Nara is an ancient capital in the Kansai region in Japan. It is often overlooked by most tourists because of its more famous neighbor, Kyoto. But like Kyoto, Nara is also home to many important scenic and historical sites.

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Posted in Attractions, Japan |

It is one of the oldest cities in Japan, the former Japanese capital. Though it has experienced numerous firebombings, earthquakes and wars during the eleven centuries in which it was the capital, it still stands the test of time. It is one of the most well-preserved olden Japanese cities. Welcome to Kyoto, a city steeped in Japanese culture and history.

Kyoto was once the capital of Japan and the residence of the Emperor. This was from 794 until 1868, when the capital was moved to Tokyo during the Meiji Restoration. During the many centuries that it was the center of Japanese power, culture, tradition, and religion, it accumulated an astounding collection of palaces, temples and shrines, built for emperors, shoguns, and monks. Kyoto is also known as Japan’s “Most Beautiful City”, though its beauty is rooted to the history and culture of most of its tourist attractions. Sites that stand the test of time.

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Last time, I talked about Tokyo Disneyland, the first Magical Place in Tokyo. I also briefly mentioned the second magical place before but now I’ll explain it in more detail. I am talking about the Tokyo DisneySea, where adventure and imagination set sail. Opened in 2001, Tokyo DisneySea has become one of the world’s most-visited theme parks and one of the most popular Disney Parks in the world. One of the park’s symbols is the DisneySea AquaSphere, a water fountain with a large model of the earth, which is located at the entrance plaza and the gigantic volcano, Mount Prometheus, located in the center of the park. The volcano and Cinderella Castle in Tokyo Disneyland, the other park in the resort, are exactly the same height as the two in Tokyo DisneySea.

Like Tokyo Disneyland, there are also seven theme areas in Tokyo DisneySea. After going through the front gates of Disney Sea Plaza, where people can see the Disney Sea Aquasphere, you find yourself in a part of the park called the Mediterranean Harbor, the starting point of your Disney Sea adventure.

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Posted in Attractions, Japan |

Every first week of February, a place in Japan becomes a venerable winter wonderland. I’m talking about the Sapporo Snow Festival. This festival is one of Japan’s largest winter events and attracts a numerous number of visitors from Japan and abroad every year.

Sapporo is the capital and largest city in Hokkaido, Japan. One of Japan’s nicest cities, Sapporo has lovely open boulevards filled with trees to enjoy in summer and excellent snow in the long winter. This city is particularly crowded in the winter because it plays host to a number of well known ski resorts and the Sapporo Snow Festival.

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Posted in Events, Japan |

Everyone knows what sushi is. Ask anyone what sushi is and you’ll probably get an answer of a description of an image of a small block of rice with fish on top. But there so many kinds of sushi aside from the generic image people have in their minds.

So what exactly is sushi? Sushi is vinegared rice, usually topped with other ingredients. There is a wide range of ingredients from fish, seafood, vegetables and meat. The most common ingredient present in all sushi is the sushi rice. Sushi rice is made of Japanese rice that has been mixed with vinegar, sugar and salt. The essential quality of sushi rice is its stickiness. It has to be just right. Too sticky and the resulting rice would be gummy. Not sticky enough and the rice would be too dry. Nori is another item that is commonly found in sushi. Nori is dried seaweed. Quality nori is usually shiny and dark green in color. The different kinds in sushi comes from the different fillings, toppings, the condiments used and the way these ingredients are put together.

Nigiri-zushi

The most common kind of sushi. This type consists of an elongated mound of rice that is shaped by the hands, served with a slice of topping and a bit of wasabi. This type is usually served in pairs.

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Posted in Food, Japan |

Disneyland is called as one of the most magical places on earth. A place where you come to see your favorite childhood characters come to life. Even the Japanese have come to know and grow with these characters. Rumor even has it that the huge, bulbous eyes of anime characters were inspired by Mickey Mouse.

Welcome to Tokyo Disney Resort! It has two theme parks: Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, plus eight hotels (Disney Ambassador Hotel, Tokyo Disneysea Hotel Miracosta, Sunroute Plaza Tokyo, Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel, Hilton Tokyo Bay, Hotel Okura Tokyo Bay, Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel, Tokyo Bay Hotel Tokyu). A ninth one, the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel is opening this July 2008. Or, you can opt to stay at other Tokyo hotels nearby the area.

Tokyo Disneyland is styled after Disney’s classic Disneyland in California and first opened in 1983 making Tokyo Disneyland the first Disney park opened outside of the United States of America. Tokyo DisneySea is a nautical themed park that was opened in 2001. The Disney resort complex is conveniently circled by a monorail that connects the parks and hotels to the JR Maihama Station which is only 15 kilometers from the core of Tokyo.

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Japan has a Great Three of about everything. It has its three great views, three great castles, three great night views and just about every three great something anyone could think of. One of the most impressive out of these three great everything is Japan’s three great mountains. These three mountains are considered the greatest among Japan’s numerous peaks and mountain ranges. Namely, these mountains are Mount Fuji, Mount Haku and Mount Tate. The Japanese term for Mountain is ‘Yama’ so Mount Fuji is also called Fujiyama, Mount Haku is Hakuyama, and Mount Tate is Tateyama. Sometimes, the ‘Mount’ is not removed so they can also be called Mount Fujiyama, Mount Hakuyama and Mount Tateyama (which seems very redundant).

Mount Fuji needs no introduction. It is one of the most famous mountains in the world. With its majestic cone, this dormant volcano has been depicted in countless photographs and artworks over the years. Mount Fuji is the tallest among Japan’s three great mountains and all other mountains in Japan, towering at 12.388 feet above the ground.

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Posted in Attractions, Japan |

So you want to go to Japan, but do you know the acceptable manners by Japanese standards? These manners are very much different than in other countries. One must know them in order to not offend or embarrass your host and other people around you.

BOWING

Bowing is probably the most well-known Japanese etiquette outside of Japan. Bowing is extremely important in Japan. Even though kids learn to bow at a very young age, companies still provide training for their employees on how to bow.

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Posted in Food, Japan, Things to do |

Sendai is the largest city in the Tohoku region of the island of Honshu, one of the islands of Japan. It is often said that “Sendai is just right”, as it is close to both the seas and mountains. Even the weather in Sendai is just right, not too hot in the summer and not too cold in the winter. Locals have also said that it is a very comfortable place to live in. A thing worthy of noting about Sendai is the fusion of its greenery and the industry that makes it the city that it is. It is a city where the streets are cemented and wide yet the view is also very green, trees can be found everywhere. As a matter of fact, Sendai’s other name is Mori no Miyako, or City of Forest.

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Posted in Attractions, Japan |

Previously, we’ve discussed about the Electric Town of Akiba and Gadgets. This time, let us take a look at another popular reason to visit Akihabara: anime and games. Akihabara or more commonly called as Akiba has been strongly identified with anime and games in recent times, mostly because of anime, TV shows and movies that takes place in the said area. Akiba is also home to legions of otaku that flock its streets everyday. It is mainly thanks to them that Akiba is what it is now.

Akihabara is best known as a Gamer’s Mecca, no one can possibly miss the huge towers of Sega and Taito, along with other amusement centers in the area. Akiba is home to numerous eighties games which can be found in the amusement centers all over. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Japan, Things to do |