I visited Deko Yashiki for the first time ever yesterday. I don’t know why it has taken so long for me to go! Deko Yashiki is a collection of 4 houses (and families) who have been making local crafts for hundreds of years. You can visit their workshops, learn about folk legends and beliefs, andContinue reading Photoblog: Deko Yashiki Village Folk Crafts
Cherry Blossom-Viewing Season will soon be upon us! I’ve compiled a list of 31 of the best cherry blossom spots in Fukushima Prefecture, with information on when, where and how to visit them! It’s important to plan in advance when it comes to cherry blossom-viewing. Fukushima Prefecture’s cherry blossom season is long - it beginsContinue reading Cherry Blossom Guide 2019
Tsurugajo Castle, Aizu-Wakamatsu City, is a must-visit for anyone visiting Tohoku this spring. Located just 2.5 hours from Tokyo, Aizu-Wakamatsu is an historic city which looks absolutely amazing in cherry blossom season. Tsurugajo Castle - originally constructed in the 14th century - has passed through the hands of many local rulers. The castle was mostContinue reading Cherry Blossom at Tsurugajo Castle
This year I’m giving myself the goal of visiting 5 places in Fukushima Prefecture famous for cherry blossom which I am embarrassed to say I have not visited yet! 1) Miharu Takizakura Despite it being the most well-known cherry blossom tree in Fukushima (and one of the most famous in Japan) I still haven’t beenContinue reading 5 Sakura Spots to Visit this Year!
With less than a month to go until hanami (flower viewing) season reaches Fukushima Prefecture, I wanted to share some of my photos from Hanamiyama Park in Fukushima City. These photos are from my visit last year! The weather wasn’t the best, but the park still looked amazing. For more information on Hanamiyama Park: Here’sContinue reading Photo Blog: Hanamiyama Cherry Blossom 2018
Hi everyone! The weather in Fukushima is slowly getting less freezing, which means 2 things… That Hanami season is drawing near!! That this year’s ski season is almost over! 😦 I’ve actually injured my wrist so haven’t been able to go skiing or snowboarding this year. That being so, I want to make sure anybodyContinue reading Half-Price Ski Passes & Snow Shoe Trekking?!
After writing about visiting Japanese onsen in my blog post ‘Rotenburo Heaven – Private Open-Air Baths in Fukushima’ a few weeks ago, I realised I should make a post about day-passes at onsen, which can be a bit confusing for visitors to Japan. So I thought I’d write about “higaeri nyuyoku” today! What is HigaeriContinue reading Taking Day Trips to Onsen in Japan
Back in October I was interviewed for a program called “Fukushima Then & Now, the Samurai Spirit”, which aired on NHK World as part of one of their J-Trip Plan shows in December. You can see the program online here! During the filming I was joined by Hoshi Kenko san. We visited the Tadami LineContinue reading Shooting the Tadami Line: Tips from Pro Photographer
Here you’ll find information about visiting the snow & winter festivals happening in Fukushima over the next couple of weeks. Please note the time tables listed below are the 2019 winter season time tables. Skip to the festival you’d like to know about by choosing from the list below: Ouchi-juku Snow Festival Tadami Snow FestivalContinue reading Fukushima Snow Festivals Guide 2019
What is an Onsen? The word ‘onsen’ is often used to mean a naturally occurring hot spring source, but can also refer to baths filled with onsen water. The word ‘onsen’ also features in the names of hot spring resort towns and villages. For example, ‘Higashiyama Onsen’ refers both to the hot spring sourceContinue reading Introduction to Visiting Onsen in Japan
