Exploring Japan one destination at a time
A few months back I was at a tiny gyoza restaurant in Yokohama, proudly ordered my food, when the waitress asked me something. She was standing there clearly waiting for an answer. I smiled and nodded (classic) but she asked again and again… I tried to work it out without reaching for my phone, my … Read more
Planning to be in Japan over Easter? Here’s the short version: Japan doesn’t really do Easter. No long weekend, no hot cross buns at every bakery, and you won’t find supermarket shelves stacked with foil eggs. But it’s not a complete chocolate wasteland if you know where to look. Easter Is Not a Public Holiday … Read more
Best late-blooming Sakura Spots in Japan if you have missed sakura in Tokyo If you’re in Japan in April and worried you’ve missed cherry blossom season, you haven’t. Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka peak early. But sakura moves north and into higher elevations, which means there are still places in full bloom, more coming into peak, … Read more
Cherry Blossom Season in Tokyo with Kids Cherry blossom season in Tokyo is genuinely one of the most spectacular things you can witness in Japan. Pink clouds of sakura, people picnicking under the trees, convenience store shelves stacked with cherry blossom snacks – it’s hard not to fall in love with it. If you’re planning … Read more
My very first hanami was at night. I was walking along the Meguro River in Tokyo, hundreds of paper lanterns, thousands of people, cherry blossoms glowing pink overhead, canal reflections shimmering below. Food stalls everywhere. People were laughing, eating, drinking, taking photos. I had no idea what I was experiencing had a specific name. Years … Read more
Cherry blossom season in Japan is a wonderful experience for the whole family. The colours, the atmosphere, the feeling that the whole country has stopped to notice something beautiful together. Kids can absolutely feel that magic too. But let’s be real about what hanami with children actually looks like. It looks like more snacks than … Read more
There’s something that stops me every single time I’m in Japan during cherry blossom season. It’s not just the colour or the sheer volume of blooms. It’s the feeling that you’re standing inside something much older and heavier than a pretty spring day. The cherry blossom has been Japan’s most loaded symbol for over a … Read more
March is one of the most confusing months to visit Japan with kids. Is it still winter? Is it cherry blossom season? Will you need snow boots or just a light jacket? The honest answer is: it depends on when in March you’re travelling. Early March can still feel like proper winter, especially in the … Read more
Snow in Tokyo: it rarely happens. You might get a light dusting once or twice a winter, but the kind of proper, boots-sinking-in, snowball-throwing snow that kids go absolutely wild for? That’s not Tokyo’s thing. The good news is that real snow is much closer than most people realise. If you’re planning a Tokyo winter … Read more
Cherry blossoms and drinking have been connected for over a thousand years. The 10th-century poet Ki no Tomonori famously wrote: “If there were no cherry blossoms in this world, the heart of spring would be at peace.“ But here we are, centuries later, still sitting under sakura trees with a cold drink in hand, watching … Read more