Warasse: The Aomori Nebuta Museum

The Aomori Nebuta Matsuri is one of the most famous festivals in the Tōhoku region, if not all of Japan. What exactly is “nebuta,” you ask? Well, it’s a kind of lighted parade… Continue reading →

Chuson-ji: Temple of the Fujiwara Clan

Last year, I made a brief stop in Iwate prefecture to visit the city of Hiraizumi, which was declared a World Heritage site in 2011 (the first World Heritage site in Tohoku). I… Continue reading →

Welcome to the World of Tsugaru Shamisen

I traveled north to Aomori this past spring for Golden Week, and the friend who so graciously hosted me was living in the city of Tsugaru, home of the art of Tsugaru shamisen.… Continue reading →

Golden Week Hiatus: New Posts Coming Soon!

As many of you know, we just finished Golden Week here in Japan, which partially explains my lack of updates. But on the plus side, I just returned from a fantastic trip to… Continue reading →