spendthrift

Here's the thing about some of the scenic villages on the list (I've been to the Shirakawa-go area, Takayama, Kawagoe, Kakunodate, Arita,...

I always wanted to see this festival...

I haven't gone there, but when I lived in Japan the New Year's Eve before last, they were televising the night at Asakusa in Tokyo, because...

Now see, if she's a cultivated older lady who has travelled, she has had chocolates, knows where to get them in Tokyo, and will be all, 'oh...

Well, I usually don't recommend Hakone, and I know that isn't one of your choices...but it has a lot to do, offers ryokans, and there is a...

Me again. What I forgot to say is that private rotenburo are nice, true, but usually tiny. Ryokans with 'family bath' or 'private reserved...

Try www.japaneseguesthouses.com for some idea of what is out there. They can do the reservation for you too. Also, this website,...

I worked for Interac for a while when I lived in Japan. I personally knew teachers from Bhutan, the Phillippines, and India who taught in...

There is occasionally a 'western' seating area in a Japanese-style room - generally two chairs and a small table. They will sit on a wooden...

Ichiro & Mariners stuff for sure!!! I am from Seattle and the ONE thing anybody knew about Seattle (in the high school classes where I...

Well, I have travelled a fair amount too, though certainly not as much as you guys have. I guess I'd start by saying that while you will...

When I lived in Japan I was in a position to give & receive many seasonal and 'hostess' kind of gifts....while many gifts I received were...

The thing about August and Obon is, you can't throw a stick without hitting a festival, it seems. The most incredible one I've been to was...

I have stayed at Iwaso in Miyajima - it might be outside your budget but was truly wonderful. You can book through...

Guam is the closest good beach place to Japan, that I can think of off-hand. The diving is good (don't know about visibility - or weather -...