Nobu

Nobu is a Japanese travel writer based in Fujiyoshida, at the foot of Mt. Fuji. He photographs the mountain from the base each morning and logs whether it is visible, partially visible, or hidden — a first-hand observation record kept since May 2026 — and has traveled all 47 prefectures for the guides on Hidden Japan Gems.

Joined: December 10, 2025
Articles: 476
Comments: 17

Location, Experience, Food, Kanto, Tokyo, Travel Tips

Takinoya: An Old-School Soba Shop in Mitaka, Tokyo

A duck soba set at Takinoya in Mitaka: a bowl of hot duck-and-leek dipping broth in front and a tray of chilled soba noodles behind, with condiments, on a wood table in the old soba shop.

Takinoya, an old-school tatami-room soba shop in Shinkawa, Mitaka (west Tokyo): a 1,100 yen duck soba, closed Wednesdays, cash or QR only, and a genuine local feel off the tourist track.

Nobu
June 27, 2026

Location, Travel Tips

Japan’s Hidden Gems: 44 Places a Local Actually Goes (2026)

A four-photo collage of Japan's hidden gems: Takachiho Gorge waterfall, the Ine boat-house village, Takeda Castle above a sea of clouds, and Lake Shusenko's sunken forest.

A local's running guide to Japan's hidden gems: 44 off-the-beaten-path places organized by region - from a sunken forest in Akita to boat villages and castles in the clouds - each with a detailed guide.

Nobu
June 26, 2026

Location, Chubu, Experience, Food, Travel Tips, Yamanashi

Tabi-no-Eki Kawaguchiko Base: A Roadside Food Stop by Mt Fuji

The modern wood-and-steel exterior of Tabi-no-Eki Kawaguchiko Base under a clear blue sky, with the tabi-no-eki sign and an Asama Market board by the entrance, near Lake Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi.

Tabi-no-Eki Kawaguchiko Base, a roadside food market on Lake Kawaguchiko north shore near Mt Fuji: a share-sized 1 kg Fujizakura-pork sauce katsudon, the Asama Market of local produce, wine and strawberries - plus an honest note on its tourist pricing.

Nobu
June 24, 2026

Location, Chubu, Seasonal Travel, Weather & Seasons, Yamanashi

Asumiko Pond (Hasu-ike): Lotus & Hydrangea in Fujiyoshida

A dense bank of blue and white hydrangea in full bloom on a grassy slope beside Asumiko pond in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, with green forest rising behind on an overcast late-June day.

Asumiko Pond (Hasu-ike) in Fujiyoshida: a Mt-Fuji-worship lake with ~20,000 lotus (mid-July-August) and a 1,500-plant hydrangea slope (July). Seasons, access and a late-June photo walk.

Nobu
June 23, 2026

Location, Akita, Culture, Events & Festivals, News & Updates, Seasonal Travel, Tohoku, Travel Tips, Weather & Seasons

Akita Kantō Festival 2026: Japan’s Lantern-Pole Spectacle

Several tall kanto poles strung with glowing paper lanterns rise above a large nighttime crowd on Kanto Odori during the Akita Kanto Festival, with performers in happi coats balancing the poles in Akita City.

The Akita Kanto Festival (3-6 August 2026): around 280 bamboo poles strung with ~10,000 lanterns, balanced on palms and foreheads on Kanto Odori.

Nobu
June 22, 2026

Location, Events & Festivals, Ibaraki, Kanto, News & Updates, Seasonal Travel, Weather & Seasons

Tone River Grand Fireworks 2026: Sakai’s 30,000-Shell Show

A wide star-mine of red, orange and silver fireworks fills the night sky and reflects across the dark surface of the Tone River at the Sakai Grand Fireworks festival in Ibaraki, Japan.

The Tone River Grand Fireworks 2026 in Sakai, Ibaraki: about 30,000 shells on 19 September, four makers competing, free riverbank views and paid seats.

Nobu
June 22, 2026

Location, Experience, Food, Kanto, Tokyo, Travel Tips

Imahana: A Shōwa-Era Set-Meal Diner in West Tokyo

A brick-patterned wall inside the small Imahana diner in Setagaya, Tokyo, completely covered with hand-brushed paper menu cards listing set meals in black ink above a wooden table and bench.

Imahana, a Showa-era set-meal diner in Kita-Karasuyama, west Tokyo: a wall of hand-brushed menus, ginger pork, chicken katsu and omurice, cash only.

Nobu
June 22, 2026

Location, Experience, Food, Kanto, Tokyo, Travel Tips

Nankintei Kunitachi: 24-Hour Jumbo Gyoza & Big Plates Near Tokyo

The Nankintei Kunitachi branch lit up at night, a green-roofed roadside Chinese diner with glowing red ramen and gyoza signs, a 24-hour notice and a wide car park out front in Kunitachi, Tokyo.

Nankintei's Kunitachi branch is a 24-hour roadside machi-chuka near Tokyo - hand-wrapped 550 yen jumbo gyoza, big fried rice and stamina stir-fries.

Nobu
June 22, 2026

Location, Experience, Kanto, Tokyo

Ume-no-Yu: A Wood-Fired Sentō in Chōfu, Tokyo

The lit night entrance of Ume-no-Yu sento in Chofu, Tokyo, with a blue sign reading Kenko Center Ume-no-Yu and a board listing its sauna, electric bath, herbal bath and open-air bath, beside a vending machine and shoe lockers.

Ume-no-Yu, a wood-fired sento near Tokyo's Jindai Botanical Gardens in Chofu: 550 yen baths, a cypress sauna, open-air and herbal baths, hours and how to get there.

Nobu
June 21, 2026

Experience, Culture, Travel Tips

Japanese Sentō Guide 2026: Etiquette, Tattoos & Best Baths

The interior of a traditional Japanese sento public bathhouse seen from the changing room, with tiled walls, mirrors, a glass partition marked open-air bath, a low yellow bench and a convex mirror.

How to use a Japanese sento (public bath): etiquette, the 550 yen Tokyo price, tattoo rules, the baths inside, and tattoo-friendly sento in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.

Nobu
June 21, 2026