It might be hard for some to keep up with the dizzying pace of fashion in Tokyo – or at least the aggressive pace Tokyo boutiques change seasons. In fact, as soon as you settle on buying that summery Marc Jacobs T-shirt you’ve had your eye on for a while, the shelves will be swept…

For several years after WWII, in the days before New Caledonia and Hawaii became de rigueur and affordable, Beppu, along with Miyazaki to the south, was one of Japan’s most popular and exotic honeymoon spots. Even the exceptionally well-traveled writer Yukio Mishima and his bride Yoko spent part of their honeymoon there. The city is…

Kengo Kuma is one of Japan’s great contemporary architects, with over 70 projects to his credit. His buildings are typified by a sensual simplicity and demonstrate an acute consciousness of the surrounding environment. His site-sensitive work always maintains a humanistic warmth and respect for nature, and is therefore always elegant, exuding an atmosphere of serenity….

We’ve all been there — in need of a cool one after work, at the end of a day traipsing around the shops, after the most recent ear-lashing from the missus, or just because… Beer, according to a certain American born scientist/writer/politician named Benjamin Franklin is proof God loves us. Whether or not this is…

Population swings have long been the subject of debate, study, analysis, predictions of doom and gloom, and general chitchat for the uninformed. In reality, there is no such thing as an “ideal” population. There are, however, many takes on required numbers to maintain, improve upon, and even decrease, living standards at any given point in…

The wandering performers, charcoal-makers and peddlers that once traversed the eastern coast of the Izu Peninsula have long since vanished, but much else has remained remarkably unchanged. Along a seaboard corridor more suggestive of a rustic country route than a vector for north-south passenger traffic, cedars and other trees line slopes and gorges leading to…

Instagram is a mobile, desktop internet-based photo sharing application and service that allows users to share pictures and videos either publicly, or privately to pre-approved followers. Recently “Instagram” has become very popular in Japan. The buzzword “Insta-Bae” means “Instagenic (Instagram+photogenic)” in Japanese, photogenic pictures that get many likes on Instagram. “Insta-Bae” has been picked as…

When you hear “Kobe beef,” you may conjure up the image of a Japanese cattle rancher lovingly massaging its ample hind legs, alleviating any stress build up in its body, while his wife gently brushes the hide with sake, bringing out the sheen of its coat. Such is the mystique surrounding the production of the…

Sanchoku food means direct to the table.  While the farm to table concept in many countries has a very “peasant” food connotation with a higher emphasis on organic products, the Japanese sanchoku idea is a broader one. It really begins with the idea of wanting to bring seafood — so integral to Japanese cuisine —…

Miyakojima is the largest island of the Miyako Islands in Okinawa Prefecture. From a business perspective, it is known for its production of brown sugar made from sugarcane grown there, but the island is also a hot tourist destination. Just under an hour away from the main island of Okinawa and boasting beautiful white beaches,…