If you’ve grown tired of the latest collection from Daiso and want some one-of-a-kind pottery, head to Mashiko in Tochigi. The town’s annual Spring Pottery Festival runs until May 5, giving locals and outsiders alike a chance to display their latest works. With up to 600 tents vying for attention, it’s a fascinating—and unintimidating—place to browse and ...
Shanghai Expo 2010 runs from May 1 to October 31, and the local government has been busy making good on its motto of “Better city, better life.” New infrastructure projects are being completed at breakneck speed for the May deadline, neighborhoods cleaned up, and even an ill-considered smoking ban imposed. But where can visitors get ...
When the young Sennosuke Yamaguchi took part in one of Japan’s early diplomatic missions to Europe and the US, the experience left him brimming with ideas. In 1878, the Keio University graduate established the Fujiya Hotel, the country’s first Western-style hotel, in the resort area of Hakone. Its name was taken from the Japanese word ...
It’s like hanami in the vineyards. That’s the best way to describe next month’s Harvest Festival at Coco Farm and Winery in Tochigi Prefecture. For ¥2,000, you get a commemorative glass, a bottle of wine and a corkscrew (or a bottle of juice and a stopper). “People end up making friends here very easily,” says ...
Sure, the seven-hour flight from Tokyo makes Singapore a bit far for a weekend trip, but once you get there the country is small enough to experience in a couple of days. Be sure to spend one of those days on a cultural safari: Malaysians, Chinese, English, Japanese, Indians and other nationalities all mix together ...
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