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| Scott's Japan Travel Journal |
Scott's Japan Travel Journal
by Scott, staff writer of japan-guide.comThis journal is a log of my travels within Japan. Here you'll find my personal opinions on the places I've been and the things I've seen. Also expect to see the occasional review and editorial. Thanks for reading.
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2012/05/07 - New Tokyo Buildings
Today we headed down to Tokyo to check out a host of new department stores and shopping centers that seem to be rushing to open ahead of the opening of the Tokyo Sky Tree on May 22. Our first stop of the day was at... read all
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2012/04/13 - Cherry Blossom Report: Tokyo
Today I headed down to Tokyo to check out the cherry trees around Shinjuku Gyoen, Ueno Park, and Sumida Park. The cherry blossoms around the capitol reached full bloom about a week ago and since then... read all
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2012/04/12 - Cherry Blossom Report: Yokohama
The cherry blossoms around Yokohama reached full bloom earlier this week, so I headed down there today to check out the trees around Sankeien Garden and Negishi Forest Park. Although we had some heavy rain... read all
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2012/04/06 - Cherry Blossom Report: Tokyo
Heavy rains and extremely strong winds swept through Japan since our last report from Tokyo and a lot of people were concerned about the effect that this would have on the cherry blossoms. I'm happy to report that... read all
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2012/02/06 - Sapporo Snow Festival
Today was the opening day of the 63rd annual Sapporo Snow Festival (Sapporo Yuki Matsuri). This year's festival will run through Sunday, February 12th. As we mentioned on our earlier preliminary... read all
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2012/02/05 - Otaru Snow Light Path Festival
The Yuki Akari no Michi Festival (Snow Light Path Festival) is another of Hokkaido's popular winter festivals. It is held in Otaru, a canal lined port town about a 30-45 minute train ride from Sapporo.... read all
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2011/12/31 - Travel Highlights 2011
Obviously Japan spent quite a bit of time in the news this year, the majority of which was under the shadow of the March earthquake and subsequent disasters. But as the end of 2011 approaches, we'd like to take a moment to look back at... read all
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2011/12/08 - Autumn Color Report: Kamakura
Today I paid a visit to Kamakura, which is one of the last places in Japan where the leaves change colors. In a typical year the autumn colors (koyo) around Kamakura reach their peak from early to... read all
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2011/11/30 - Tokyo Motor Show 2011
The Tokyo Motor Show is back! After a scaled down 2009 Tokyo Motor Show that saw very little participation by foreign car makers, this year's show is up and running with an exhibition so large that... read all
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2011/11/22 - Autumn Color Report: Tokyo
I took another trip down to Tokyo today to continue our reporting on the autumn colors (koyo) in eastern Japan. A little progress has been made since my trip last week, however it is still very... read all
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2011/11/15 - Autumn Color Report: Tokyo
Today I made our first official Autumn Color (koyo) report trip to Tokyo. As expected, it is still pretty early in the season and most of the trees around Tokyo haven't really begun to change colors yet. Although... read all
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2011/10/27 - Autumn Color Report: Nikko
Today I took a trip to Nikko to follow up on the progress of the autumn colors. So far this season I haven't really had the chance to see any good autumn colors (koyo), but looking at our last report from the area really reignited my... read all
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2011/10/07 - Autumn Color Report: Nasu
Today we headed out to Nasudake, a dormant volcano in Tochigi Prefecture, at the northernmost end of Nikko National Park. The autumn colors (koyo) typically appear in the higher elevations of Nasudake around late September... read all
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2011/10/04 - Ceatec Japan 2011
Today we headed down to Chiba Prefecture to check out the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies (CEATEC) tradeshow held at the Makuhari Messe convention center. CEATEC is the largest... read all
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2011/09/27 - Autumn Color Report: Norikura
Today we checked out Norikuradake in the Northern Japan Alps. Norikuradake is a collection of peaks, the highest of which is over 3000 meters tall, that straddle the border between Nagano and Gifu prefectures. It is... read all
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2011/09/22 - New Kanagawa Museums
This morning we all headed down to Kanagawa Prefecture to check out the recently opened Fujiko F. Fujiyo Museum (aka, the Doraemon Museum) in Kawasaki City, which... read all
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2011/05/02 - Cherry Blossom Report: Kakunodate
We concluded our Tohoku Region cherry blossom reporting with a visit to Kakunodate in Akita Prefecture. Kakunodate is another of Japan's Top 100 cherry blossom viewing spots, and the final leg of the three best Tohoku hanami spots that... read all
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2011/04/29 - Cherry Blossom Report: Kitakami
Today we are reporting from Kitakami in the Tohoku Region. Kitakami is located in southern Iwate Prefecture, about 50 kilometers inland from the coast hit by last month's tsunami. The city is far enough inland that it was unaffected... read all
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2011/04/22 - Cherry Blossom Report: Aizu
We spent the second and last day of our cherry blossom report trip to the southern Tohoku Region in Aizu, a popular tourist destination in Fukushima Prefecture, over 100 kilometers east of the Fukushima power plants. Tsuruga... read all
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2011/04/14 - Cherry Blossom Report: Tokyo
I've returned to the Kanto Region this week and am reporting today from Tokyo. The cherry blossom season around the capital has been progressing pretty much on track since our last report from the city on April 11, 2011. Most of the... read all
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2011/04/10 - Cherry Blossom Report: Osaka
Today I spent the last day of my contribution to this year's Kansai Region reporting by checking out some of the best cherry blossom spots in Osaka. After today I'll be heading back to the Kanto Region, and will hand off the area to... read all
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2011/04/08 - Cherry Blossom Report: Yoshino
Today I made the trek out to Yoshinoyama (Mount Yoshino) in Nara Prefecture. Mount Yoshino is one of Japan's most famous cherry blossom spots and lends its name to the country's predominant somei yoshino cherry blossom variety... read all
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2011/04/07 - Cherry Blossom Report: Iwakuni
After spending the morning checking out the cherry blossoms in Hiroshima (a separate report can be found here), I took the rest of the afternoon to explore Iwakuni, a beautiful riverside town not to far from Hiroshima. But before reading... read all
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2011/04/07 - Cherry Blossom Report: Hiroshima
Today I headed out to check on the cherry blossoms in Hiroshima and Miyajima, after which I made a quick afternoon visit to Iwakuni (a separate report can be found here). However, before reading these you may want to check out this... read all
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2011/04/06 - Cherry Blossom Report: Kyoto
Today I headed back out to Kyoto to resume coverage of the cherry blossoms in western Japan. This was our fourth visit to Kyoto this season, and during the day I was able to revisit some sights that we had reported on previously (Keage... read all
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2011/04/02 - Cherry Blossom Report: Tokyo
Today I stopped by Tokyo on my way home from the Kansai Region to check out the cherry blossoms. This is our third Tokyo report this year after our previous visits on March 30, 2011, and March 27, 2011. Shinjuku Park April 2, 2011 -... read all
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2011/04/01 - Cherry Blossom Report: Kyoto
Today I made a follow up visit to Kyoto to see how the cherry blossoms have been progressing since Schauwecker's visit on March 29, 2011. I can't say that the trees have made significant progress over the last few days and while some... read all
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2011/03/30 - Cherry Blossom Report: Kochi
Today I met up with Schauwecker in southern Shikoku to check out the cherry blossoms around Kochi City. Although Schauwecker has been on the road for a few days now, I was looking forward to getting out on what was to be both my first... read all
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2010/12/31 - Travel Highlights 2010
2010 is finally coming to a close, and sitting down to write about the year's travel highlights always brings back a lot of fond memories from the past year. Often times the trips start to run together in my head, but after looking... read all
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2010/11/30 - Autumn Color Report: Tokyo
Today I made another follow up trip to Tokyo to check on the state of the autumn colors (koyo). The first stop of the day was at the Institute for Nature Study, a nature reserve preserving Tokyo's... read all
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2010/11/24 - Autumn Color Report: Tokyo
Today I made a follow up to our November 16, 2010 visit to Tokyo to check out the state of the autumn colors (koyo) at a few parks and gardens that are known for their leaves. The first visit of the... read all
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2010/11/19 - Autumn Color Report: Kyoto
Today I checked out the autumn colors (koyo) situation over in the Higashiyama District of Kyoto. The first stop of the morning was a follow up visit to Kiyomizudera Temple. The trees around the temple have progressed a lot since our... read all
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2010/11/18 - Autumn Color Report: Nara
Today I took another side trip from Kyoto and headed down south to check out some of the sights in Nara Prefecture. After arriving at Kintetsu Nara Station, I immediately picked up a rental car and headed out of the... read all
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2010/11/15 - Autumn Color Report: Kyoto
Today Schauwecker and I continued the autumn leaf season reporting from the Kansai Region with a follow up trip to Kyoto. This time we visited Jingoji Temple in Takao, the mountainous region in the north... read all
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2010/11/04 - Autumn Color Report: Daisen
Today Schauwecker and I visited Mount Daisen on the western end of Tottori Prefecture to check out the autumn colors along the trail up the mountain. At 1729 meters above sea level, Mount Daisen is... read all
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2010/10/27 - Autumn Color Report: Nikko
Today I went on another follow up visit to the Okunikko region, following my previous visits on October 5, 2010 and October 14, 2010. As expected, the season is coming to a close in the higher elevations of... read all
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2010/10/14 - Autumn Color Report: Nikko
Today I went on a follow up visit to the Okunikko region, the Inner Nikko area in the mountains above the temples and shrines of Nikko, to check out the autumn colors (koyo). As I saw last week, due to the... read all
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2010/04/14 - Cherry Blossom Report: Fujigoko
Today we went to check out the Fuji Five Lakes area which is a popular spot to take pictures of cherry blossoms with Mount Fuji as a backdrop. Two of the best places to view the combination of flowers and mountain are at Chureito Pagoda... read all
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2010/04/03 - Cherry Blossom Report: Nara
It has been two weeks since the cherry blossoms in Nara opened and a week since our last visit to the city. Today's report includes follow up visits to Heijo Palace, Nara Park and Wakakusayama... read all
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2010/04/02 - Cherry Blossom Report: Kyoto
Today we made a third visit to Kyoto to check out the development of the cherry blossoms since our last reports on April 2, 2010, March 27, 2010 and March 23, 2010. Today's report included followup trips to the... read all
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2010/03/30 - Cherry Blossom Report: Kyoto
Cool weather in Kyoto persists, resulting in a slowed advancement in the state of the cherry blossoms since they were last reported on March 23, 2010 and March 27, 2010. Today's report covers a return trip to Arashiyama, as well as first... read all
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2010/03/29 - Cherry Blossom Report: Osaka
Today for our first cherry blossom report of the year from Osaka we covered Expo 70 Commemorative Park, Kema Sakuranomiya Park, and Osaka Castle. As with Kyoto, cool temperatures over the last few days have prolonged the progression of... read all
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2010/03/23 - Cherry Blossom Report: Tokyo
Tokyo's cherry blossoms officially opened yesterday, which is pretty much as predicted and overall about a week earlier than during an average year. Shinjuku Gyoen March 23, 2010 - just opened (0-10%) The day started off with a... read all
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2009/12/31 - Travel Highlights 2009
2009 is coming to an end and for our final assignment we were tasked to blog about our favorite travel moments from this past year. It was a difficult choice, but thumbing through the thousands of pictures I took... read all
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2009/12/08 - Tokyo
A quarter of a year after the first autumn color report, we concluded this year's reporting with a final trip to Tokyo where the season is still in full swing. We started our tour of Tokyo at the Imperial East Gardens... read all
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2009/12/02 - Kamakura
Among the last regions of Japan to see autumn colors are not only the southern tips of Japan's southern main islands of Shikoku and Kyushu, but also the greater Tokyo area. Today we visited Kamakura, one train hour south of Tokyo... read all
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2009/11/27 - Tokyo
Today I took another trip to Tokyo to check out how the fall colors are progressing since our previous Tokyo koyo report trip on November 18, 2009. On today's itinerary were three gardens and two tree lined streets... read all
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2009/11/18 - Tokyo
Tokyo may not be known as an autumn color destination like Kyoto, but the city does offer quite a few nice spots for fall foliage in its parks and gardens. Today we went to check out three of them. We started the day at the Former Furukawa Garden (Kyu-Furukawa Teien)... read all
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2009/11/16 - Mount Takao (Takaosan)
While trees in central Tokyo have only just started turning colors, the koyo season in the mountains west of Tokyo is already approaching its peak. One of the closest and most attractive mountains near central Tokyo ... read all
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2009/10/28 - Mount Fuji
Today we headed down to Mount Fuji to check out how the leaves are progressing around a few of the 5th Stations around the mountain and at Lake Kawaguchi. It has been our experience... read all
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2009/10/21 - Tokyo Motor Show 2009
The 41st Tokyo Motor Show is off and running, and today I had the pleasure of a sneak peak during the first of its press days. The show, which is open to the public from October 24th to November 4th... read all
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2009/10/19 - Nikko (2)
Today we returned to the Okunikko area of Nikko National Park, the Inner Nikko area in the mountains above the famous temples and shrines of Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture. Our first stop of the day was at Konsei Pass... read all
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2009/10/05 - Nikko
Today we checked out the Okunikko area of Nikko National Park in Tochigi Prefecture. While most people are familiar with the temples and shrines of Nikko, the national park... read all
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2008/10/21 - Nishizawa Valley
Today we made a second trip out to the Chubu Region to check out the fall colors. This time we headed south to Nishizawa Valley in Yamanashi Prefecture. This narrow valley... read all
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2008/10/03 - Tateyama Alpen Route
With heights of over 3000 meters, the peaks of the Tateyama mountain range in Toyama Prefecture are among the tallest in the Japan Alps. Consequently, their slopes are among... read all
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2007/09/18 - Kodo One Earth Tour
This was my fifth time seeing Kodo live and as always I left the show feeling thoroughly impressed and with a renewed interest in taiko. My favorite song of the concert was the opening piece called "Burning"... read all
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2007/09/04 - Kusatsu
If you are an onsen fan then you have probably heard of Kusatsu. For those of you who haven't, it's a beautiful hot spring town in Gunma Prefecture. It originally became famous back in the Edo Period when... read all
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2007/09/01 - Zi-Pang Concert
I've been interested in taiko since I was young and we'd watch Sacramento Taiko Dan's kids teams perform, but I never really had the time or opportunity to get involved. However, when I moved to Japan... read all
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2007/08/23 - First Day on the Job
My name is Scott and I'm a new staff writer here at japan-guide. I just wanted to introduce myself and my travel journal which I will try my best to keep updated with all my trips, both business and pleasure... read all
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