Otaru, a pleasant harbour city near Sapporo famous for its super-fresh sushi, winter snow lantern festival, and well-preserved canal and townscape, is the perfect size to explore in a day.

Akita Prefecture is located in the Tohoku Region, the northern area of the main island of Honshu. Bordered by Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata prefectures, and also facing the Sea of Japan, Akita is the 6th largest prefecture of Japan, with slightly over 900,000 residents. Historically a part of Dewa Province and receiving high amounts of snow during the winter, Akita is a great spot to experience a wealth of snowy adventures. Steeped in history, and full of culture, the prefecture has a multitude of seasonal activities, and stunning beauty throughout the year.

14 February marked the UK release of COTTONTAIL, a film directed by Patrick Dickinson and starring Lily Franky as Kenzaburo, who travels with his family to England in order to spread the ashes of his wife Akiko at Lake Windermere in the Lake District. A story on loss, family mending, and self-discovery, COTTONTAIL takes viewers on an emotional journey between Japan and England. We recently had the opportunity to sit down with the star Lily Franky and the director Patrick Dickinson to discuss the film.

Visited by less than 1% of overseas tourists (0.8% to be exact), Mie Prefecture lies on the eastern side of the Kii Peninsula and is steeped deeply in Japan’s mythology and legends. Easily accessible from Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya and Wakayama, Mie is a great reason to extend one’s trip through the Kinki/Kansai region and learn more intimately of Japan’s people and folklore.

While we still might be enduring winter weather and cold temperatures, the signs of spring are slowly coming in! Cherry blossoms, or sakura, are one of the most popular sights to see in Japan during spring time. The cherry blossom forecasts have started to trickle in, so let's take a brief look at what the Japan Meteorological Agency has to say about sakura for 2025!