Spending a New Year’s Eve in Japan can be a frustrating experience for those who are used to celebrating the occasion with a string of raucous parties and free-flowing alcohol. Many stores, cafes and restaurants in Japan are closed between December 29 and January 4, which puts a decided dampener on one’s entertainment activities and…

Even though nobility once wore the feathers and furs taken from its tropical wildlife, and its precious rainforest hardwoods were used to build imperial palaces, few mainland Chinese set foot on the island of Hainan until recent years. Tropical storms and typhoons, a fear of bloodthirsty pirates, and the island’s reputation as a remote place…

When evening falls on Miyazaki and its ubiquitous scarlet and indigo evening sky drops behind the phoenix palms that line many of the city’s roads and boulevards, you could be forgiven for thinking that you are strolling through a middle-class quarter of Cairo or Marbella. The city reminded travel writer Will Ferguson fleetingly of Miami,…

On November 15 every year, doting parents of three- and seven-year-old girls and three- and five-year-old boys dress their children in their finest clothes and visit a local shrine to celebrate the traditional rite of passage known as Shichi-Go-San, which literally means “seven-five-three.” As the date is not strictly a national holiday in Japan, it…

A long string of wind chimes hanging from the wooden roof of Ken Yamashita’s old house in rural Tokorozawa competes with the chirping of cicadas to pierce the quiet of a lazy afternoon. Time might easily be mistaken for standing still here, but in just a few hours city dwellers will start packing themselves into…

Politicians are typically staid, predictable types who are happy to forgo any hint of personality for the sake of toeing the party line. And so it is rather refreshing to meet Miyazaki governor Hideo Higashikokubaru, a man who possesses an uncanny knack of being able to surprise. The former entertainer surprised everyone in January, comfortably…

In stark contrast to the stifling heat and humidity outside the studio under the glare of Tokyo Tower, the dark, cavernous room, in the middle of which sits an elaborate set with cherry trees in full bloom, is chilly and abuzz with activity, with half a dozen cameras being tested and re-tested, directors barking orders…

Kusatsu Onsen, nestled in the mountains of northwestern Gunma prefecture, is one of the most famous hot spring resorts in Japan. Go there on a typical weekend and the quaint city center is transformed into a swarming marketplace, teeming with smiling Japanese tourists Ð some clad in yukata Ð ready to go onsen-hopping in one…

It’s always better to have expectations crushed right at the start, to ascend from zero appreciation of a new destination. In the case of Kurashiki, there’s certainly nothing outstanding about the cheesy area facing the station’s south exit. The north exit is only a little more promising, with the painted walls and turrets of Kurashiki…

In Paris’ ultra-chic First Arrondissement, 26 Rue Cambon is an address that represents the culmination of one young girl’s dreams Рfantastic and beautiful dreams that began at a time when the world was enveloped in death and destruction. Only a stone’s throw from fashionable Place Vendome and across the street from a Chanel boutique, bridal…