From hidden temples to lively festivals, old tales to everyday scenes - stories, photos, and videos of the Japan that lives between the headlines and the guidebooks.
Same distance as Day 1, a lot more uphill, and a couple of things I hadn’t planned for: a route that tried to send me th...
The first day of riding from Tokyo to Kyoto took me out of the city, down to the sea at Shonan, and into Odawara by even...
The weather has finally cleared up, which means I’m doing the thing I’ve been threatening to do for months: riding from...
![[Photos] Autumn Colors at Kotokuji Temple](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsgp1.vultrobjects.com%2Fpfj-static%2F2025%2F11%2FIutHLn2g-02.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Hidden in the hills of Akiruno, Kotokuji Temple feels worlds away from modern Tokyo. With its old thatched roofs and a c...
![[Site Update] Goshuin Collection](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsgp1.vultrobjects.com%2Fpfj-static%2F2025%2F11%2FIMG_3251.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Postcards from Japan now features a growing collection of goshuin stamps from shrines and temples across Japan.
Imagine walking through a dark tunnel, then stepping into light to find a massive Buddha’s face staring down at you from...
A giant tree lizard serves as a landmark on a building in Nago.
It’s a rainy evening here in Okinawa. And, as if by some conspiracy, it’s a Saturday. I hate rainy weekends because that...
Ukimido, a floating temple on Lake Biwa has inspired poets and artists since ancient times.
A rare agave known as the “century plant”, believed to bloom only once every 100 years, has begun to flower in Tokyo’s H...
In Kawasaki’s Myoraku-ji temple, the rainy season’s downpour gives life to a stunning display of over 1,000 hydrangeas.
In central Tokyo you can find the grave of Japan’s greatest samurai warrior and strategist — and a historical inspiratio...