For Hiroko Kimura's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Some bars, it turns out, have split personalities. In the evening they are a place to relax with a drink and chat with friends. But a few transform in the day, taking on new atmospheres and giving entirely different impressions. We speak, of course, of ...
Although afternoon tea is a British tradition, Japan, too, offers an opportunity to enjoy tea time with all the luxurious trimmings. Traditional afternoon tea is generally served in a three-tiered stand. The lower plate contains a selection of dainty finger sandwiches (including the thinly sliced ...
Those seeking to escape the hustle and bustle of Japan's big cities will find what they are looking for in a hot-spring paradise hidden deep in a forest. Located about 90 kilometers west of Tokyo, Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture is a famous onsen (hot springs) ...
When Tokyo first hosted the summer Olympic Games in 1964, many Western-style hotels opened one after another to accommodate the increasing number of foreign visitors. Now that the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo is in sight, hoteliers have started to offer Japanese-style accommodation and hospitality ...
Two domestic hotel operators are shaking up competition in Tokyo's luxury accommodation market by attempting to make their new properties more inviting for inbound visitors. The first such operator, Hoshino Resorts Inc., has opened a luxury ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) named Hoshinoya Tokyo in the ...
Boasting beautiful beaches and endless sunsets, Hawaii has long been a popular holiday destination for tourists from Japan. According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, more than 1.5 million Japanese visited the volcanic archipelago last year — more tourists than from anywhere else in the world. Hawaii ...
The cherry trees are beginning to bloom across Japan, and it is time to prepare for hanami (cherry-blossom viewing), which has been an annual custom since the Heian Period (794-1185). Though hanami literally means "flower-viewing" and typically refers to admiring sakura (cherry blossoms), in practice ...
Spring — the season of sakura (桜, cherry blossoms) — has finally arrived and the entire country has been transformed into a fairyland tinted pale pink. In a heartening season of renewal after winter's chill, a wave of sakura washes over these islands. Usually the ...
An inspirational new attraction is coming to Hakone, the highland resort in Kanagawa Prefecture renowned as a stomping ground for the rich and famous. In addition to its luxury hotels and ryokan, the curative powers of its spa water and astoundingly beautiful scenery, Hakone ...
Thanks to the newly opened Noto International Airport, Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture is now just a one-hour flight from Tokyo, making one of the Hokuriku region's most popular tourist spots -- famed for its hot springs, local festivals, beaches and mountain scenery -- ...
