To cheer us up a little and give us something warm to look forward to, Japan’s Weathernews meteorological agency has released the cherry blossom bloom predictions for 2025.

A new year is upon us, and it’s time once again to turn your attention to the yearly tradition unlike any other – Best of the Pacific voting season!

Besides the ski resorts, there are many places in Japan where you, your family and friends can skate, sled or just play in the snow.

On our journey to the sacred Mt. Fuji, my teammates and I stopped at the Ebina Service Area for a quick breakfast.

In Nagoya, “morning service” is a unique tradition at the local kissaten coffee shops.

Suspended between two mountain ridges, the Yume no Tsuri Bashi (The Bridge of Dreams) is a wooden and steel bridge that is built in the northernmost part of Shizuoka Prefecture, in the Sumata Gorge, where Sumata River meets the Oma River.

Tea is an important part of daily life in Japan and an indispensable part of washoku Japanese cuisine.

Described as a “sacred place and source of artistic inspiration” during its inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Fuji Five Lakes area is home to natural wonders like Mt. Fuji, the pristine lakes, eight ponds of the purest water and cultural wonders like villages of traditional homes and buildings.

Oshino Village is home to a set of eight ponds that were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2013.

Hotou is a hot pot noodle dish unique to Japan’s Yamanashi Prefecture dating back to the Heian Period (794-1185).