You can’t walk around Japan without seeing the beautiful noren hanging in the doorways of shops and restaurants, but what if you wanted a unique one to take home as a souvenir? The ability to custom order a noren combined with a friendly owner who can communicate fairly well in English makes Bengara the place…
Category: Places
Asakusa – Getaya
Though the business card says “Since 1912”, talk to the owner and he says Getaya has been in the business of traditional Japanese footwear for 116 years. If you want high quality, Japanese-handcrafted geta (wooden shoes) or zori (vinyl and more formal), Getaya has a huge selection. You can even choose the wooden base you…
Oshino Hakkai
Seeking variations on the views of Mt. Fuji can fill a lifetime, but there is certainly one view which should not be missed. Oshino Hakkai in Yamanashi Prefecture offers views of Fuji-san against the foreground of its eight crystal clear ponds which are fed from the water of Fuji’s melted snow. Travelling miles underground…
Asari Shio Ramen
This simple ramen, made with clams in a salt based broth, is not as common in ramen shops as you might expect. We found this delicious bowl literally meters from the beach in Ichinomiya, Chiba prefecture at Kujukuri Men Dragon, a ramen shop run by a former Tokyoite turned ramen chef / surfer. the chef and…
Waterfall Climbing in Hanno
For an off-the-beaten-path summer activity, head out to Saitama to the foothills above the bedroom community of Hanno and discover not only beautiful waterfalls, but waterfalls you can climb. Well, perhaps with some experience or an experienced guide who can anchor a rope for you while you scale waterfalls between 3 and 15 meters high….
Yamato Antique Fair
On the third Saturday of each month, hundreds of sellers gather around the Yamato JR station in Kanagawa at a street fair focused on Japanese antiques. Sellers range from professional dealers to market hoppers with boxes of unsorted items they hope to rid themselves of quickly. For the visitor to Japan, the antique fair environment…
Ghibli at Tokyo City View
Here’s a deal that’s hard to pass up: buy admission to the 52nd floor viewing platform of Roppongi Hills known as Tokyo City View and get admission to a huge exclusive Studio Ghibli exhibition for free! Thousands of Ghibli artifacts are on display from original posters and advertising to storyboards to 3D models suspended from…
Tohoku Week – Shiogama Jinja
Topping a small hill overlooking Shiogama town in Miyagi Prefecture, this fairly large shrine complex has a history of over 1,000 years, surviving earthquakes, fires and tsunamis. It can be included as part of an itinerary containing the Shiogama and Matsushima towns and is well worth a long stroll around the picturesque buildings, pine forests…
Tohoku Week – Shichigahama
Shichigahama sits south of the ruggedly scenic Matsushima Bay and north of the city of Sendai. Known for its fishing waters and as a summer vacation haven, Shichigahama attracts visitors from around Japan for its natural beauty. Void of the many islands protecting the coast in Matsushima Bay, several of its beaches are popular with local surfers….
Tohoku Week – Kanrantei
When you sit down in Kanrantei and served a frothy matcha and sweet wagashi, you may not realize the building you are in may be better traveled in Japan than you. Kanrantei teahouse was a gift to Data Musumine, the daimyo who founded the city of Sendai, from the legendary Japanese leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Kanrantei was built…
365 JAPAN 