Tag Archives: Japan

Osaka Castle (Ōsakajō) Osaka (大阪, Ōsaka) is Japan’s second largest metropolitan area after Tokyo.   The construction of Osaka Castle (大阪城, Ōsakajō) started in 1583 on the former site of the Ishiyama Honganji Temple, which had been destroyed by Oda Nobunaga thirteen years earlier. Toyotomi Hideyoshi intended the castle to become the centre of a new, unified Japan under Toyotomi rule. It was the largest castle at the time. The castle …

If you’re tired of the flocks of tourists in Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo, I recommend a few days in Nagasaki! There is so much more to Nagasaki (長崎) than it’s atomic past. Nagasaki (長崎) is a charming and modern port city on the island of Kyushu and the capital of Nagasaki Prefecture. Nagasaki is embraced by mountains on one side, …

Honolulu has a lot of hidden treasures, and The Sake Shop is one of them. I admit, when I visit Honolulu, I eat sashimi and I drink sake. I just associate a good sake selection with Honolulu Japanese restaurants. The Sake Shop (on South King Street) is Hawaii’s first retail shop devoted to sake. They’ve been open since 2010, and …

The thirty-seventh annual Vancouver Powell Street Festival –  Celebrating Japanese Canadian Art, Culture and Heritage in Vancouver. The 2013 Vancouver Powell Street Festival held on August 3 & 4, 2013 from 11:30am-7pm is an annual celebration of Japanese Canadian arts, culture and heritage that features something for everyone: dance, music, film and video, visual arts, martial arts demos, amateur sumo …

Vancouver celebrates Spring with the annual month-long Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival (VCBF). This year, the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival runs from April 4 – 30, 2013. And there is something for everyone’s level of activity and interests.