Rob Gilhooly explores a 14-billion-ton block of salt in the middle of South America. Had it been part of some bizarre dream, it might have been more credible. After hours of driving along unsealed tracks that snaked through windswept villages straight out of a Sergio Leone movie, we entered what looked like a vast, open-air…

Almost every Westerner who has ever read anything about Japan has probably come across Professor Donald Keene’s name at some point in time.  The 83-year-old professor has published around 40 books in English on Japanese topics, including both studies of Japanese literature and culture and translations of Japanese classical and modern literature. His award-winning title,…

UJS Language Institute is a Japanese language school in Roppongi, Minato-ku, since 1986. UJS is not only to provide Japanese lessons for study abroad students, but also business professionals. To adapt to the “New Normal”, UJS has decided to resume business Japanese lessons online. We offer small group online lessons for whoever desires to improve their…

In the first half of 2020, the number of foreign visitors to Japan decreased suddenly due to the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) infection worldwide, which has seriously impacted the travel industry around the world. What will happen to the Olympic and Paralympic Games that have now been postponed to next year?   Development…

Nagai Sake Brewery in Gunma Prefecture, which exports sake to 40 countries and regions worldwide, will release a new product “Mitsubasho Artist Series Kataoka Tsurutaro” from the 10th of September 2020 with the running concept of environmental conservation in Ozegahara (Oze) in the Gunma Prefecture. As an original sake made for environmental conservation in Oze,…

Soon the Autumn holiday season will be upon us. However the “Go To Travel” campaign is not applicable to residents of Tokyo and travelling has been made difficult due to COVID-19. But for those residents stuck in the city but dying for a holiday, we have good news. Introducing the limited luxury hotel deals exclusive…

The rainy season is over and the summer heat is in full swing. The year 2020 has already seen the cancellation of many summer fireworks festivals. It is said, originally the tradition of yearly fireworks began during the “Kyoho Famine”. Prices rose due to the famine and epidemics such as cholera had become epidemic. It…

Thomasina Larkin stumbles across a local artist who likes to mix and match. Armed with phat magic markers, acrylic paints and his computer, Shibuya Tadaomi can transform anything that catches his eye into a soulful and lifelike image of robotic funk. Influenced by a childhood spent watching Transformers and Power Rangers, and surrounded by the…

A popular Japanese outdoor pastime offers participants the chance to get well and truly off the beaten track, writes Robert Cameron. It’s summer – time to hit the streams for some sawanobori.  This popular and uniquely Japanese sport, sometimes translated as stream-climbing or river-tracing, is virtually unknown outside of Japan, but is extremely popular here….

Mari Mari, quite contrary, how does your Japanese garden grow?  With large flat stones and no garden gnomes, and temple tiles all in a row, writes Stephen Mansfield. Having accumulated a small library of books and magazines devoted to the subject of Japanese gardens as well as having visited more than 150 gardens stretching from…