Cassandra Lord

Staff Writer, Editor

Cassandra moved to Japan from the UK in 2018, and after some time as a freelance travel writer, she is now a staff writer for japan-guide.com. She loves food and culture, and is always excited to find out about a new local dish or surprising food fact as she explores Japan. Whether it's learning the art of kutaniyaki ceramics or eating a bowl of noodles on top of a mountain, Cassandra is constantly exploring new corners of the country.

Most recent posts

Kawaii Monster Land

Harajuku is a hot spot for trends and youth culture in Tokyo, so it’s not surprising that new cutesy cafes pop up every now and then to capture what has become a candy-loving crowd.But it’s a little more rare to...
By Cassandra Lord·

Koyo 2025: Kyoto Report

Following on from Matt’s Kyoto report last week, today I visited a few different leaf viewing locations to see how things have progressed in the former capital.Many of Kyoto’s spots for autumn colors tend not to...
By Cassandra Lord·

Koyo 2025: Nikko Report

Following on with our 2025 autumn reports, today I was happy to visit my favorite autumn spot, Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture!Although I visited at almost the exact same date as Charly did last year, the state seems...
By Cassandra Lord·

Sakura 2025: Sendai Report

After chasing cherry trees in Fukushima, today I headed a little further north to do the same in Sendai.This time, I visited three different spots: The Shiroishi Riverisde, Tsutsujigaoka Park, and Nishi Park. I...
By Cassandra Lord·

Sakura 2025: Fukushima Report

Last week I was lucky enough to see an impressive number of cherry trees in full bloom around the country. This week, in an attempt to catch some more spots in their best viewing state, I’ve headed a little north to...
By Cassandra Lord·

Sakura 2025: Kyoto Report

My last visit of this week’s cherry blossom reports was to Kyoto, a region with more than enough scenic cherry spots to its name!Alas, I am just one person, so I only visited three spots: Arashiyama, Maruyama Park,...
By Cassandra Lord·

Sakura 2025: Nara Report

This week I’ve been doing cherry blossom reports while working my way northeast from Fukuoka, and today I’ve made my way to Nara.Following suit from my last two reports, Nara is also now at its best viewing period,...
By Cassandra Lord·

Sakura 2025: Hiroshima Report

After my first sighting of a spot in full bloom in Fukuoka yesterday, it seems I’m following both the blossoms and the sun this week, as I was delighted to find Hiroshima was also at its best viewing period. Today I...
By Cassandra Lord·

Sakura 2025: Fukuoka Report

After my report yesterday in Tokyo where the trees were just approaching full bloom, my next report in Fukuoka showed things were a bit further along. Here, we have our first full bloom report of the season!Today I...
By Cassandra Lord·

Sakura 2025: Tokyo Report

Following on from our two previous Tokyo reports, today I went back to two of our regular spots: Ueno Park and Shinjuku Gyoen. Both parks were looking pretty, and nearing their best viewing periods. Despite the warm...
By Cassandra Lord·

Sakura 2025: Tokyo Report

After our first report in Tokyo a few days ago, the parks are starting to look quite different as many of the trees are coming into bloom. Today I came to visit Chidorigafuchi Park and Sumida Park, as well as to...
By Cassandra Lord·

Sakura 2025: Tokyo Report

A warm welcome to the official start of the 2025 cherry blossom reports! After an unofficial start with a special early report from Kawazu, over the next few weeks we will be following the state of the blossoms across...
By Cassandra Lord·

Sakura 2025: Kawazu Report

Welcome to the 2025 sakura reports! In a special early report, I visited Kawazu to find out the current state of their namesake cherry blossoms, the Kawazuzakura. If you are hoping to see the cherry blossoms...
By Cassandra Lord·

Travel Highlights 2024

In 2024, all of my travel was on Honshu, Japan’s main island. I didn’t go as far as Hokkaido or Okinawa, the northernmost and southernmost islands, instead, the furthest north I ventured was Niigata, and the furthest...
By Cassandra Lord·

Koyo 2024: Kamakura Report

After last week’s Tokyo report, today I visited some spots in Kamakura to see how the autumn colors are coming along. Many of the popular autumn spots in Kamakura seem to be right at their peak, with the maples...
By Cassandra Lord·

Koyo 2024: Tokyo Report

About a week after my previous Tokyo report, I visited some more spots in the city to find that some of the autumn colors had reached their peak while others had not.Namely, many of the maple trees in more shaded...
By Cassandra Lord·

Koyo 2024: Tokyo Report

In a second report from Tokyo, I visited two popular autumn color spotsspots, Rikugien Garden and Meiji Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue.Since our last visit to Tokyo, progress has been somewhat slow, with many of the...
By Cassandra Lord·

Visiting the Endless Bakeries of Tsukuba

Shibuya is a well known tourist destination, and it is home to iconic Tokyo landmarks like the Shibuya Scramble Crossing and the Hachiko dog statue outside Shibuya Station. There have been ongoing renovations in the...
By Cassandra Lord·