Long-time Japan fan and British travel writer Jo Davey started off her time in Japan in an enviable industry - food! Many years and many Japan itineraries later, she’s writing a guidebook to Okinawa and Japan’s Southwest Islands and biding the time until we can all get back there. She explains to us how she delves beneath the surface of a destination, why it's usually the people not the places, and what makes Japan precisely the place she wants to write, talk and wax lyrical about for a living.

Nothing says 'I've been to Japan' like buying a new suitcase while you're out there to help carry all the souvenirs you bought for the whole family, and the wacky kit kat flavours you're gifting to everyone in the office. Maybe you're planning your first trip right now, and gazing longingly at the souvenir your friend brought you back from their trip!

If any of this applies to you then listen close - Axel Deroubaix, a Frenchman residing in Japan has come up with a fantastic way of bringing Japan to us, whilst we still can't go to Japan quite yet...

The global pandemic has brought a lot of struggles for the authentic little accommodations that we really enjoy when we're travelling but it's also taught us a lot of lessons about how we feel in terms of travel. We sat down with the owner of the Bandai Lakeside Guesthouse to talk about the interest that has built around this remote wilderness escape.

Not many people have heard of it but it will almost definitely have you saying: "why haven't we thought of that?!". This life-saver is a seasonal highlight and the secret to not just surviving but thriving during Japan's colder months. They're hitting the headlines as they take work from home by storm, but they're found in all sorts of settings. How can you cash in on this unsung cultural hero during your next Japan trip?