King Tacos is a legendary Japanese Mexican restaurant located in Kin Town on the main island of Okinawa. It is best known as the birthplace of taco rice. Taco rice is a fusion of Mexican and Japanese food created by Matsuzo Gibo, who came up with the original dish in 1984 at his restaurant Parlor Senri also in Kin Town. As Kin Town is close to the U.S. military base at Camp Hansen, Gibo supposedly created taco rice as an alternative to tacos for his predominantly American soldier clientele. Another rumor is that using rice instead of taco shells was a cheaper alternative leading to the creatio ..read more

Uminchu Shokudo is a cafeteria style seafood restaurant located in the Yomitan Village Fishermen's Cooperative Store. Located in Yomitan near Toya Port, this seaside store sells a huge variety of fresh seafood including sashimi, made to order tempura, and fresh whole fish. Upstairs, there is a cafeteria style restaurant (Uminchu Shokudo) that serves excellent seafood dishes including rice bowls with various seafood toppings and seafood soups. The food is simple but delicious and the atmosphere very authentic. Orders are placed through a ticket machine and then the tickets given to the coo ..read more

Mikasa Matsuyama is a delicious traditional Okinawan homestyle restaurant located in downtown Naha. Okinawan homestyle food includes dishes such as goya champuru (stir fried bitter melon with spam, egg and tofu), spam with eggs, yaki udon, stir fried pork (yakiniku) or ginger beef on rice. Mikasa Matsuyama serves all these dishes in a variety of forms, with a menu that is quite large and will likely accommodate all tastes. The restaurant is well known to locals and has been in operation since 1966.  The signature Champon (Mikasa style) is a stir fried gr ..read more

Nago Grocery Store is a beautiful souvenir store located in downtown Nago. Nago is the largest Northern city on the main island of Okinawa and the city has a slower pace than Naha. This store is located on the second floor in the Nago Municipal Market, a building complex which houses traditional stores selling fresh meat and seafood as well as fruits and vegetables. Despite the name, this is a home goods and souvenir shop as well as a cafe. The store feels like an unexpected find as it is very different in appearance and function from the surrounding stores in the complex. The store is dedicat ..read more

Golden Week refers to a roughly week-long period centered around four national holidays. This holiday break generally starts at the end of April and finishes at the beginning of May. In 2024, Golden Week is from April 29 to May 6. Golden Week’s national holidays are as follows: Showa Day (April 29) Constitution Day (May 3) Greenery Day (May 4) Children's Day (May 5) Learn more about these national holidays. Many companies will give their employees off for the entire period or people will simply take off, making it an exceptionally busy and popular time for travel within Japan. Naturally, t ..read more

Japan is a country often revered for its overall cleanliness, with streets generally free of litter, public places well-maintained, and tidiness deeply rooted in societal norms like the "shoes-off in the house" culture. This reputation for keeping things clean was affirmed in the results of Skytrax's 2024 World's Cleanest Airports report, which saw Tokyo's Haneda Airport (HND) take out first place on the top 10 list. The report is based solely off passenger feedback, with survey results collated from August 2023 to March 2024. Respondents from over 100 countries took part in the study, and all ..read more

[photo id='238913'] One of Japan's foremost beer manufacturers, Sapporo Beer, launched a brand-new brewery on April 3, 2024 located in the heart of central Tokyo. This opening marks a significant milestone for the company, as it signifies Sapporo's return to Tokyo after a break of approximately 35 years since production ceased at the location in 1988 due to factory relocation. [photo id='238912'] Sapporo Beer invested over $11 million in the brewery, situated in the Ebisu Garden Place complex—adding to the vibrant landscape of Tokyo's bustling Shibuya Ward. It is anticipated the new brewery wi ..read more

On March 16, 2024, Ghibli Park opened the Valley of Witches. This whimsical area is inspired by Studio Ghibli’s witch-related movies and brings the settings of Kiki’s Delivery Service, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Earwig and the Witch to life. As you explore the nature-entwined European townscape, you will feel as though you have been whisked away into an alternate realm. Listed below are some of the area’s top attractions. Please note that only Ghibli Park O-Sanpo Day Pass Premium holders can enter The Okino Residence, Howl's Castle, and The House of Witches. Highlights Kiki’s Delivery Servic ..read more

The Kurobe Unazuki Canyon Route is set to open this autumn (2024) and will be a game changer for tourism in the Japan Alps. This new route will connect the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route with the Kurobe Gorge Railway, offering travelers an opportunity to explore these iconic attractions in a single trip. The Kurobe Gorge Railway and the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route The Kurobe Dam, located in the steep and narrow Kurobe Gorge, is the tallest dam in Japan. Since 1951, the Kurobe Gorge Railway has been offering tourists scenic journeys through the gorge’s stunning natural landscapes. Also, since 19 ..read more

Mt Omuro in Ito, Shizuoka, last erupted about 4,000 years ago, leaving the mountain its distinctive inverted bowl shape. It hasn’t made a peep since then, so visitors can now take a chair lift up to the crater (or caldera). [photo id='238857'] Omuro's height is a deceptive 580 metres, which as the chair lift starts moving at an almost perpendicular incline, is actually quite steep. Tumbling out at the summit, we can see the full sweep of the mountain, the crater dip in the centre, and the walking ridgeline trail that rings it. [photo id='238867'] The walk round the 300m circumference of the cr ..read more