Glimpses of Japan

Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery is a Japanese whisky distillery located in Hokkaido. It’s the home to Nikka Whisky, which is one of the oldest and biggest producers of Japanese whisky. I visited the distillery in 2017 summer and had an amazing time at their museums, whisky bars, and the tour. The entrance of Yoichi Distillery looked like a European castle. The distillery was established in 1934 as a “dream place” to create whisky to the father of Japanese whisky Masataka Taketsuru. He looked all over Japan for the perfect place to create his dream whisky. Yoichi was a perfect place, having the similar climate to Scotland. Getting around the distillery You can choose to participate in the guided distillery tour or just walk freely. The guided tour is conducted in Japanese only, but it includes opportunities to visit tour participants-limited sights, too. If you are walking freely, they have a guidance smartphone app to help you find the way. They also have multilingual pamphlets....

Japanese beer garden is very special to Japanese people because it is limited during summer. Going to a beer garden is one of the common things to do during summer! People visit beer garden after work to have nice beer and food outside in a summer breeze. TOKYO KOSORA is a summer limited rooftop beer garden that appears on the 9th floor (rooftop) of Shinjuku LUMINE shopping mall. Delicious all-you-can-eat modern Japanese cuisines TOKYO KOSORA’s concept is “Tokyo Modern”, they aim to provide modern Japanese cuisines arranged uniquely into different styles. They offer about 30 kinds on their menu! And it is all-you-can-eat for 2 hours! You can put anything you like on the plate from the buffet. The food is served in the buffet style  Vegetables and appetizer buffet  Fried chicken, potatoes, etc. Rice – Chirashi Sushi and Onigiri rice ball Cold soba noodles Did you think that their dishes are not filling? Well, the standard plan comes with a piece of roasted chicken le...

Oirase Gorge is a famous picturesque spot for every visitor to Aomori Prefecture. Oirase Gorge gets the largest number of visitors in autumn when the leaves get colored, but the beauty of winter is unbelievably magical. Frozen waterfalls and snowy forests will definitely one of the most magical experience ever. In winter, promenades are covered with snow, and it is difficult to walk around without a guide. I participated in a snow hike tour, so here is how the tour was like: What is Oirase Gorge? Oirase Gorge, Oirase Keiryu (奥入瀬渓流) in Japanese, is a famous picturesque spot in Aomori. It is one of the must-see spots in Aomori which gives you beautiful sceneries in every season. The gorge stretches from Lake Towada to Yakiyama and stretches for about 14 kilometers. Multiple waterfalls each has names and are extremely photogenic. Oirase Gorge in summer. In winter, Oirase Gorge allows us to encounter frozen waterfalls and snow covered forests. Change to snow clothes and start the tour...