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Kyoto vs Osaka is a classic dilemma for anyone planning their first trip to Japan. The two cities sit a fifteen-minute Shinkansen ride apart, close enough that people assume the choice barely matters. But actually, it matters more than most first-timers expect. Since...
There are so many reasons to visit Kyoto during the summer…but the weather probably isn’t one of them. It’s always crowded, but when it’s also super hot and unbelievably humid, the city can become absolutely suffocating. So finding refreshing summer day trips from...
The first time I saw Lake Biwa properly, from the window of a Biwako Line train pulling into Otsu, I was surprised by how big it actually is. You hear "Japan's largest lake" and your brain still pictures something you could walk around in an afternoon. It isn't that....
Tokyo in summer does something to a family holiday that nobody warns you about. The humidity sits on your chest before nine in the morning, and by midday even the most enthusiastic six-year-old is done with temples and wants somewhere with air conditioning and...
Thinking about a summer trip to Japan’s northern island? Well, it’s an incredible idea. And one that the locals in Tokyo and Kyoto will envy, with Hokkaido being one of the most desirable summer vacation destinations in the country. Why? Because the weather is lovely,...
For years, sake for me was just the stuff arriving in a small ceramic flask at the end of an izakaya dinner. It was something I drank because it was there rather than because I understood it. Living here long enough, you start noticing that most visitors treat it the...