Where ash-fall is an everyday occurrence — Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live next to — or on — an active volcano? Well, that is what the people of Kagoshima, Japan, experience every day. Sakurajima is an active stratovolcano just four kilometers across Kagoshima Bay from downtown Kagoshima City, in southern Japan…

A UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage — “We eat with our eyes” Washoku, or Japanese cuisine, is famous the world over for its impeccable presentation and meticulous attention to detail. Japanese meals are beautiful, tasty, and healthful. There is a Japanese expression, me de taberu, 目で食べる, “We eat with our eyes.” As you can imagine, this refers to the time we spend…

Enabling you to reconnect with the natural world — and boost your body’s killer cell activity at the same time. — Greater Tokyo is the most densely populated land mass in the world. In 2019, its population peaked at 37.468 million. This was more than the entire population of Canada. Life in Tokyo can be stressful, with famously long working hours and a frenetic pace of life. Japanese words have been…

Beauty and History are Everywhere in Japan — Growing up in northern Virginia, my life revolved around my Catholic school and the Fort Myers’ Officers’ swimming pool. When I tired of swimming on long summer days, I would walk under big shady trees through the old section of Arlington National Cemetery. Each unique 19th century gravestone held such…

Children who learn this from an early age become remarkably resilient adults — In 2016, Angela Duckworth published her research on what she called “Grit” — a winning combination of passion and perseverance — that she posited as a crucial component of success. That is the closest thing I can think of to what the Japanese have been calling gaman (我慢) for centuries. What is gaman? …

Although not a sightseeing spot, Nanzoin is well worth a visit — Nanzoin (南蔵院) is a Shingon Buddhist temple just 20 minutes by train from Hakata Station in Fukuoka City, Kyushu. I was lucky to be able to visit it during a recent trip to Fukuoka. The temple was originally located on Mount Koya, the center of Shingon Buddhism. During the anti-Buddhist…

The rise and fall of the Northern Fujiwara family — Three generations of glory Vanished In the space of a dream So wrote Japan’s most famous Haiku poet, Matsuo Basho, upon visiting Hiraizumi in 1689. Located in Iwate Prefecture, Hiraizumi is a place you may never have heard of. …

What you need to know before going to a public bath or hot springs in Japan — The volcanic islands of Japan are a paradise of natural hot springs, called onsen. Almost all traditional inns have indoor baths, and some have beautiful outside hot spring baths where you can relax and enjoy the tranquility of nature.

Why are there so many slippers? — If you’ve ever been to Japan, one thing you cannot help but notice is how often you must take off shoes and put on slippers. At first, it can be a bit confusing. Please allow me to demystify this for you. The Japanese have a highly refined aesthetic regarding shoes…