On March 11th, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami brought unprecedented damage to the Pacific coast of Tohoku region. It was a major turning point: faced with the fury of nature in a disaster said to happen at this scale once in a thousand years, many people in Japan and throughout the world were forced to consider how we should relate to nature.

As we approach (what should be!) summer's peak, we earlier sat down with Ota Mitsue, a 4th generation maker of Boshu ‘Uchiwa’ fans, to find out just what goes into creating them, how the past few months have been in Chiba Prefecture, and what the Japanese concept of 'Kizuna' means to her. Read on for more! 

Located in the northeast of the Tohoku region, Iwate overlooks the Pacific Ocean via the Sanriku coastline and is buttressed by the Ou Mountains, home to some of Japan's best ski resorts and hot springs. Roughly divided into four distinct regions, Iwate is also marked by common themes of nature worship and traditional folklore, as well as samurai history and a long-standing tradition of high-quality metalwork craftsmanship. To find out more about this remote corner of Japan, we caught up with Oikawa-san to discuss all things Iwate and ferrous. 

The spring weather brings us the re-opening of many pubs but some of us might be discouraged by how fleeting those moments of warmth have been. You don't have to wait until the summer to enjoy an 'evening out', just crack open the beers and prep a feast of delicious Japanese bar snacks! Read on to find out just how easy it is to recreate a Japanese beer garden - beers, snacks and vibes - from the comfort of your very own home! 

Missing Japan? So are we! It feels like a lifetime that we've not been able to travel and we really do hope the point at which safe travel can resume comes soon; but until then, 'Shouganai' (しょうがない, "It can't be helped")! Thankfully, there are still a number of ways you can "visit" Japan, albeit virtually: read on for 7 of our favourite!