A Visit to Yokohama’s Red Brick Warehouse Christmas Market

A Visit to Yokohama’s Red Brick Warehouse Christmas Market

Bavarian Christmas markets are a hallmark of the Christmas season in Tokyo. Less than 1% of the Japanese population identifies as Christian, but a huge percentage of Japanese people celebrate “Christmas” as a secular holiday, and even those who don’t seem to enjoy the lights, tastes, and general joy of the holiday season. Given the Japanese love for seasonal decorations, special food, and gifts, the popularity of Christmas really comes as no surprise. And the Japanese take on Christmas markets is so much fun that I look forward to seeing them every year. The Christmas Market at Yokohama’s Akarenga (Red

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Hiking Mt. Muine (Sapporo, Hokkaido)[#140]

Hiking Mt. Muine (Sapporo, Hokkaido)[#140]

Last September, I headed up to southern Hokkaido for a week of traveling and mountain climbing with my friend Ido. He knows Hokkaido far better than I do, so when he was extra excited about our climb of Mt. Muine, near Sapporo, I knew to expect something special . . . and as you’ll see, Muine delivered.

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A Holiday Tea With Snow White at the Hotel Intercontinental Tokyo Bay

A Holiday Tea With Snow White at the Hotel Intercontinental Tokyo Bay

n late November, when I learned the theme of the 2021 Christmas Tea at the Hotel Intercontinental Tokyo Bay was “Snow White, Awakening With Strawberries” (which is doubly clever, since strawberries are just coming into season–i.e., “awakening”–in Japan), I immediately bought tickets for the very first sitting on the very first day.

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A Hidden Bamboo Grove on Mt. Inari

A Hidden Bamboo Grove on Mt. Inari

oto’s Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is among the most famous–and, as a result, most crowded–options, and while it’s definitely impressive (even more so, if you happen to visit at a time when there aren’t many other visitors), I prefer the less-known, but equally beautiful, natural bamboo forest on Mt. Inari (Fushimi Inari Shrine).

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