Blog
Blog
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Lidth’s jay
The Lidth's jay, once hunted for its feathers used in women's hats, has seen its numbers decline in recent years due to habitat destruction and predation by feral cats and mongooses. It is an endemic species to Japan, found only on Amami Ōshima and the neighbouring islands of Kakeroma and Uke. However, its population now appears to be recovering, and it can be spotted along roadsides and in residential gardens. Their distinctive, guttural “ja-ja” call often alerts one to their presence. At night, they are frequently seen roosting on power lines along forest roads. As a bird emblematic of Amami, products bearing…
- Amami Ōshima
- Birds
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Black wood pigeon
The Black wood Pigeon, named “Karasubato (Crow Pigeon)” in Japanese for its entirely raven-black plumage, is a large forest-dwelling pigeon inhabiting remote islands including Amami Ōshima. Though its call is often heard, it is a highly wary bird, making sightings rare. However, sightings become more frequent around September; at Nagumo Pass, home to Amami Wild Bird Forest, three individuals were observed simultaneously along power lines. Though uniformly black in appearance due to the light, its body displays a striking glossy green from the neck to the chest. True to its French name “Pigeon violet” (purple pigeon), it bears a reddish-purple…
- Amami Ōshima
- Birds
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Amami thrush
The Amami Thrush, which together with the Amami Rabbit and others was a plaintiff against the construction of the golf course in Amami Ōshima and for the right to nature. A phantom bird thatI cannot watch since my first visit to Amami Ōshima 20 years ago. It differs from White's thrush of the mainland in the number of tail feathers and its call, and is now considered to be a separate species because of progress in amino acid and nucleotide sequence analysis. When I was walking through the Amami Wild Bird Forest square, I heard a loud noise of something…
- Amami Ōshima
- Birds
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Amami rabbit
I'm visiting Amami Ōshima, designated a World Heritage site in 2021, to research new tours.Before its World Heritage designation, I observed the endemic Amami rabbit along the forest roads of Sumiyo. However, with the increase in tourists came more incidents, so this time I joined a night tour led by an Amami-certified guide. I enlisted the services of Mr. Akatsuki from Amami Original Service. Though he has only lived in Amami for five years, he knows the observation spots well. During the roughly two-hour tour, we spotted nearly 20 Amami rabbits, along with wild birds like the Ryūkyū ruddy kingfisher…
- Amami Ōshima
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What is the hage fish that represents Kyoto?
Kyoto still has traditional greengrocers. About a 10-minute walk south from our guesthouse is Toba Ume Shoten, a greengrocer that also sells takoyaki. Known as Kyoto's cheapest takoyaki shop, it's also a greengrocer offering delicious sashimi and vegetables delivered straight from the market. Today's sashimi is hage fish. When I first came to Kyoto, I was surprised to hear it called hage. Because in Japan, the term “hage (bald)” can also be a derogatory term referring to someone who has completely lost all their hair. In the Kansai region, “Hage” refers to Kawahagi (thread-sail filefish). The name comes from how its…
- Culture
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Nakō: One of the best family-run neighborhood Chinese restaurants in Kyoto
Kyoto is home to the flagship stores of renowned Japanese Chinese restaurant chains such as Gyoza no Ohsho and Tenka Ippin, but it also boasts numerous locally rooted, family-run Chinese eateries known as machi-chuka.Nakō, located near the Eiden railway line just under a fifteen-minute walk from our guesthouse, is my favourite local Chinese restaurant.The daily lunch special is generously portioned, but the real favourite is the champon.Chanpon is a word meaning “to mix various things, or the mixture itself”, and also the name of such a dish. While the version from Nagasaki is particularly famous, in Kyoto, chanpon refers to…
- restaurant
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Espace Louis Vuitton Osaka
The works of Yayoi Kusama, who enjoys immense popularity in Europe. Currently, her pieces spanning from her early years to recent times are on free display at the exhibition space “Espace Louis Vuitton Osaka” within the Louis Vuitton Maison Osaka Midosuji. Particularly striking is her 1965 work “Infinity Mirror Room-Phalli's Fiel”. Though viewing is limited to approximately one minute per group, visitors can sense her inspiration centred on infinity and eternity. The exhibition is scheduled to run until 12 January next year.
- Osaka
- Spot introduction
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Wagon-style dim sum
My first visit to Hong Kong was nearly thirty years ago. The handover was imminent, and there was a palpable sense of unease in the air. Amidst this, my first experience was dim sum served from trolleys. I recall timidly pointing at dishes made with ingredients I'd never seen before in Japan, as they were brought round one after another.You can experience this very same trolley-style dim sum in Kyoto at Old Hong Kong Restaurant Kyoto. It offers an all-you-can-eat selection of freshly steamed items like shumai and dumplings, grilled dishes cooked to order, and a wide variety of desserts.…
- restaurant
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Warning: Problems with reservations made through Agoda
Recently, there have been many problems with reservations made through Agoda.Our guesthouse only accepts reservations through Booking.com, but it seems that we are also listed on Agoda, so we are asking Agoda to remove our listing.If you make a reservation through Agoda, there is a possibility that the reservation may be made on a date when we cannot accept reservations, and in the worst case, you may not be able to stay, and cancellation fees may also apply.Please make your reservation through Booking.com, and if you have any concerns, please feel free to contact us directly by email or phone.
- notice
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Jizō Bon
After the Gozan Okuribi, Kyoto welcomes Jizō Bon.Jizō Bon is an event held on 24 August, which is associated with Jizō Bosatsu, the guardian deity of children and roadside shrines, to pray for the health of children and the safety of the neighbourhood. Jizō Bosatsu is a bodhisattva who vowed to save people lost in the six realms (six worlds) from the time of Shakyamuni Buddha's death until the appearance of Maitreya Bodhisattva.During Jizō Bon, the Jizō statue is taken out of its shrine, adorned with makeup, and dressed in a new apron before being enshrined on an altar. The…
- Kyoto
- Spot introduction
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Satono-ya: One of the oldest Japanese BBQ restaurants in Kyoto
Established in 1960, Satono-ya is one of the oldest yakiniku restaurants in Kyoto. It is a little far from our guesthouse, but it is worth walking to.Located near Kyoto University, it is a great place for students to enjoy delicious meat at reasonable prices.In particular, the lunch menu is highly recommended. You can choose from galbi, tontoro, and horumon, and even combine two types. Galbi means ‘rib’ in Korean and refers to the meat around the ribs of a cow, which is one of the most popular cuts among Japanese people. Tontoro is the meat from the cheek to the…
- restaurant
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A quiet row of torii gates to enjoy
I sometimes receive requests from customers who want to take photos of torii gates lined up in a place with few people.In such cases, I take them to Futaba Hime Inari Shrine, located right next to Kamigamo Shrine. While many people visit Kamigamo Shrine, a World Heritage Site, few seem to visit this shrine, which is located a little further away.Founded in 820, it was originally the guardian shrine of Jingū-ji Temple, a Buddhist temple that practised Shinto-Buddhist syncretism. Shinto-Buddhist syncretism was a doctrine that sought to harmonise Japan's indigenous Shinto beliefs with imported Buddhist beliefs, and it was widely…
- Kyoto
- Spot introduction