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"The city is so hard. Just cement on top of dirt on top of rock. Even weeds have trouble growing here." Butsu Shoku kicks at the asphalt beneath her feet. The long vine of pothos trailing down her sleeve swings freely. Butsu is part of the growing...

While Kyoto chokes on tourists, countless other cities and regions of Japan that are equally charming, beautiful or historic remain virtually ignored. Here are 5 amazing cities in Japan other than Kyoto and Tokyo that are easily accessible even to first-time visitors to Japan.

This is the Iya Valley of Tokushima Prefecture, sitting at the edge of the world, sometimes just beyond it.

Many people in the world dream of living in Tokyo. Do you have the personality type that can thrive in Tokyo?

As I have been in negotiations for a full-time position at a company I have been freelancing for, I have been "practicing" to be a full-time worker again after 8 years of freelance work. One of the...

Tracking down the Japanese company that made my favorite canvas briefcase bag was not easy, but the satisfaction of a owning a new bag was worth the effort.

"The city is so hard. Just cement on top of dirt on top of rock. Even weeds have trouble growing here." Butsu Shoku kicks at the asphalt beneath her feet. The long vine of pothos trailing down her...

What the world’s worst tea ceremony student has learned through practicing tea in Japan, and it isn’t about tea at all.

I’ve wished my life wouldn’t pass me by so quickly, that I would have time for myself. And now that my wish in some twisted way has come true, why am I not doing the things that I always said I would?

Many people in the world dream of living in Tokyo. Do you have the personality type that can thrive in Tokyo?

The time I tried to do “workation” in Nagano in Japan and failed miserably. But perhaps it wasn’t misery I found, but a chance to truly relax.

Preserving a slice of history in my own neighborhood – photos of Showa era buildings that are being torn down in the name of progress.

This past weekend, I finally exhaled. Well, that was the feeling anyway, as my tea ceremony teacher along with another group of teachers and students hosted a tea ceremony event at a lovely venue in...

With the state of emergency triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic lifted across all of Japan as of yesterday, is it too late to salvage the year 2020?