Akita Kantō Festival 2026: Japan’s Lantern-Pole Spectacle
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.
Category Travel Tips
Practical travel information to help you plan and travel Japan smoothly.
Imahana: A Shōwa-Era Set-Meal Diner in West Tokyo
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.
Nankintei Kunitachi: 24-Hour Jumbo Gyoza & Big Plates Near 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.
Japanese Sentō Guide 2026: Etiquette, Tattoos & Best Baths
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.
Diamond Fuji from Tokyo 2026: 10 Days a Year, 1 Hour from Shinjuku
Tokyo · Mt. Takao · Diamond Fuji Diamond Fuji from Tokyo 2026: 10 Days a Year, 1 Hour from Shinjuku You don’t need to drive to Yamanaka to see Diamond Fuji. Mt. Takao gets it for about 10 days around…
Cheaper Than Kyoto: 4 Base Cities Where Your 2026 Yen Goes Furthest
Kyoto's lodging keeps climbing and dual pricing is creeping in. 4 cheaper base cities where your 2026 yen goes furthest — Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Okayama, Takamatsu.
Takeda Castle Sea of Clouds: When to See It (2026)
Takeda Castle, Japan's 'castle in the sky' in Hyogo: when the sea of clouds appears, the Ritsuunkyo viewpoint, the conditions you need, hours and access.
Oi Racecourse Flea Market: Tokyo’s Biggest (2026)
Oi Racecourse hosts Tokyo's biggest flea market: up to 700 stalls most weekends, 9:00-14:30, free entry. What to find, how to haggle, access, and other Tokyo markets.
Coolcation Japan 2026: Where I Escape the Heat (Not Crowded Hokkaido)
Japan's hottest summer on record was 2025, and 2026 looks just as hot. Here's where I go to escape the heat — cool highland escapes, not crowded Hokkaido.
Osaka Castle: Keep, Stones & Turrets (2026 Guide)
Osaka Castle guide 2026: the 1931 reconstructed keep, the 130-ton Takoishi stone, 13 surviving Edo structures, admission ¥1,200, hours and beating the crowds.