Uncovering Rural Japan: Onsen, Nature, and Local Flavors!
Cruising Through the Countryside with My Big Brother When my brother first told me he wanted to come and visit…
Art & Culture
Nabari Autumn Festival Experience – A Traditional Celebration of Bonfires and Mikoshi
Across the weekend of the 26th and 27th of October, Nabari (Mie Prefecture) held its autumn festival, celebrating the year’s…
Behind the Studio Doors – A Visit to the Higashiyoshino Open Atelier
Higashiyoshino Village, located at the southernmost tip of the East Nara Nabari area, is about a 1.5–2 hour drive from…
Kintsugi Experience in Soni Village, the Birthplace of Urushi Lacquering
Have you ever heard of kintsugi? It is also called kintsukuroi. If this doesn't ring a bell, have you ever…
Bamboo Lanterns Connecting Our Hearts
Two Stories of Community Development Through Bamboo Lanterns One early morning in late autumn, I took the Kintetsu Urban Liner…
Tea Making was Hard but Fun!
Hello everyone! How are you? This is Mineko. I’ve been spending every day this summer in good health, with no…
Enjoying Installation Art in Murou, Nara
It's that time of year when the trees are getting greener and greener, and when you're driving along, you can’t…
Weekend Warriors at Taisenkaku Inn
You have not been to Japan until you stay in a traditional Japanese inn, ryokan. We had to perform the…
A Village Where Creators Gather – Higashiyoshino
Nature, pottery, and international exchange One day in September, in the last days of summer, I drove to Higashiyoshino Village…