Taketomi Island is easily reachable from Ishigaki Island, at only ten minutes by ferry from Ishigaki Port. You can reach Taketomi with one of the two ferry companies, Ishigaki Dream Tours and Yaeyama Kanko Ferry. At Ishigaki Port, you can also get package tours to make the most of your time on this beautiful island.

Hiking the mountain is fairly easily; it involves a walk in a forest and some steep roads up the man-made path. In autumn, you can find acorns and in certain places, lovely red leaves. Visiting Mt. Takao and the surrounding hills is a good way to practice if you’re interested in climbing Mt. Fuji.

Most textbooks and formal classes do not teach informal expressions or slang. Here are ten funny slang words in Japanese to make you sound more like a native speaker.

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

Gakugei-Daigaku is on the Toyoko line, a small neighbourhood between Shibuya and Jiyugaoka that relatively few people know about. Despite its lack of fame, this area has a mixture of a local sense of community and the exciting vibe of a city neighbourhood.

Fried chicken, locally called “karaage”, is widely popular, and katsu dishes such as chicken, pork, and shrimp often adorn bento boxes and curries. Kushi katsu is a dish from Osaka that, although similar, is slightly different from regular katsu. So what is it?

Seeing a doctor in Japan is usually not too much trouble, even if you don’t speak Japanese. Here are some useful phrases and words you may need depending on your problem, some common kanji you’ll see at clinics and hospitals, and how to tell the difference between a hospital and a clinic, as well as some additional information.

There are no fewer than 110 active volcanoes in Japan, quite a number considering the country’s relatively small size. Although volcanoes can be extremely dangerous and are historically responsible for many deaths and damage to land, the existence of these mountains has also granted Japan many natural hot springs and some gorgeous scenery enjoyed by hikers, thrill seekers, and backpackers. Here is a list of six amazing volcanoes in Japan.

What with new sounds, grammar that’s entirely different from English, and three writing alphabets that take years to master, Japanese is considered a very hard language to learn. However, it can also be easy in places, and for people interested in visiting or living in the country, speaking it is a valuable skill.

Although it can be difficult to have a pet of your own in Japan as an expat, especially if you live in a city, there are plenty of places to go where you can spend time with cute animals and get your fluff fix. One of these is “Sekai no Meiken Bokujo” a communication park for dogs and people, in Gunma Prefecture.

Like many foreign dishes, the Japanese have adapted their own style to make curry a little different. However, this doesn’t mean that traditional curry is hard to come by. Here are three types of curry restaurants you can find in Tokyo.

Virtual Reality is a relatively new concept, with many experimental titles still in the works by both large companies and independent developers. VR is the future of gaming, with hand devices and headsets to take you from just watching a screen to being fully immersed in the game’s world.