Travel

Cuisine:

Check out these cherry blossom festivals in Japan this spring

As of March 14, Sakura Weathermap forecasts that cherry blossoms will start blooming in Tokyo March 21. For the forecast in Japan: https://sakura.weathermap.jp/en.php. The following are place to enjoy the blooms.

Read on Stripes.com

Travel

Cuisine:

Time to vote for the Best of the Pacific 2019

The holidays are behind us and it’s time once again to turn your attention to the yearly tradition unlike any other – Best of the Pacific voting season!
For the past 18 years, our annual Best of the Pacific magazine has been the authority on the best places YOU need to go in the Pacific. How do we know? Because you told us so!

Read on Stripes.com

Travel

Cuisine:

My Five Travel Must-haves

My packing list tends to vary by location and season. If there’s a beach or pool, I pack my bikini. If there are mountains and snow, I bring my gloves and a big coat. But there are a few things I never leave home without. My passport, medicines (headache and cold stuff) and sneakers go without saying, so I’m skipping those.

Read on Stripes.com

Travel

Cuisine:

Cosplay Festa in Japan’s Den Den Town

I found Haruhi Suzumiya. She’s working in a popular chain anime goods shop in Osaka’s Nippombashi district. I didn’t plan to find a god-like entity hocking over-priced character goods, but it just sort of worked out that way. (Haruhi is the main character in a show about... its complicated.)

Read on Stripes.com

Travel

Cuisine:

Horsing around at a Japanese racetrack

Just like in America, horse racing is one of Japan’s popular pastimes. Who dare can resist the excitement? Horses bolting from the starting gate amid a cloud of dust. Hooves clopping and whips cracking as tens of thousands cheer them on. In Japan, about 15.5 million fans attend about 21,000 races annually.

Read on Stripes.com

Travel

Cuisine:

How I Spent A Blissful Week in Oahu, Hawaii

I’m thrilled about all of my vacations, but the moment we decided to take time off and fly to Hawaii I was giddy with excitement. In fact, the 7-hour flight has never felt shorter.

Read on Stripes.com

Travel

Cuisine:

Listen up! Some super concerts to be held in Japan!

Editor's note: There are lots of great concerts coming up in the next several months. So get off the couch and check one out. (This was updated March 15)

Read on Stripes.com

Travel

Cuisine:

Kamakura fantastic day trip destination

A convenient 20-minute train ride from Yokosuka or approximately one hour from Tokyo Station, Kamakura is a fantastic choice for a day trip that offers visitors a variety of experiences: towering bamboo groves, mysterious caves, elegant Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, and hands-on workshops that will leave a lasting impression of this ancient capital.

Read on Stripes.com

Travel

Cuisine:

Atsugi, Kanagawa: The city of rich culture, history and natural beauty

Surrounded by beautiful mountains and hot springs, Atsugi is an attractive city full of history and rich tradition. Located at the west end of the Kanto Plain, Atsugi is a fairly accessible city via the Tomei Expressway.

Read on Stripes.com

Travel

Cuisine:

Moxibustion - Feel the burn

With the cold of winter upon us, many people will begin to “feel” the weather. Lower backs will hurt, while bones and joints will ache just a little more than normal as the temperatures start to drop.

Read on Stripes.com

Travel

Cuisine:

Suo-Oshima, Yamaguchi: A beautiful island off Iwakuni

Suo-Oshima, aka Yashima Island, near MCAS Iwakuni, is a popular tourist attraction in the Setouchi (inland sea) region of Japan where you can enjoy both beautiful beaches and mountains.

Read on Stripes.com

Travel

Cuisine:

Shuzenji: A perfect day trip to Izu, Shizuoka

If you are on a U.S. military installation in the Kanto Plain and are looking for a one-day trip to experience a traditional Japanese hot spring resort, a strong option would be Shuzenji.

Read on Stripes.com

Travel

Cuisine:

'Hell hopping': Get into hot water in Beppu

Soaking in a natural hot spring, or “onsen,” is one of the most popular Japanese pastimes during the cold winter months. I know just the place to enjoy this truly amazing way to kick back and take in nature – a must-do activity while you’re in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Read on Stripes.com

Travel

Cuisine:

Take to the mean streets of Tokyo in a go-kart

Inspired by a popular video game franchise, MariCar allows you to go-kart around the streets of Tokyo providing an experience you’ll never forget.

Read on Stripes.com

Travel

Cuisine:

Hokkaido home to Japan’s largest national park

With 2,267 square kilometers of stunning mountains, it is the largest national park of Japan. It boasts an incredible biodiversity, one of the highest in the country. Nature shows her matchless beauty and some of the wildest and roughest sceneries in Hokkaido. This and much more, is the Daisetsuzan National Park.

Read on Stripes.com

Travel

Cuisine:

How to road trip from Tokyo to Misawa ... and Sasebo & Iwakuni

Travelogue: Tokyo to Misawa via open road
An eight-hour road trip covering 400 miles from Tokyo to Misawa Air Base offers various views of rural Japan: Green rice fields, snaking rivers, snowcapped mountains and farming villages dotted with tile-roofed wooden houses.