by Darina Oomi | Jul 4, 2017 | Uncategorized
Japan’s incredibly rich cultural heritage and unique natural beauty is reflected in the fact that the country boasts 20 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These are located right throughout the country, from the wild beauty of the remote Shiretoko Peninsula in the north to...
by Darina Oomi | Jul 24, 2015 | Uncategorized
The Kumano Kodo are a series of pilgrimage trails, located in the Kansai region of Japan, south of Kyoto and Nara. Kumano is the name of the area, and “kodo” means the “old ways”, so the name literally translates as the old ways of Kumano. The trails were, and still...
by Darina Oomi | Jul 17, 2015 | Uncategorized
In our last blog post we talked about the Gokaido, the five routes built in the Edo period of Japan, which connected the capital of Edo, modern Tokyo, with the outer provinces of the country. We also talked about the Tokaido, one of the two routes connecting the old...
by Darina Oomi | Jul 15, 2015 | Uncategorized
In 1601, soon after he came into power, the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu started to build five routes connecting the capital of Edo (modern day Tokyo), with the other provinces. These routes were essential for the success of the Sankin-Kotai system, where lords would have...
by Darina Oomi | Apr 28, 2015 | Uncategorized
Autumn is one of our favourite seasons to eat in Japan. Sanma, the long, sleek fish (pacific saury in English), grilled with salt. The crisp skin cracks under the pressure from your chop stick, and you come away with this delicious, moist, dark piece of fish meat that...
