With alpine flowers in bloom from July to August, autumn-colored leaves adorning the trees from September to November, and the crisp frosty air to delight in from December to March, Utsukushigahara is a choice destination throughout the four seasons.

Grab your swimsuit and towel and follow us as we check out some of the best water parks to be found in the Greater Tokyo Area.

Okinawa always brings people the lovely imagine of a blue clear ocean. Many tourists both from within and outside the country visit Okinawa every year to enjoy the time in the water. What if you want to see more ocean life? Or you are visiting during a season not suitable to swim? Or, if you are someone like me, what if you cannot swim?

That also means that eating fruit as part of a daily, balanced diet is not a Japanese custom. What you may have grown up thinking of as an after school snack, in Japan is a delicacy, reserved at first only for the noble class, and later for special ceremonial meals like weddings and funerals.

Okura Beach is relatively short in length. However, great picnic areas, a children's park, beautiful view of Awaji Bridge, and most importantly, opportunity to make and enjoy barbecue meals make it an attractive beach for anyone.

The list of things that you’re responsible to do when doing anything with children however just keeps on growing. So, compiled here is a little list of things that might make it a tad bit easier for you on your visit to the land of the rising sun.

In a little place called doll town or ‘Ningyo no Machi’ on Takasago street in Matsumoto City, there are quite a few doll shops, each with their own unique charm. Depending on the time of year, you may either find lovely Japanese hina dolls for girls or even traditional Japanese kabuto helmets for boys.

We usually find ourselves near Tokyo station in the winter months. The illuminations and the festive trees pitted against the cosy street market are often enough of a drawcard to get us there, but what kept us there this year was a mix of kid-friendly interactive displays, the wholesome food and informative exhibits.

A multi-pronged approach to bilingualism has been necessary in order to grow the children’s interest in English, improve their speaking ability and in turn grow their desire to read and write. I hoped to link all these aspects of language learning, by finding online YouTube videos to support the English material I was using with them at home.

Sakurajima is a must visit if you're in Kagoshima. It’s easily accessible by ferry from the city and the ferry port is close to several attractions such as the Sakurajima Visitors centre which provides a host of great information about the volcano.

Having never been to either of Tokyo’s Disney resorts, we weren’t sure which of the two to start with, but ended up choosing Disney Sea. Here is how we maximised our fun and minimised the waiting time.

Here are twelve fantastic theme parks in Japan, what they include, and where to find them.