about beaches in Japan, though, are the umi no ie, temporary restaurants/lounges built right on the sand and only operated during July and August. Due to their temporary nature (the buildings are completely disassembled come September), umi no ie used to be pretty bare-bones. In recent years, though, the ones at Japan’s more popular beaches have been attracting some well-known corporate sponsors and collaborative partners, such as Israeli bath and beauty product manufacturer Sabon, which is set to open its first umi no ie next week.
As much as I look forward to summer every year, I’ll admit it can be a little hard getting excited about the early part of the season in Japan. The humidity rises, mosquitos come out in force (although we’ve got a secret trick for dealing with them), and the weather is rainy enough that going almost a week without seeing the sun isn’t that unusual.
Still, there’s at least one nice part about June in Japan, which is the blooming of the hydrangeas. The bundles of blossoms are blooming right now, and if you’re in the Tokyo area, there’s no better place to see them than at Meigetsuin Temple in Kamakura.
First Kitchen is a Japanese fast-food chain that has been rapidly expanding in the Kanto and Kinki areas. Readers in Japan have probably been to a First Kitchen at least once, but did you know that there is a branch with phenomenal views that rival high-end resorts and skyscraper restaurants?
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