Taking a small deviation off the regular Chotto Zeitaku series, this edition is about shinrinyoku, or forest bathing, an indulgence of nature. The idea is to surrounded by nature, soak in the negative ions and leave...

Just minutes away from one of the busiest and most well visited tourist destinations, Shibuya, are the neighbourhoods of Tomigaya and Kamiyamacho. An oasis of peace from the busy scramble...

Summer in Japan brings to mind beaches and barbecues, ice cold drinks, and festivals and fireworks. If you are in Japan over the hottest months of the year, consider visiting a nearby beach to experience how the...

Wanting for a change of pace and to get out of the city, I headed to the cities of Tsubame and Sanjo in Niigata Prefecture. Often collectively referred to as Tsubame-Sanjo, the cities are not as well-known compared to...

Deciding that I needed a little escapade before the rush of the cherry blossom season, I headed to an area in western Tokyo known as Tamagawa. The area is not a major tourist area unlike some of the more popular...

Mid-winter is the time when most people tend to stay indoors and out of the cold. It is no different here, but when the sky is blue and the sun is out it makes me want to get out and do things. I took advantage of the...

Mashiko is a town in Tochigi Prefecture that is famous for its ceramics, Mashiko-yaki. Being a pottery craftsman town, there is a lot of emphasis on hands-on creation and local wares. The city is about 2 hours north...

With fall fast on the heels of summer, the temperatures are starting to cool down and the country gearing up for the autumn color season. Having at least another month before the colors make their way down towards the...

In the summer edition of Chotto Zeitaku Japan, I headed to Itoshima, a small city about a 40-minute drive from either Fukuoka in the east or Karatsu in the west. The area draws parallels to the Shonan Coast near Tokyo...

Yanesen, which is made up of the three neighbourhoods of Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi, is one of Tokyo’s most well known shitamachi areas. A literal translation of the term

In the June installation of Chotto Zeitaku Japan, we head over to the middle of Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. Located in the middle of Hokkaido, the towns of Biei and Furano are twice as large as the 23 wards...

When you’re filled with a craving for travel and are a little restless, there’s no better way to soothe that urge than to go out exploring. In an attempt to curb the wanderlust, I spent a cheeky weekday in Kagurazaka...