Category Archives: Japan Guides

Guides to activities and events in Japan.

Ninja Village – Koka, Shiga

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NinjaTempled out in Kyoto?  Looking for something unique to do around Kansai?  Train 45 minutes to Shiga Prefecture and immerse yourself in a world of NINJA.  Koka’s Ninja Village gives you the opportunity to train and dress like a ninja!  Tour ninja houses full of secret doors while checking out shuriken and a few sets of nun-chucks even Napoleon Dynamite would envy.  Koka Ninja Village even has a complimentary shuttle bus to pick you up from JR Koka Station upon arrival.  For more information, hit up koka.ninpou.jp (Japanese only).

2011 Sakura Guide

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Here are the predicted dates for the sakura first blossom opening and full bloom across Japan (for major cherry blossom sites in each prefecture). If you are travelling around, make the most of each prefecture!

Kyushu Area:
Okinawa:     Finished (Early February)
Kagoshima:     Open: 1st April     Full Bloom: 10th April
Miyazaki:     Open: 22nd March     Full Bloom: 30th March
Oita:    Open: 22nd March     Full Bloom: 30th March
Kumamoto:    Open: 21st March     Full Bloom: 30th March
Nagasaki:    Open: 22nd March     Full Bloom: 31st March
Saga:    Open: 22nd March     Full Bloom: 31st March
Fukuoka:    Open: 21st March     Full Bloom: 30th March

Chugoku/Shikoku Area:
Kochi:     Open: 20th March     Full Bloom: 28th March
Ehime:    Open: 25th March     Full Bloom: 2nd April
Kagawa:    Open: 25th March     Full Bloom: 2nd April
Tokushima:    Open: 28th March     Full Bloom: 4th April
Yamaguchi:    Open: 26th March     Full Bloom: 3rd April
Hiroshima:    Open: 26th March     Full Bloom: 3rd April
Shimane:    Open: 29th March     Full Bloom: 6th April
Okayama:    Open: 26th March     Full Bloom: 3rd April
Tottori:    Open: 30th March     Full Bloom: 7th April

Kinki Area:
Wakayama:    Open: 27th March     Full Bloom: 4th April
Nara:    Open: 28th March     Full Bloom: 4th April
Hyogo:    Open: 28th March     Full Bloom: 5th April
Osaka:    Open: 26th March     Full Bloom: 3rd April
Kyoto:    Open: 31st March     Full Bloom: 7th April
Shiga:    Open: 2nd April     Full Bloom: 9th April
Mie:    Open: 30th March     Full Bloom: 6th April

Chubu Area:
Aichi:     Open: 25th March     Full Bloom: 2nd April
Shizuoka:    Open: 26th March     Full Bloom: 3rd April
Gifu:    Open: 31st March     Full Bloom: 7th April
Nagano:    Open: 7th April     Full Bloom: 13th April
Yamanashi:    Open: 28th March     Full Bloom: 5th April
Fukui:    Open: 3rd April     Full Bloom: 10th April
Ishikawa:    Open: 4th April     Full Bloom: 11th April
Toyama:    Open: 3rd April     Full Bloom: 10th April
Niigata:    Open: 9th April     Full Bloom: 15th April

Kanto:
Kanagawa:    Open: 23rd March     Full Bloom: 31st March
Tokyo:    Open: 24th March     Full Bloom: 1st April
Chiba:    Open: 29th March     Full Bloom: 5th April
Saitama:    Open: 26th March     Full Bloom: 2nd April
Gunma:    Open: 29th March     Full Bloom: 5th April
Tochigi:    Open: 31st March     Full Bloom: 6th April
Ibaraki:    Open: 5th April     Full Bloom: 13th April

Hokkaido/Tohoku Area:
Fukushima:    Open: 8th April     Full Bloom: 14th April
Yamagata:    Open: 15th April     Full Bloom: 21st April
Akita:    Open: 24th April     Full Bloom: 29th April
Miyagi:    Open: 10th April     Full Bloom: 16th April
Iwate:    Open: 19th April     Full Bloom: 25th April
Aomori:    Open: 22nd April     Full Bloom: 27th April
Hokkaido:    Open: 1st May     Full Bloom: 5th May