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 Peter Van Bossche; other photos by Fyllis Hockman unless otherwise noted

How often do a toilet and a tea ceremony form perfect metaphors for the culture of a country? But so it is in the Land of the Rising Sun.

The toilet falls into the realm of delightful personal discoveries. First a warm toilet seat along with musical options with a variety of buttons that cleaned more areas with water spray than I have nether-region body parts, a portion of the large bathroom mirror that remained perfect

The Hokuriku region is located in the center of Honshu, the largest and populous island of Japan. Ishikawa and Toyama Prefectures are jewels of this region, and they each feature a Tokyu Hotel!

More About Toyama and Ishikawa Prefectures

The western coast of both Toyama and Ishikawa prefectures face the Sea of Japan. From these waters, abundant with fish and crustaceans, come fresh and delicious snow crabs, yellowtail and white shrimp, making the region a seafood mecca for both locals and tourists

Japan is one of those very few countries where the past sits easily amidst the present. It is against this backdrop of this simply captivating country, soundly rooted in its affluent tapestry of history and culture, crowned by ancient temples and majestic castles, that these classes of historic landmarks are situated. They help to understand Japanese heritage, aiding a number of glimpses into spiritual, architectural, and social aspects of times gone by. These classes should be compulsory visits

The Andaru Collection Niseko features only six private villas. Each villa unit has two exclusive-use floors, with personalized service to all guests from across the world. The sight of these villas standing side-by-side, like a kamakura, Japan's traditional snow hut, evokes the feeling of a fairy tale village.

They are located in Niseko, the most prominent ski resort region of Hokkaido, Japan's northern-most main island. It is a 2-hour drive Southwest from Sapporo, Hokkaido's capital and largest

MatthiasKabel

All across the world, all sorts of holiday activities– both religious and secular, age-old and relatively new – are in full swing during this season, including festive lights, special street markets, trees, Santa and elves everywhere, and the rest of it.  But a handful of places feature oddities which range from whimsical to scary to occasionally potentially offensive. Here´s a particularly memorable top ten:

Austria & Germany: Demonic Doings

December 5 is celebrated as St. Nicho

Human nature drives us to seek experiences beyond our familiar surroundings in our desire to explore new destinations. To fulfill this desire and explore something new this time you should travel from Los Angeles to Tokyo. On your journey from Los Angeles to Tokyo, you will experience a rich tapestry of cultural experiences, combining the glitz of Hollywood with the cultural riches of Japan. Travel is not just moving from one place to another it's a complete experience of self-discovery and cult

If you're an amusement park geek, you've probably mused at some point about what makes one roller coaster better than others. You've tried to answer this question logically with various rankings and lists, but they just don't gel, because roller coasters are very subjective. Two coaster enthusiasts could experience the same ride and come away with entirely different opinions on its quality. So how do we really know what the best roller coaster in the world is?

Steel Dragon 2000 - Nagashima Sp

Cherry blossoms at Himeji Castle (April 2023)

I’m writing today to tell you about another Japan Railways “rail pass,” in particular about my recent experiences using the Seishun 18 Ticket (青春１８きっぷ). As for why there have been some Japan-related posts lately, well– I’ve been in Tokyo for a couple of weeks.

What is the Seishun 18 Ticket? It´s essentially a cheaper version of the JR Pass that is only available during three different times in one calendar year:

The Land of Rising Sun.is endlessly fascinating, with its bamboo forests, serene temples, neon arcades, futuristic skyscrapers, and exquisite cuisine - not to mention ultra-polite people. A fascinating mix of highly traditional and cutting-edge modern, it's on many travelers' bucket lists. But with so much too see, where should you head to make the most out of your visit?

Kyoto 

If you were had just one day in Japan for a destination of your choice, make it Kyoto. Famed for being in many

It is not often that a toilet and a tea ceremony form perfect metaphors for the culture of a country, but so it is in Japan.

The toilet falls into the realm of delightful personal discoveries – albeit all of them in the hotel bathroom of the Kyoto Park Hotel. First, a warm toilet seat along with musical options with a variety of buttons that cleaned more areas with water spray than I have nether region body parts, a portion of the large bathroom mirror that remained perfectly clear even after an

Train Simulator Guestroom at Fairfield Marriott Sapporo

Tobu Railway, the operator of the simulator cab (short for cabin), and Tobu Ryokuchi, the operator of the Fairfield by Marriott Sapporo, have opened a train simulator guestroom! From January 28, 2022 through February 28, 2022, guests and hotel visitors were able try out the simulator for a modest price per group - one group per day, up to three persons per group, for up to three hours. A separate use plan for staying guests only launched o

In Japan's Nikko and Kinugawa-onsen areas, 2 Hours North of Tokyo along the Tobu Railway Nikko and Kinugawa Lines, Special Moon-Viewing Festivities with Autumn Light-ups will be held from September to November.

There is a Japanese expression Aki no Yonaga, which literally means "long autumn night." This year, despite Covid-19, two popular, annual, celebratory light-up events, illuminating the autumn night, will be held in the Nikko-Kinugawa area, along Tobu Railway's Nikko and Kinugawa Lines.

The

Kanazawa is the capital of Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture, along the Japan Seacoast. Because of its rich cultural history and preserved art and architecture, it is often called the Jewel of the Hokuriku - Central Honshu - region.

Historically, Kanazawa was the headquarters of the Kaga Domain during the Edo Period (1603-1868). The Kaga Domain was Japan’s second most powerful, after the Tokugawa Shogunate, located in Eastern Honshu. 

The Maeda Clan, headquartered in Kanazawa, were the Kaga Domain's feu

Japan is an incredible land and the experience we had cannot be altered. The land of sushi and bonsai welcomed us with its arms wide open. The 7 days we spent in the country was nothing less than an adventure. The greatest was the experience was visiting places like natural gardens, to feeding deers, learning about the tradition, playing casino, and so much more.  We were able to get a good referral offer from nihonlinecasino.com and it made our time even more memorable due to the information pr

Japan is not only a country of the rising sun, kimonos, and sushi. This is the home of over 120 million amazing people. The Japanese have always been famous for their culture. And their ingenuity and responsibility helped the country become one of the most developed in the world. We present to your attention the most successful Japanese inventions.

• The smart use of water

Washbasins in Japan are installed in such a way that tap water escapes into the drain tank. Reuse of water without any treatment

Some experts believe that this new trend is the next generation of the internet, which provides the social context for a peer-to-peer connections. The sharing economy is a revolution of underutilized time, space, skills and resources.

Today anyone can be a tour guide a car rental agency, a professor, offer his home as a hotel or offer other services. People can save