A cheapo's guide to Japan
The city of Utsunomiya in Tochigi prefecture is renowned for its gyoza—the dumpling of Chinese origin that is a fixture of Japanese ramen restaurants.
The festival takes place at Utsunomiya Park in the center of the city and stalls will offer one plate of 3 dumplings for a mere ¥100!
An amazing chance to see a remote, snow-covered thatched village illuminated with hundreds of lanterns.
While most snow festivals feature man-made sculptures, the snow monsters of Zao are entirely natural. Created in rare circumstances that require specific weather and tree formation, the snow gathers in such a way that monsters are formed in the mountains. […]
Celebrated to mark the end of winter and the day before spring begins, setsubun is an age-old Japanese ceremony thought to drive evil spirits from the house. Many people dress as demons and are herded out of businesses and houses […]
One of the many traditional Setsubun festivals taking place across Japan, this one is unusual in that it features Geiko – the Kyoto version of Geisha. On the first day, there will be dance performances and bean-throwing ceremony from 1pm […]
