• Inside Kobe’s Art Aquarium

    Atoa Aquarium (stylized as átoa) is one of Kobe’s newest attractions, having opened just a few years ago in 2021. Located in Kobe Port, just across the water from Kobe…

    May 18, 2025

  • Meet the Deer of Nara Park

    At the foot of Mount Wakakusa sits one of the oldest parks in Japan. Sprawling across 660 ha (1631 ac), Nara Park is home to temples, shrines, and a national…

    March 31, 2024

  • Inside Nara’s Mall Museums

    Nara is best known for the four-legged locals that roam freely around its 660-hectare park. But friendly deer aren’t the city’s only animal attraction. Visitors can also get up close…

    March 29, 2024

  • In Pictures: The Art Aquarium

    Bubble Eye. Pom Pom. Telescope. These are just three of the 25 varieties of goldfish, or kingyo [金魚], that are distributed in Japan today. The ornamental fish have been used as…

    October 13, 2015

  • Exploring Wartime Remains on Japan’s Rabbit Island

    If any island served as inspiration for ABC’s LOST (aka the best television series of all time) it was surely Ōkunoshima. Featuring a golf course, pylons, old test laboratories and its very…

    September 17, 2015

  • The Sacred, Starving Deer of Miyajima

    “…so please do not feed the deer,” the announcement played over a loudspeaker as soon as I walked out of the terminal. Wait – what!? There’s deer here? Thanks to…

    September 7, 2015

  • The Horse Dance Festival

    Mark and I have been joking that I should rename my blog “Following Mark around Japan” since the last couple of posts have all been about my adventures with him.…

    April 30, 2015

  • The Onsen-Bathing Monkeys of Yamanouchi

    Because of Japan’s high volcanic activity, thousands of hot springs are scattered throughout the country. Locally known as onsen, the mineral-rich water is believed to cure a wide range of…

    April 1, 2015