travel– tag –

【Hokkaido is the kingdom of natural resources, though...】 Hokkaido is a name-brand area even for Japanese people, proudly enough. If saying "I'm from Hokkaido" outside Hokkaido, we will have a blast in chat. People will come to us and ...

The hotel is an 11-story building: RC up to the 8th floor, wooden structure above it (1380 tons less in carbon dioxide emissions). Wood waste from the construction is used for interior finishing. I'm sure the hotel restaurant will provide food made with local ingredients, in addition

Did you know Haagen-Dazs was originated in the US? I thought it came from somewhere in North Europe, which, I assume, would be exactly what the brand founder intended. Let me tell you another example. In Japan, canned coffee is one of th...

People who like camping will say “It’s for extraordinary experiences,” but what people actually do in camping are boiled down to super-ordinary things, like preparing meal, eating, clearing up after meal, and sleeping. I know it’s important to do such everyday routines in nature.

Sapporo in September, completely different from the main land of Japan where people still suffer from lingering summer heat. The capital city of Hokkaido has a population of two million, but has such a big natural park in the center of t...

Sakura, cherry blossom is one of the Japanese national flowers. Japanese people are a kind of addicted to sakura. It's not only flowers in full bloom but also flower petals falling and disclored on the buddles that touch our heartstrings. We discover beauty even in ruined things.

Many Japanese people may forget the original meaning of a summer festival, but I don't think that's a serious problem. What is more important is many people gather and enjoy a summer festival. It's a good opportunity to develop relationships.

【Country towns struggle to survive】 Do your cities (towns or villages) have taglines? This is not a question as an attention getter (as I often do), but I'm really curious. In Japan, with decrease in population, the number of municipal...

【It's about time to stop expecting a lot for the journey of self-discovery】 In Japan for these 10 years or more, "the journey of self-discovery" has been very popular especially among young people. A typical pattern is: suddenly quitti...

Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, is well known for its rich history and culture. The language of Kyoto people is sometimes difficult to understand even for Japanese people living outside Kyoto. Let's see the points we have to be careful about in communication in Kyoto.