Discover Kyoto's Jidai Matsuri with our stunning illustrated guide by professional photographer Paul Moss.

Discover what it's like staying in a temple in Kyoto!

Walk with Cathy around beautiful Rikugien garden in Tokyo, in the footsteps of the samurai and his concubine who once lived there.

This January, join us for our cosiest JanuaryInJapan Book Club yet! Join us as we gather together online to chat about the heart-warming...

This month let's take a look at the writing of Lafcadio Hearn in his essay collection of 1895, called Kokoro . In his essays, we discover...

…and that ideal vision was that Kyoto would once again be  a beautiful wooden city… Steve Beimel of JapanCraft21 in Kyoto is an...

I first discovered stories about the thunder god, Susanoo-no-Mikoto, when I visited the Gion Matsuri last summer. Susanoo-no-Mikoto is...

Have you ever wondered about Japanese Shinto shrines? What is the meaning behind those zigzag shapes of paper that hang from a rope, and...

Do not think yourself The vanishing dew. Think instead Of the long-blooming Chrysanthemum flower. The Heian Court calendar was peppered...

Turn to me Mukai-kun Sincere guy Satoru Mukai (played by Akaso Eiji) had a perplexing break-up ten years ago: one which he never quite...

Machiya are the beautiful, traditional townhouses of Kyoto, made with tremendous craft and skill. In 2016 I stayed at the lovingly...

The peak of Mount Fuji is oblivious to time. What season does it take this to be that the falling snow should dapple it like a fawn? toki...

My Japan Journey Interview 8: Catherine Pawasarat: expert and author of The Gion Festival: Exploring Its Mysteries There is no question...

In preparation for our exciting interview and blog with the Kyoto geisha and maiko photographer John Paul Foster, I began to learn about...

The best among blossoms is the red plum, whether light or dark in colour. As for the cherry, the blossoms should be on slender branches,...

My Japan Journey Interview 7: Meet Natalie Leon: Author, Japanophile, Forager In our blog today, we celebrate new writer Natalie Leon,...

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us this year for our online JanuaryInJapan Book Club event! We meet once a year and we're very...

Murasaki Shikibu wearing juunihitoe. Lady butterfly perfumes her wings by floating over the orchid –Bashō I have long been fascinated by...

Mamefuji © John Paul Foster Meet John Paul Foster: Kyoto Photographer of the Floating World My Japan Journey Interview 6: John Paul...

My Japan Journey Interview 4: Nóra: ink painting artist Our friend Nóra is a passionate ink painter. Her foundational skills are in...

So spring fled, summer blazed, and autumn winds began to blow- when, our eyes lifted heavenward toward the meeting of the Stars, we write...

Yukki and I are thrilled to feature in the September 2023 issue of beautiful Cotswold Living magazine! It was wonderful to talk to Sharon...

Chigo, Yasaka Shrine Influences and Beginnings When I was in my early twenties, and without much experience of travel, I arrived with my...

I love watching Japanese drama: the stories are gentle and heart-warming; the locations are great; and the stories are interesting! That...