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

Saitama, Culture, Kanto, Location

Kurazukuri Street: Kawagoe’s Warehouse District (Ichibangai)

A large black clay-walled kurazukuri merchant warehouse on Ichibangai street in Kawagoe, with a heavy tiled roof and ornate gables, cars passing on the road in front under a clear sky.

Ichibangai, Kawagoe's Kurazukuri street: about 30 black clay-walled Edo warehouses born from the 1893 fire, the 1792 Osawa House, the bell tower and red postbox — what to see and when.

Nobu
June 2, 2026

Saitama, Culture, Kanto, Location, Travel Tips

Toki no Kane: Kawagoe’s Bell Tower (Times, History & Photos)

The Toki no Kane bell tower in Kawagoe, a three-storey wooden tower lit gold by the morning sun, rising above the black-walled kurazukuri warehouse street under a clear blue sky.

Toki no Kane, Kawagoe's ~16 m wooden bell tower in the Little Edo warehouse district, rings 4 times a day. Its history, ringing times, how to photograph it, and what's nearby.

Nobu
June 2, 2026

Nagano, Chubu, Experience, Location, Nature, Seasonal Travel, Weather & Seasons

Lake Suwa, Nagano: Mt. Fuji Views, Fireworks & Things to Do

Mount Fuji silhouetted against an orange dusk sky beyond Lake Suwa, with the city lights of Suwa, Okaya and Shimosuwa ringing the dark water, seen from the hills above the lake in Nagano.

Lake Suwa in Nagano: see Mt. Fuji over the lake from Takabocchi and Tateishi Park, ride the 16 km loop, catch the August 15 fireworks, and soak in Kamisuwa Onsen.

Nobu
June 1, 2026

Travel Tips, Experience, Nature, Seasonal Travel, Weather & Seasons

How to Photograph Sea Sparkle: A Local Photographer’s Settings

Wide long-exposure night photograph of a Japanese bay under a star-filled sky, with town lights along the far shore and a faint blue band of bioluminescent sea sparkle glowing at the wave line.

How to photograph sea sparkle: a local photographer's camera settings, the phone trick, why it looks fainter in person, and where to shoot it in Japan.

Nobu
May 31, 2026

Toyama, Chubu, Food, Location, Nature, Seasonal Travel

Firefly Squid in Toyama Bay: Japan’s Other Glowing Sea

Pre-dawn scene on Toyama Bay where firefly squid glow electric blue in a fixed fishing net beside two boats of onlookers, with a green deck light reflecting on the dark water of the Sea of Japan.

Firefly squid (hotaru-ika) glows blue in Toyama Bay every spring. The pre-dawn boat tour, the museum live show, the rare mi-nage stranding, when to go, and where to eat it.

Nobu
May 31, 2026

Seasonal Travel, Experience, Nature, Weather & Seasons

What Is Sea Sparkle? Why Japan’s Ocean Glows Blue

Long-exposure night photo of bioluminescent sea sparkle glowing electric blue along the breaking waves of a Japanese beach, with star trails overhead and the lights of a headland town in the distance.

Sea sparkle is the blue glow of Noctiluca plankton, the same organism as a daytime red tide. Why it glows, whether it is safe to swim, and when and where to see it in Japan.

Nobu
May 31, 2026

Nagano, Chubu, Culture, Location, Travel Tips

Matsumoto Castle: Tickets, Hours & the Alps View (2026)

The black five-storey keep of Matsumoto Castle in Nagano reflected in the still water of its inner moat under a clear sky, with the stone base rising straight from the water and bare early-spring trees along the far bank.

Matsumoto Castle admission is 1200 yen (e-ticket, 2026) and the keep is open 8:30 to 17:00. A guide to one of the five National Treasure castles in Japan: tickets, hours, the Northern Alps view, and how to get there from Tokyo and Nagoya.

Nobu
May 30, 2026

Nagano, Chubu, Experience, Location, Nature, Seasonal Travel, Weather & Seasons

Hakuba Iwatake 2026: Mountain Harbor + Yahho Deck Guide [Map]

A wooden tray with the City Bakery Hakuba Pork croissant sandwich two bottles of green sparkling drinks and a cup of hot drip coffee placed on a wooden table at Hakuba Mountain Harbor with the snow-capped Hakuba Sanzan three peaks directly across the green valley in late spring

Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort in green season — the 1,289 m Mountain Harbor deck with The City Bakery (Hakuba Pork croissant sandwich ¥1,300), the cantilevered Yahho Deck, and the 1.5-hour Nezuko Forest loop. A first-person guide from a mid-May visit with full pricing, hours, and access.

Nobu
May 29, 2026

Kyoto, Culture, Events & Festivals, Kansai, Location, News & Updates, Seasonal Travel, Shrines & Temples, Weather & Seasons

Gion Matsuri 2026: Yoiyama Dates, 33 Floats & Tsuki Hoko Guide

Two illuminated yamaboko floats with golden paper lanterns stacked vertically into glowing towers on Shijo-dori during Gion Matsuri Yoiyama in central Kyoto with a dense crowd of festival visitors walking between them at night the Naginata Hoko in the foreground and another hoko in the distance

A Yoiyama night during Gion Matsuri 2024 — the Tsuki Hoko, the Naginata Hoko, the chochin lantern arcade, and the yatai food stalls that anchor the experience. Practical route, food list, and 2026 dates from a Kyoto local.

Nobu
May 28, 2026

Mie, Chubu, Culture, Location, Seasonal Travel, Shrines & Temples, Travel Tips

Ise Jingu Guide 2026: Naiku, Geku & 1707 Akafuku Honten

Massive wooden torii gate at the entrance of Ise Jingu Naiku, with visitors crossing the Uji Bridge under a clear blue late-autumn sky, the sacred crossing point into Japan most important Shinto shrine, low afternoon sun raking across the bridge planks

Ise Jingu in late November — pre-koyo blue skies, the vast Naiku cedar forest, the 101.8 m Uji Bridge torii, and Akafuku Honten on Oharaimachi where the same recipe has been made since 1707. A Japanese pilgrimage guide in Nobu first-person.

Nobu
May 28, 2026