Hi. This is GOTOyan. I am painting Arbores with black ink. I will hold an exhibition in Yufuin(Oita) in November, so I was looking for a big tree in Yufuin and found Ogosha’s big Japanese cedar. The place is about 1km from Yufuin station. I drove there but it wasRead More →
There are many historical and cultural places in Hakata, Fukuoka. If you are visiting Fukuoka and love Japanese culture, you can not miss these places. We have listed for you the 11 places that you can walk to from Hakata station within 30 mins. 1. Sumiyoshi shrine (about 12 minsRead More →
When you come to Kyushu (especially Fukuoka, and soon we hope !) be sure to save a day or two for Nagasaki. It’s just about a two hour trip by special express train from Fukuoka, with plenty to see along the way. My favorite is the twenty minutes, or so,Read More →
Fukuoka city is located on the the northern shore of Kyushu island, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture. Fukuoka is Japan’s sixth largest city. Recently, many cities are struggling with population loss, but the population of Fukuoka City is rising. London-based Monocle magazine has been releasing annual Quality ofRead More →
Tsushima is an island city between Japan and Korea, but so close to Korea you don’t have to be Sarah Palin to see it. There are a few observation points where you can see Korea on a clear day. The island is still something like 80% forested, and largely oldRead More →
Nearly every country with a coastline has dried fish, most often salted and dried. For most of our history as humans salting and drying were the only ways to keep food for very long. In Japan, dried, salted fish is called himono (干物 where the 干 means dry and theRead More →
The Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival is held between the 1st and 15th of July in the district around Hakata station and culminates in seven teams of men carrying one ton floats (the “yama” of Yamakasa) in what is described as being, and not being, a race.The seven teams represent theRead More →
“To help make your dinner and your smile delicious” Himono is a popular dish for Japanese. This time we visited Omuta city in Fukuoka where fresh fish are assembled from all around Kyushu, and interviewed Oshimaya which makes additive‐free Himono (dried fish) in an old-fashioned way. Every business day theirRead More →
Japan: The Big Picture The White House couldn’t receive a tsunami of mail, a big storm in the Pacific wouldn’t be a typhoon, no one would be the head honcho (hancho) and it couldn’t be a Sony without Japan. Here’s some basic information about the country. Japan is in theRead More →