Japan Journeys

Must-dos if you're in Japan this summer: Visiting a festival🏮

Ajisai (hydrangea) are an unsung hero among Japan's flowers! Use the handy map to figure out when they'll be blooming near you!

It’s almost hydrangea (ajisai) season in Japan! Use this handy map to figure out when they’ll be blooming in each prefecture💐

☀️ Sun's out!

Our prefecture of the week is Gifu! Nestled in the Japan Alps, Gifu is home to UNESCO World Heritage Site Shirakawago, famous for its traditional gassho-zukuri ("constructed like hands in prayer",) farmhouses, named as such as they're said to resemble monks' hands put together in prayer. Nearby Takayama is home to one of Japan's most famous festivals, the Takayama Festival, which takes place twice a year in spring and autumn.

The Lawson in Kawaguchiko has been covered up with a curtain to stop tourists from taking pictures after the spot blew up online leading to tourists blocking the road and jaywalking. Thoughts?

Kawaguchiko is still absolutely worth a visit to me! Maybe the sight of the old wooden train station in front of Fuji will be the next spot to blow up online🤔

Our prefecture of the week is Fukushima! Fukushima is Japan's third largest prefecture, 3% of which is considered a no-entry zone following the 2011 Tsunami and nuclear accident. Highlights include the gorgeous Bandai region surrounding Mt. Bandai, which can be hiked during the warmer months and skied during the winter, and Tsuruga Castle, destroyed after the Boshin War of 1868 but reconstructed in the 1960s.

Fukushima is also home to Ouchijuku, a former post town along the Aizu-Nishi Kaido trade route. Traders were required to make their long journeys on foot leading to "post towns" being developed along the routes to provide travelers with food, accommodations and rest. Ouchijuku has been restored to its Edo period roots, with telephone and electricity wires buried and unpaved streets.

Mt. Fuji, Japan 📸🗻

Kimono on the streets of Kyoto📸

5 May was Children's Day in Japan! Have you seen Koinobori before?

With the rise in temperatures recently, we're thinking about summer, and in Japan, summer = festivals!

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The Fuji Shibazakura Festival is held every year from April to May, and offers the chance to see the stunning shibazakura (pink moss) flowers just off of Lake Motosuko, one of the five great lakes that surround Mt Fuji.

Delicious sakura mochi are a traditional Japanese sweet (wagashi) eaten during the cherry blossom season! They're made from sweet pink glutinous rice and are filled with red bean paste, before being wrapped in an edible picked cherry blossom tree leaf🌸

Spring in Japan🌸

Birds & Cherry Blossoms🌸

Humans aren't the only ones who enjoy taking a nap under the cherry blossoms! Here are some feline friends enjoying the fresh spring air🌸
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in 🏮

Who else isn't ready to say goodbye to spring?🌸

Nighttime rain in Osaka🌃🌧

Join us on our 2024 Japan Summer Manga Guided Tour, from just £2,999.00 with flights included! Experience the best that Tokyo has to offer in this week long whirlwind tour, where we visit the superb Studio Ghibli Museum, Pokemon Centre, Harajuku, Akihabara, Nakano Broadway, and so much more! Check out the link in our bio for more!

Tokyo at Night📸🌃 🚦

Lost in a winter wonderland! ❄️ Shirakawa-go's charming gassho-style houses look straight out of a fairy tale, especially when covered in a blanket of snow. ⛄️✨ Exploring these UNESCO World Heritage sites feels like stepping back in time, with every snowy rooftop telling a story of centuries-old tradition and community spirit. 🏡💫

Visit Japan with us this Aug 14 - 22 on our fantastic Japan Summer Manga Tour! Click for more!✈🏮🥳

Japan Summer Manga Tour | Japan Journeys As well as visits to Akihabara and Nakano Broadway, we take you to the Ghibli Museum where the work of this wonderful Japanese animation studio can be admired!

15 April was National Anime Day! What's your favourite anime?

Join us August 14 - 22 for our Summer Manga Tour, where we visit the stunning Studio Ghibli Museum, Pokemon Centre, shops galore and so much more!

Have you met the deer of Nara Park? 🦌✨ Not only are they cute as can be, but they're also incredibly polite! 🎩🌿 You offer them a deer biscuit, and they'll bow in return before happily munching away! 🍪😊 It's the most adorable thing you'll ever see!

Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto is maybe one of Japan's most famous landmarks, but did you know each gate is actually donated by companies and individuals? Each gate is marked with the name of the sponsor and the year of donation. For the low-low price of just 1 million yen (over £5000), you too could sponsor a gate!🏮

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Japan Journeys

Our Japan Quilt Tour includes visits to the stunning Itchiku Kubota Art Museum, the World Quilt Festival in Yokohama, and a visit to the private residence of the famous quilt-maker Sachiko Yoshida, who gives us a personal viewing of her incredible quilt and kimono collection! This fabulous tour is not to be missed for quilters! Check out the link in our bio for more info!

Kinkakuji, Kyoto🏯 Did you know? This magnificent Zen temple was originally the retirement villa of the then sh**un Ashikaga Yoshimitsu!