Culture Mii-dera Cherry Blossom Awa Odori 2026 Kim Bergström Shiga's Mii-dera Temple is set to host a lively new event this spring—the Mii-dera Cherry Blossom Awa Odori— bringing the vib...
Culture Hiking Around Azuchi Castle Ruins rachel teo The relentless heat of the Japanese summer has finally waned, and it's the best time of the year to go on a hike! Join me in ...
Culture Corn Festival 2025 Kim Bergström Corn is a vital crop with immense importance as a food, feed, and fuel source. The Yatsugatake corn variant grows well in Jap...
7 Culture Hikone Castle in Shiga Lily Hikone Castle in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, is a very famous original castle tower. It is registered as a National Treasu...
7 Culture Genkyuen Garden at Hikone Castle Lily Genkyuen Garden at Hikone Castle, Shiga Prefecture is recognized as a national scenic spot. The garden and palace buildings d...
6 Culture The Battlefields of Nagahama Castle Emi Nishiwaki In Shiga Prefecture in central Japan, Nagahama Castle is a great spot to visit for a dose of spring cherry blossoms. It also ...
Culture Amazing Hieizan Arlene Bastion Hieizan, the home of the awesome Enryakuji, with its immense, luxurious forests, emanates its own sacred and spiritual feelin...
Culture Muddled in Miidera Arlene Bastion Getting to and around Miidera is a bit puzzling. But persevere. The temples are embedded in verdant forests, and emanate a s...
Culture Blessed Biwa Arlene Bastion Lake Biwa holds more than beauty. It also brings blessings as an object of worship according to both the Shinto and Buddhist ...
Culture Otsu: Oddly Overshadowed Arlene Bastion Otsu has its own merits including Lake Biwa and shrines significant to Buddhist-Shinto origins. It need not be overshadowed a...
