Phil
Australia
25 years in Japan
My Japanese wife and I have a passion for helping foreigners have a deep experience of Japan through their shumi (hobby) so we launched www.shumistayjapan.com
Phil's Advice List
Phil
Australia
25 years in Japan
Onomichi - Hiroshima's gateway to the Seto Inland Sea
Japan has 47 prefectures all of which have their own attractions making it hard for the foreign visitor to choose where to go. Hiroshima is undoubtedly high on the list of must visit places because of the Peace Museum and the beautiful floating shrine gate of Miyajima. However, most visitors would…(744 words)
Phil
Hiroshima Setouchi Onomichi Japan Visit City Museum Prefectures Miyajima Hiroshima city
Matsuyama Castle and Dogo Onsen - Classic Japan
Whenever my friends from overseas ask me what would be a classic thing to do in Japan, I always reply that visiting a medieval castle and staying in an onsen town (hot spring bath) are a "must". There is no doubt that a visit to Matsuyama City is the perfect way to combine both of these in one tri…(886 words)
Phil
Japan Onsen Castle Visit City Trip Spring Sea Department store Airport
Cycling the scenic Seto Inland Sea
If you're looking for a holiday in Japan which involves stunning scenery, great food and some moderate exercise then the Setouchi Shimanami Kaido Cycling route is for you. The cycling route runs for about 70 kilometres across 6 islands and bridges of the Seto Inland Sea, linking Imabari City in Ehi…(605 words)
Phil
cycling Hiroshima Ehime Tokyo Japan Visit Train City
The Roof of Japan: where sakura bloom in Golden Week within 3 hours of Tokyo!
One of the top things that visitors from overseas want to see when they come to Japan is, of course, the sakura (cherry) blossoms. Timing as they say, is everything and this very much applies to sakura (cherry) blossoms. Sakura blossoms are ephemeral things: the blossoms only last a week and when …(542 words)
Phil
Cherry blossom Trip Spring Tokyo Japan Train City Park Tera (Temple) Kyoto
Who would ever think up a festival like this and then keep it going for 1,200 years
Who would ever think up a festival like this and then keep it going for 1,200 yearsIt was our second day of pulling a ten-ton log down a mountain with 50 hefty men clad in fancy gear riding on top of it that my friend Andrew visiting from Australia turned to me and said, "who would ever dream u…(971 words)
Phil
festival Jinjya (Shrine) Japanese festivals Japan Spring Nature Sake (Rice wine) River Children
Oita Prefecture in Japan is a Haven of Onsen and Beautiful Scenery
"Get the latest updates here on Deep Japan as we collaborate with Tokyo Broadcasting System(TBS) Television, JNN(Japan News Network/TBS nation wide affiliates)'s seven-station network across Japan and Vietnam's VTV station to bring the people in Vietnam informative and fun reports from the fantasti…(637 words)
Phil
Japan Onsen Scenery Mountain Japanese inn Kyushu Oita Vietnam Beppu Onsen Japan Travel
Nagano Prefecture is One of Japan’s Must Visit All Year Round Destinations
"Get the latest updates here on Deep Japan as we collaborate with Tokyo Broadcasting System(TBS) Television, JNN(Japan News Network/TBS nation wide affiliates)'s seven-station network across Japan and Vietnam's VTV station to bring the people in Vietnam informative and fun reports from the fantast…(722 words)
Phil
Japan Nagano Visit Event Food History Mount Yari Prefectures Tokyo Vietnam
I visited Suwa Taisha
One of the pleasures of living in Japan is being able to enjoy the ancient and endless variety of cultural traditions of the local people. Where I live in central Nagano, near Lake Suwa, is no exception. It is the location of one of Japan’s oldest and most important Shinto shrines, Suwa Taisha (Gr…(324 words)
Phil
Jinjya (Shrine) Nagano festival Visit Lake holy site ancient traditions