Sam grew up in Manchester, England and came to Japan for the first time to live in 2012. Falling in love with the Kansai region where he was originally based, he spent the first few years exploring western Japan before moving to the east in 2016. A big fan of food and history with a general inquisitiveness towards trends and subcultures, Sam is happiest when exploring Japan's many metropolises, where he enjoys getting lost searching for cool neighborhoods with hidden gems of eateries and good craft beer bars.
To start our coverage of this year’s festival, I explored three of the region’s islands, namely Naoshima, Megijima and Ogijima, all of which are located within a relatively short ferry ride of Shikoku’s largest city, Takamatsu...
I ventured to two spots on my Gunma travels today, namely Mount Myogi Sakura no Sato and Akagi Nanmen Senbonsakura. I found that the blossom spots in the region were generally enjoying their best viewing period, with some spectacular displays on offer for visitors to enjoy...
Today I took a trip to the old city of Matsumoto in Nagano Prefetcure to see how the blossoms were getting on, and found that the majority of the city was still in a state of opening...
I found that while there were some pockets of trees which looked to be already progressing nicely towards full bloom this morning, the area in general looks to be a few days away from best viewing...
Today I found that the blossoms in the city were generally making good progress, with the castle just a couple of days away from entering its best viewing period, and the trees at Suizenji Garden predominantly already approaching full bloom...
We found today that the city’s blossoms were still generally in a state of opening, with the trees up on the hilltops today being a little further progressed than those down in the city...
Today I went to check how the cherry blossoms were faring at two of Fukuoka’s popular hanami spots, namely Maizuru Park and Uminonakamichi Seaside Park. I found that in general, the area’s Somei Yoshino were still quite a way off full bloom...
To celebrate the start of spring, we took a trip to the city of Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture to seek out the pretty plum petals in a couple of the city’s most popular spots...
Moominvalley Park, a theme park dedicated to the popular Finnish cartoon Moomin, will open on March 16, 2019 in an area less than an hour by train from central Tokyo...
I found during my visit to Nagatoro that the colors were generally approaching peak, but that there is still a little ways to go before this area reaches its typically spectacular autumn best...
Today I was in Kyoto following Andrew’s report from the city about two weeks ago. Andrew reported that the foliage was predominantly still green on his visit, but today I saw that things in the ancient capital were beginning to change...
Kofukuji’s Central Golden Hall, which is built to the specifications of the original hall in all its glory, is beautiful and grand, and is open for the public to enter as of October 20, 2018...
With a considerable altitude differential of around 2000 meters, the autumn color season in these parts lasts on average for around a month as the colors run down from the mountains, providing a long period in which for visitors to enjoy the scenery here...
The autumn color season has once again arrived on the Japanese mainland, with the first few of the island’s highest and most northerly areas beginning to see color as the ‘front’ sweeps down the country from north to...
Camping at Baird Brewer’s Shuzenji Brewery presents the chance to enjoy many attractive features including a taproom, atmospheric outdoor relaxation space and brewery tours, all in the most idyllic countryside setting.
The park is currently in its best viewing stage and, should the dry and calm weather that is forecast for the next few days come to pass, I expect the cherry blossoms to stay looking great here until around the end of the week...
Today I was in the town of Kakunodate. I'm pleased to report that despite the rain showers making this one of the wetter reports I’ve done, the cherry blossoms were generally looking very nice...
I found on my visit early this morning the blossoms were generally just about to open, and in the hours that have passed since then I expect many petals in certain parts of the park to now be vibrantly visible...
Today I was in nearby Kitakami and its famous Tenshochi Park. Whilst some trees looked well on their way to full bloom and others a little behind the pace, in general the blossoms in the area looked to be in the process of opening this morning...
Today I was in Hiraizumi in Iwate Prefecture to see the state of things here. I'm happy to report that the town has reached full bloom and was exhibiting some beautiful displays of color today
Today I made the journey from Sendai to nearby Shiroishi, a town with multiple sakura spots that typically attract lots of visitors come spring. I found a mixed bag in the spots I visited today...
Today I was in Sendai to see how the blossoms were doing there. I found that despite preliminary signs of decline, the blossoms in Tohoku’s biggest city predominantly still made for best viewing...
With the cherry blossoms having officially opened here on April 1, the city has recently been enjoying its best viewing period. Today I found the cherry trees to generally still be looking great despite an ongoing barrage from relatively strong winds sweeping through the area...
Today the optimum viewing period was fast coming to an end, with many trees having shed their petals, although still looking good. Since my visit this morning however, rain showers and more wind have swept in, and these, I suspect, will have now definitively ended the area’s best viewing period...
Despite some trees being past it, there are still some pockets of later-blooming cherry trees that are in an optimum viewing state, and should resist the rain forecast over the next couple of days to remain spectacular even into next week...
Despite a cold snap bringing low temperatures to the region, I found that the progress of the petals hadn’t been much affected and that today the sakura were still on track to reach their optimum-viewing state earlier than average, with some places already well-towards full bloom.
The Mount Fuji World Heritage Center, Shizuoka recently opened on December 23rd, 2017. Located in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, the center is set up to celebrate Mount Fuji and its relatively recent distinction as a world heritage site...
I embarked on my latest beer adventure in Tokyo’s Shibuya district, eager as ever to explore the nooks and crannies and report on some of this area’s craft beer hot spots; of which, may I add, there are enough to keep one bevvied for a lifetime.
Located 30 minutes from Tokyo, this old town has a rich history as a key supplier of commodities to the capital during the Edo Period. The town prospered due to its auspicious trade with Edo...
Today it was back to Tokyo to see how the colors had progressed since Raina’s visit earlier this week when she reported dazzling displays of color in the capital. What I found today was a mixed bag with some places on the decline while others were at peak, making for an overall worthwhile color-chasing trip...
Today I followed on from my trip yesterday to Osaka with a return to Kyoto to see how the colors were doing in the ancient capital. What I saw was generally a state of being beyond peak colors; but there was still plenty of vibrant foliage to make for a worthwhile color-chasing trip...
Today I was in Osaka to see how the foliage was faring there. I was pleased to find that despite an unexpected closure and some signs of the autumn color season winding down, the areas I visited today were still predominantly alive with color and generally provided nice autumnal vistas...
Today I was in Kyoto to see how the foliage was faring in the ancient capital. I'm happy to report that the spots I visited were alive with color, making for great displays that I expect to last some time longer...
Today I headed to Tokyo to see how the colors were faring in the nation’s capital. I'm pleased to report that the colors here are likewise coming along very nicely and providing some very picturesque autumnal scenes.
I was lucky enough to spend three days on Amami Oshima, the largest of the Satsunan islands running between Kyushu and Okinawa, taking in its many picture-perfect views, pristine forests and celebrated food and human culture.
Sado Island is an isle of wonders off the coast of Niigata Prefecture in the Sea of Japan. The biggest of the Japanese isles after Okinawa Island, here lies a land of rich history and a flourishing traditional culture particularly noteworthy for its abundance of nature; from the clean, blue waters that lap at its shores to its verdant mountains and flat lands of fertile soil that produce delicious fruit and vegetables. On this visit, I was eager to learn more about how the island’s inhabitants interact with the beautiful nature that surrounds them, especially with autumn, among my favorite seasons, starting to take hold...
This year’s autumn color season is well under way, with colors so far having swept down from Hokkaido, to the Northern Japan Alps and now beginning to trickle into parts of the Kanto Region. Following my trip to Nikko...
A region of lakes, mountains and temples, Nikko is split into two main areas; the relatively low-lying town area, and the nature-rich highlands of Okunikko. With a considerable altitude differential of around 2000 meters...
Today, I continue our chase for the autumn colors, heading to Murodo, the highest point (2450 meters) along the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. The area is one of the first places in Japan to have changing colors thanks to its high elevation and is also a popular hiking spot...
If there were a single testiment to the prominence of Japan’s craft beer scene, it would certainly be the Keyaki Beer Festival, a bohemouth of a beer festival...
Located in the Tohoku region in the north of Japan’s main island of Honshu, Miyagi and Yamagata are two prefectures which are certainly not visited as often as other areas of the country, including the ever-popular areas surrounding Tokyo and Kyoto. Despite this, these two prefectures boast some of the most amazing sites in the country and are brimming with majestic mountains, hot springs and stunning nature spots...
One week ago to the day, the no entry zone around Mount Shirane’s iconic Yugama Crater was reduced to 500 meters due to a decrease of volcanic activity in the area. This means that visitors can once again utilize the area’s parking lot and resthouse as well as hike up to the observation area from where stunning views can be had of the lake. In light of this recent development, I headed yesterday to the famous mountain to take a look at the situation for myself, and also combined my investigation with visits to a few other of the area’s main attractions...
Aside from brewing top-quality beer to markets around the globe, Hitachino Nest also offers the rather unique experience of producing beer at their brewery...
Today I traveled to Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture to visit some of the main attractions of this revered tourist destination. As well as being popular during ...
This year’s cherry blossom season began in Tokyo six weeks ago and since then location after location has seen the blossoms come and go, with now even areas in the very north of the mainland seeing their seasons...
It’s now six weeks since this year’s cherry blossom season kicked off in Tokyo, and now, after the blossoms have come and gone in the vast majority of the mainland, the season is getting well under way in the...
With this year’s cherry blossom season having come to an end in all but the northernmost parts of Honshu, now Hokkaido takes center stage, with many locations on Japan’s rugged, northern island entering their best...
Today I traveled to Ashikaga Flower Park in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture to take in some of the floral delights the park has to offer. The park boasts spectacular displays of seasonal flowers at various points throughout the year, but is particularly well known for its wisteria flowers that typically come into full bloom around late April to mid May and invariably draw in droves of flower fanatics...
Today saw me at Hitachi Seaside Park to check out the blue nemophila flowers that the park is famous for as they come into bloom around this time of year
With this year’s cherry blossom season all but over in many low and southern areas of Japan, now all eyes are on the country’s high and northern areas, of which many are approaching, if not already having entered,...
With this year’s cherry blossom season having largely come to an end in Japan’s more southern regions, now it is the northern and higher altitude portions of the country that take center stage, as many of them...
Northern Japan’s Tohoku Region and the mountainous central Chubu Region are beginning to take the spotlight in this year’s cherry blossom season, as many locations in these areas approach full bloom while most of...
A new week and a new chapter for this year’s cherry blossoms, with various major viewing spots nearing or at the end of their sakura season. On the plus side, Japan’s higher and more northern locations are now coming...
This year’s cherry blossom season has been developing nicely, with many spots in southern and central Japan already in full bloom and beyond. One spot that is traditionally later to develop however is the most famous...
This year’s cherry blossom season is developing nicely with the majority of the major viewing spots in south and central Japan in full bloom and beyond. This being said, the focus for many sakura fanatics is now on...
The 2017 cherry blossom season is well underway, with excitement now building for the opening of the blossoms in north and high places including Takayama and the Fuji Five Lakes region; both of which are predicted to...
The 2017 cherry blossom season is moving along nicely, with multiple cities entering their best viewing periods in the past few days. Yesterday, Raina and myself reported from two such cities; Fukuoka and Nagoya, and...
This past couple of days has seen a fair bit of development on the cherry blossom front, with Fukuoka and now Hiroshima following in Tokyo’s footsteps by entering their best cherry blossom viewing periods. Following...
Kyoto’s cherry blossom season has recently commenced, with Raina keeping us informed of the sakura’s preliminary progress this past weekend. Since then, the city has seen warmer temperatures that are set to hold for...
Tokyo’s cherry blossom season has been an interesting one so far, having officially started ten days ago ahead of the rest of the country’s cities, but then, as Andrew reported earlier this week, stalling slightly due...
Today, I took a trip to another city revered among blossom chasers and traditionally among the country’s first cities to see the opening of the cherry blossoms...
Kanda has emerged in recent times as something of a craft beer oasis, home to a concentrated selection of renowned establishments that are making waves ...
Winter is finally coming to an end with spring just around the corner, and this usually means that it is a great time to see some of the early-blooming cherry blossom species, which averagely hit full bloom around this time. Accordingly, I took a trip today to Tokyo to check on the state of the cherry blossoms at some of the city’s most popular spots...
Kiyomizudera in Kyoto has been undergoing significant renovation works on many of its buildings since 2008. As the final phase of this large renovation project, the temple’s most iconic building, its main hall, will be renovated; namely by replacing its famous thatched roof...
The area around Kushiro in eastern Hokkaido is not only revered for its natural beauty but also as the last home of the Japanese Red-crowned Crane. Tancho as they are called in Japanese were found all accross Hokkaido and Honshu up until the Meiji Period, when over hunting and the disapearance of their natural habitat brought them to the brink of extinction. The species was thought to have been completely extirpated from Japan in the early twentieth century, before a small flock of 20 birds was discovered in the Kushiro Marshlands in 1924...
Today I headed to Hokkaido’s second largest city to check out the opening day of the 58th Asahikawa Winter Festival. Though smaller and not quite as famous as the Sapporo Snow Festival, the Asahikawa Winter Festival also showcases an array of snow and ice sculptures which are spread out over two sites in the city and illuminated in the evenings. A 90 minute train ride and convenient side trip from Sapporo, The festival will run all this week until Sunday 12th...
The Yuki Akari no Michi Festival (Snow Light Path Festival) is one of Hokkaido’s most popular winter festivals and, Otaru being only a 45 minute train ride from Sapporo, is convenient to visit in combination with the Sapporo Snow Festival...
The 68th annual Sapporo Snow Festival (Sapporo Yuki Matsuri) started today and will run through the week until Sunday, February 12th. The largest and best-known of Japan’s snow festivals, this year’s Yuki Matsuri features around 200 snow and ice sculptures spread across downtown Sapporo...
This year, Atami’s early-blooming plum and cherry blossoms have began bursting to life particularly early, making it a great time to visit the town. In the name of catching the most of this floral fantasia, I was particularly keen to see the city’s reputed plum garden, as well as to take a stroll along the banks of the Itogawa River lined with a Atamizakura...
Sometimes referred to as the Kyoto of Eastern Japan, Kamakura is awash with shrines and temples and is a hugely popular tourist destination, no less because it is situated less than an hour south of Tokyo. The foliage around the many holy sights usually bursts into color around early December, and so I was eager to get down to some of the celebrated sites to see for myself how the autumn colors were looking...
I've been in western Japan for the past eight days, and today I revisited some of the spots I investigated last week, to see how their colors have progressed. The season as a whole has been quick to progress in Kyoto, as the city has seen some unusually low temperatures in recent weeks. Considering this and the colorful experiences I had here last week, I was eager to get to my spots for the day to see how they were looking...
Today I returned to magnificent Kyoto to see how the autumn colors were coming along in a few more choice spots typically popular with visitors at this time of year...
In continuing my coverage of this stunning season in western Japan, today I returned to Kyoto to see how the autumn colors were coming along at a couple of spots that are usually very popular at this time of year...
Today I went to check out the autumn colors on one of the jewels of Hiroshima Prefecture said to be one of the three most scenic spots in Japan, Miyajima. The colors here usually peak around mid November, when the leaves burst into color and make this little isle of wonders one of the most popular autumn color viewing spots in western Japan...
Today, I took a journey to Kyoto, one of the country’s most popular and spectacular autumn color spots. My travels were concentrated on the east of this city of autumnal delights, as I checked out how the colors were progressing at some of the city’s many great autumnal locations. I can report that Kyoto has progressed relatively quickly this year, now well in peak in many spots. This is largely due to the low temperatures that the city has seen over the last three weeks...
The Hakone area is blessed with a relatively large height differential from the high to lowlands that permits for a long showing of colors as they leak down the mountain slopes and typically peak around early November...
In continuing our coverage of this stunning season, today I headed to a little-known gem nestled in the hills of Gunma Prefecture. Sakurayama Park is locally renowned as a great place to catch the autumn colors, with the bonus of being home to multiple species of winter flowering cherry blossoms...
The Fujigoko district consists of the areas surrounding the five lakes at the foot of Mount Fuji and has long been a popular autumn color viewing spot, not least for its serene landscapes, but also because of its proximity to Tokyo. Seeing as this was the first visit to Fuji this year, I was looking forward to observing how the foliage would be...
Adorned with mountains, grasslands, water features and temples, Nikko is a popular destination for travelers from Tokyo during autumn when the elevation differential typically permits for a showing of color throughout the month of October as it sweeps down from the high points of Okunikko to the town below...
This year’s autumn color season is now well under way, with a flurry of color in the process of sweeping down Japan from north to south and from high to lowlands. In continuing the reporting we’ve done so far this year, today I took a trip to see how the foliage was doing along the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route...
Located just a couple of hours north of Tokyo, the Nikko area typically starts to see autumn colors in late September to early October; a good month to six weeks before the parks and ginkgo-flanked streets of the capital start to show signs of change...
The Yamato area in Nara Prefecture around today’s Sakurai and Tenri cities is highly significant in the history of Japan as the first center of power for the imperial court...
