BEAMS Japan Shinjuku: Japanese Souvenirs, Floor by Floor
BEAMS Japan in Shinjuku is a six-floor, Japan-themed store — souvenirs from all 47 prefectures, crafts, fashion and art, plus a restaurant. Free entry, tax-free, a minute from the station.
All Guides
420+ field-tested travel guides across every Japanese prefecture, by Nobu — written from places he has actually stood in.
Field Notes from Every Prefecture
Every place I’ve walked. In one feed.
420+ articles, written from the places I actually stood in. Filed by region, by season, by what the trip is really about.
Arita Porcelain Park: A Free Baroque Palace in Saga’s Pottery Town
Arita Porcelain Park in Saga is a free theme park built around a full-scale replica of Dresden's Zwinger Palace — with a sake brewery, porcelain workshops and a baroque garden.
What I Actually Buy for a Japanese Summer (and What to Skip)
An honest, first-hand list of what's worth buying for a hot, humid Japanese summer — cooling rings, fans, sunscreen, rain gear — what a convenience store already covers, and what to skip.
Yakushiji Temple: Nara’s Twin-Pagoda World Heritage Site
Yakushiji in Nara's Nishinokyō is a World Heritage temple founded in 680 — its East Pagoda (730) is the only original building left, and its bronze Yakushi Triad is a National Treasure.
Yoshinogari Historical Park: Japan’s Great Yayoi Village in Saga
Yoshinogari Historical Park in Saga preserves one of Japan's largest Yayoi-period moated settlements — reconstructed watchtowers, a ceremonial hall and a leaders' burial mound on a 117-hectare site.
Okadera Temple: Asuka’s Flower Temple and Japan’s First Yakuyoke Site
Okadera (Ryūgaiji) in Asuka, Nara is Japan's first yakuyoke temple and Saigoku pilgrimage No.7 — famous for 3,000 rhododendrons, a Golden-Week dahlia flower pond, and June hydrangeas.
Tamanoya: 100% Buckwheat Soba in Tokyo’s Temple Town of Jindaiji
Stone-milled juwari (100% buckwheat) soba and a hot duck dip at Tamanoya, a hearth-warmed soba house up the slope from Jindaiji temple in Chofu, Tokyo.
Things to Do in Kamikochi 2026: A Local’s Valley Guide
Kamikochi is a car-free alpine valley in Nagano, open Apr 17-Nov 15, 2026. A local guide to things to do, getting there, where to stay, and when to go.
Getting to Imari & Arita: Saga’s Pottery Towns by Train & Car
How to reach Imari and Arita from Fukuoka — the split Chikuhi Line, the limited express to Arita, the Matsuura Railway, and why a car wins.
Imari Shrine: The Vermilion Gate, the Sweets God & Tontenton
Imari Shrine in Saga: a photogenic vermilion gate over a white tunnel, a rare shrine to the god of sweets, and the Tontenton fighting festival.
Field notes, weekly
One email a week. The Japan worth planning around.