05 / 06Journal
Field notes from across Japan.
Long-form essays, etiquette primers, seasonal forecasts, and the small things our guides have learned by living in the places we send you.
Issue 04
Spring 2026
02 / 02The archive
Recent essays.
Updated regularly by our guides and editors. New travel recommendations every month, plus seasonal notes when something blooms or melts.
Onsen·March 2026·6 minEight rotenburo to bathe under snow
A short list of outdoor hot springs where the only sound is steam meeting falling snow.
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Food·February 2026·4 minCounter sushi etiquette, gently explained
What to do with the towel, when to use chopsticks vs fingers, and how to thank the master.
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Mind·January 2026·5 minWhat to look at in a zen garden (besides the rocks)
A 200-year-old gardener once told us: don’t count the stones. We listened.
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Cities·December 2025·7 minTokyo at midnight, when the city actually rests
The hours between 23:00 and 02:00, told through three Shinjuku alleys and a coffee shop in Yoyogi.
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Villages·November 2025·9 minTwo days in Shirakawa-go that changed how we plan
A village that asked us to slow our itineraries down. We listened, then redesigned every northern trip we offer.
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Season·October 2025·3 minWhen sakura actually blooms (and how to plan around it)
Forecasts, fallback plans, and the regions that bloom three weeks apart so you can chase the wave.
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