Japan has a number of famous places for people who enjoy winter sports like ski and snowboarding, and with its steep mountains and beautiful powder snow, it is a popular ski destination from people from near and far. One of the places well-known for people who enjoy winter activities is Shigakōgen in Nagano. With 21 ski resorts it is one of Japan's largest ski areas, and during the 1998 Nagano Olympics, a number of the games were hosted here.

Saw this poster a while back in a restaurant in Ikebukuro and wanted to share it with my fellow travelers out there. Since it's my own interpretation the content might differ slightly from the original Japanese text. Anyway, here you go:

国境は、本当は人の心の中にあるものではないでしょうか。

Isn't national borders simply
the borders in people's hearts?

To cross an invisible line that someone drew
To appreciate different cultures or values
The world, its people,
To be connected in the word's true meaning...

To experience the world's beauty through traveling,
To make the world peaceful through love,
To become touched by the wonderfulness of different places,
By becoming more openminded our conflicts will disappear.

To travel,
Isn't it something that holds these true values?

The annual Tōka Ebisu festival held in the Imamiya-Ebisu shrine (今宮戎神社) in Osaka is one of the city's largest festivals, and every year the 3-day long event attracts around one million visitors. The festival is held from January 9-11 (the most important day is the 10th, hence tōka ebisu) and is mainly visited by merchants who come to Imamiya-Ebisu to pray for business prosperity in the new year.

One of the things you might get to experience as an employee at Rakuten is the company's annual Group Noukai held in Odaiba before the year-end holiday begins. In fact, all employees who enter the company as new-grads are asked to take part in a Group Noukai dance performance in December.

At the end of our program we also had a small concert with my colleague Will, who is aiming to be a professional musician. He is American, but we had him sing his own version of the Norwegian artists A-ha and M2M. I don't have any videos of his performance available yet, but please feel free to check out his talent on soundcloud.

• All blogposts from Tokyo
• All blogposts about Norwegian stuff abroad
• Yokohama : Norwegian Skolebolle in World Porters
• Norway Food Festival in Tokyo!
• Tokyo Cafes: Cafe Fuglen - Norwegian style Coffee & Vintage Furniture
• Norwegian 17. May Celebration in Tokyo 2014 - 東京でのノルウェー憲法記念日
• Norway Yumenet Presentation in Tokyo (Norsk Salong)
• Japan Hardanger Club (日本ハルダンゲルクラブ) Performance at the Norwegian Embassy
• Norway in Japan: Arne & Carlos Knitting Event
• Celebrating Norway's National Day at the Embassy in Tokyo!
• NHK on Norwegian Slow TV／NHK放送：ノルウェーのスローテレビ
• NHK E-Tele: "Gretel's Magical Oven" and Norwegian Waffles
• The Norway-Japan Society: Yakatabune Dinner Cruise on the Tokyo Bay (屋形船)

The road to Heian Jingu

The Maruyama Koen park in Gion

Two girls in kimono buying ice cream

The only negative thing about visiting Kyoto during the Koyo-season is that you might find yourself literarily stuck in the crowd of Japanese tourists. Especially if you go during the weekend, like we did (working in Japan doesn't leave you that many options when it comes to available days). We tried to visit Kiyomizudera, but in the end we just gave up because there was simply too many people. So my number of koyo-photos was quite limited.

The road to Kiyomizudera

A store where you can make your own ceramics close to Kiyomizudera

Lately I haven't had a lot of time to writing my blog, and this post also is quite lacking in information. Sorry about that.. There are however web pages dedicated to helping you find the best koyo-spots in Kyoto, so if you're planning on visiting the city you can get some inspiration there! In addition I have some koyo-posts from previous years that might be worth checking out (or so I hope at least).

• All blogposts from Osaka
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• Top Attractions in the World Heritage City Kyoto
• Jidai matsuri - 時代祭 - The Festival of Ages
• 紅葉 Red-Leaf Season in Kyoto 2014!
• Kansai International Airport to Kyoto: Easy Access by Airport Shuttle
• Sightseeing in Kyoto: Kitano Tenmangu Flea Market
• White Pigeon Wedding Modeling in Kyoto! 
• Modeling for Kyoto Weddings: My Japanese Wedding, or the day I (Almost) Married a Stranger
• Spring in Japan: Sakura Season and Hanami in Kyoto!
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• Travel in Japan: Top 10 Japanese Ryokan Hotels chosen by Experts
• Tokyo Hotel Special: 20 Grand Opening Hotels 2016 - 2017
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• Lodging in Tokyo: 10 Fancy Budget Hotels for an Unforgettable Stay
• Osaka & Kyoto Hotel Special: Grand Opening Hotels 2016 - 2017
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• Chichibu: Heritage Minoyama Ryokan
• Gunma: Kusatsu Onsen Nisshinkan
• Hokkaido: New Furano Prince Hotel
• Kanazawa: The Ryokan with a Noh Stage - Hotel Motoyu Ishiya
• Nagano - Yudanaka: Aburaya Tousen Ryokan
• Niigata: Shikinoyado Minoya Ryokan
• Niigata: Iwamuro Onsen - Hotel Ohashi Yakatanoyu
• Nikko: Nikko Tokinoyuu Hotel
• Nikko Astraea Hotel in Oku-Nikko - Nikko National Park
• Osaka: The Bridge Hotel Shinsaibashi
• Saitama: Heiseirou Onsen Health Center 
• Shikoku: Rotenburo Heaven at Hotel Kazurabashi
• Tokyo: A Night at the Majestic Hotel Okura Tokyo
• Tokyo: Meeting Hachi the Owl at WISE OWL HOSTELS TOKYO
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• Tokyo: Futakotamagawa Excel Hotel Tokyu - A Suburban Choice
• Tokyo's First Robot Hotel - Henn na Hotel Maihama Tokyo Bay
• Yokohama: Yokohama Royal Park - The Landmark of Yokohama
• Yokohama: Hotel Edit Yokohama - A Western-style Boutique Hotel
• Smarter Hotel Booking: Agoda Secret Deal
• Getting you the Best Hotel Rates: Agoda Insider Deals
• All blogposts from Japan 

A little while ago I had the chance to do some modeling for the hair salon Charman in Daikanyama.! I just got the pictures from the shoot from my hair stylist Aco-san this week, and here are a couple of them:




Charman's mission statement:

“SHAMAN” - the guide leads your way out to
“CHARMAN” - to inspire and bring out your “Charm”.
CHARMAN
Named after the spirit inside us.
Our missions are
to help you find your style to be yourself,
to help you bring out your charm and aura,
and to help you brighten your life and your future.
We will listen to your concerns and understand your desires,
and propose the hair style that matches to you.
Styles do not stay the same, styles change over time.
This is why we are here to offer you a relaxing atmosphere and
build a long-lasting relationship with you.
We hope to spend a precious moment together and create a trusting friendship with each one of you.
We hope we can help you find a fascinating future.
We truly hope so.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Yuichi ENZAKI

Inside the hair salon (picture borrowed from Charman's home page)

Charman also offer other services in addition to haircuts. You can check out their prices on the list below:

By the entrance to the hair salon (picture borrowed from Charman's home page)

● Cut ￥6400〜

● Color ￥8000〜

● Cut & Perm ￥13500〜

● Treatment ￥4000〜

● Head Spa ￥3500〜

● Hair & Make up ￥5600〜

● Yukata ￥3000〜

If you're looking for a nice and oshare (fashionable) hair salon in Tokyo to change your hair style or perhaps to do some modeling you might want to check out their homepage. The hair salon is situated in Dairiyama, which is located on the Tokkyu Toyoko line, only one station away from Shibuya. Good luck!

+CHARMAN+

Good company

A chocolate sponge cake with some fruit

Close up photo

Chocolate Tiramisu Waffle

You can also buy chocolate to bring with you home, or give to a friend as a gift: By the counter, they sell 56 different varieties of chocolate squares in small colorful packages. In addition to plain chocolates made by Meiji's original receipt from1926 and chocolate made by cocoa beans from a wide range of countries, there is also a range of unique chocolates for the more adventurous tasters out there. Some examples of the exotic varieties you can buy are chocolate with azuki (red bean), basil, yomogi (Japanese mugwort), goma (sesame seeds), ginger, red chili, jasmine, cheese, and maccha (Japanese green tea) flavor.

Chocolate Cafe

Meiji's Chocolate Cafe is located only 5 minutes away from Tokyo Station by foot. The cafe stays open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during weekdays, and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m on weekends.

Address:
〒104-0031 東京都中央区京橋２丁目４−１６
Kyobashi 2-4-16, Meiji Seika Honsha Bldg 1F.

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• Bon Odori Midsummer Festival in Ebisu (恵比寿駅前盆踊り)
• Fun in Tokyo: Flying high at Trampoline Park Trampoland
• Hiking in Tokyo: Mt. Fuji View from Okutama's Mt. Mito (三頭山) 
• Real Escape Room Asakusa: Escape from The RED ROOM
• Sightseeing in Tokyo: Cruising the Tokyo Bay on a Yakatabune (屋形船) Houseboat
• Second Hand Fashion Shopping in Tokyo: Mode Off in Ueno
• Summer in Tokyo: River side picnic by Futako-Tamagawa (二子玉川)
• The Ultimate Secret Karaoke Place in Shibuya: Rainbow Karaoke
• Tokyo hotels: Meeting Hachi the Owl at WISE OWL HOSTELS TOKYO
• Tokyo hotels: Hundred Stay Tokyo Shinjuku Serviced Apartments & Hotel
• Tokyo hotels: Remm Roppongi - A night in the Town that never sleeps
• Tokyo hotels: Futakotamagawa Excel Hotel Tokyu - A Suburban Choice
• Tokyo's First Robot Hotel - The Strange Henn na Hotel Maihama Tokyo Bay
• Tokyo Cherry Blossom Spots: Nakameguro's Meguro-gawa River (目黒川)
• Tokyo Hot Spring Theme Parks: Back to Edo with Oedo Onsen Monogatari
• All blog posts about cafes
• Tokyo Cafes: The Usabibi Bunny Cafe (うさびび)
• Tokyo Cafes: Meiji 100% Chocolate Cafe
• Tokyo Cafes: Cafe Fuglen - Norwegian style Coffee & Vintage Furniture
• Tokyo Cafes: Rakuten Cafe in Shibuya
• Tokyo Cafes: Aoyama Flower Market Tea House
• Toko Cafes: Tokyo Dome City Moomin Bakery & Cafe
• Theme Cafes: The Beauty and the Beast Cafe in Yokohama

Henn na Hotel ★★★★ → review .

The Centurion Classic Akasaka ★★★★ → review

Hundred Stay ★★★★ → review ,

Kaisu Hostel ★ .

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Kawagoe city in Saitama prefecture is a good alternative if you're looking for an historical place to visit for a day trip from Tokyo.
The city is known under the nickname "Little Edo" (小江戸 Koedo) and has even been referred to by CNN as the 'most Japanese' destination of all. The reason for the nickname is the influence that came through the financial and cultural ties the city held to the Japanese capital Edo (the former name for Tokyo) back in the 17th to 19th centuries and the architecture left from this period.