japan– tag –

【Joining the Winter Cycling Race in Biei Town】 Last weekend, on January 22, I had the opportunity to participate in the Biei Snow Cycle Festival for the first time. The Biei town is known for its picturesque scenery, with rolling hills...

【Ski in Pippu: Enjoy the Unbeatable View of Daisetsu Mountain Range】 Pippu's ski area is a hidden gem in northern Hokkaido, that offers skiers and snowboarders a truly unique experience. One of its main draws is the breathtaking views ...

【Discover the Simple Pleasures of Skiing at Tohma Town' Tiny Ski Area】 While large ski resorts offer an array of amenities and facilities, sometimes it's nice to take a step back and enjoy the simpler things in life. Tucked away in the...

【Kamui Ski Links: A Biggest Powdery Paradise in Northern Hokkaido】 Kamui Ski Links, located in Fukagawa city in Hokkaido, is a skier's dream come true. With its early December opening, Kamui Ski Links is one of the first ski resorts in...

I know we have received a lot of benefit from innovation mostly made by courageous or reckless decision-makers, but sometimes I can't help feeling that the value of being the first penguin is overestimated because of its high-risk nature. Think about it for a second: Nobody knows if such innovations can make the world richer. I think it may be better to leave it to some weirdos like Elon Musk.

Have you ever eaten mochi? If yes and you're still alive, you're blessed. Do you know how many people have lost their lives by choking on mochi in Japan? It's 300 averagely every year. We probably should prohibit or at least impose a heavy tax on mochi like narcotics and alcohol, but there has been no such momentum in the National Diet of Japan so far.

Why do bees and hornets build hexagons? If we try to fill a plane surface with a single kind of polygons, there are three options: equilateral triangles, squares, and regular hexagons. Bees and hornets go with regular hexagons because regular hexagons are best in space-efficiency and second best in strength. This is the core point of the theory. What do you think?

Do you notice anything peculiar in the above image of the big forest at the bottom of Mt. Fuji? It's moss. You can see a lot of moss on the ground. It grows on the surface of tree roots crawling on the ground. The forest soil is made of lava. The lava soil is so hard and well-drained that trees can't collect and keep water from their roots without moss.

Do you know how big the world's largest planetarium is? It's 35 m in diameter, and is located in Nagoya, Japan. Why don't you come and try one in the Mecca of planetarium? You may think there's no point of going to the planetarium when you come all the way to Japan, but planetarium shows are designed based on stars seen in the local sky. It's also something you can only experience here.

Have you ever seen a Japanese elementary school bag? It's nationally-standardized in Japan. I'll tell you how Hokkaido kids use the bags to make an ice igloo.