Latest travel news, local updates, and tourism information in Japan.
Three Kyoto sites now need advance booking, Tofuku-ji's garden rises to ¥600 on 1 November, Eikan-do's autumn daytime admission is ¥1,500 — and the bus one-day pass no longer exists. Checked against official Japanese sources.
Verified from the official 2026 pages: 17-18 Oct dates, all 26 participating floats, hikkawase explained, traffic and bus changes, fares and last trains - a UNESCO-listed festival 26 minutes from Ikebukuro.
Fujiyoshida's yabusame festival, Sept 18–19, 2026: horses run from 1 p.m. on the 19th, and between the runs a hereditary diviner reads the hoofprints — the districts' forecast through next spring. Access, times and my 2025 procession photos.
GREEN×EXPO 2027 opens 19 March 2027 at a Yokohama site with no station of its own. The four shuttle stations, ticket prices, the 18 September reservation date, and an honest go-wait-skip verdict.
Results of the 98th Omagari National Fireworks Competition (August 29, 2026): hometown maker Komatsu Enka Kogyo of Daisen won the Prime Minister's Prize and three of the four divisions; Kita-Nihon Hanabi Kogyo took creative fireworks. Plus the verified night-before guide: program, sold-out tickets, 77 extra trains, weather, streams, and how to plan 2027.
October in Japan, honestly: 22°C days, rain front-loaded into the first ten days, foliage in the Alps and Nikko (not Kyoto yet), Takayama and Kunchi festivals, and a JR Pass price rise on October 1.
Yes — at many open neighbourhood and temple bon odori, visitors can step into the circle and dance, not just watch. You don’t need a reservation, a costume, or any experience: you learn by copying the people around you. The…
Thirteen minutes apart, two different trips: the lake resort or the working town under Mt. Fuji. A Fujiyoshida local breaks down the photographs, evenings, sunrise access, prices and trains.
Osaka's Naniwa Yodogawa Fireworks Festival fires October 17, 2026, 19:00-20:00. Every seat type and price, the closed Umeda-side riverbank, access stations and the timing rules - verified against the organiser.
Silver Week 2026 is a five-day holiday, 19-23 September, when many people across Japan travel domestically — overlapping the Kishiwada Danjiri and the Asian Games. Exact dates, how to book trains and rooms early, and where to avoid the crowds.
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Nearly every image on Hidden Japan Gems was photographed by me on a Sony α7 across five years of walking Japan; a few licensed photos fill the gaps. Please don't re-use my photos without permission — reach out if you'd like to.
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