Origin of Kanagawa prefectural name
KANAGAWA – Kana River 神奈川県 Like many prefectural names, Kanagawa has multiple theories as to its origin and meaning. Although Kanagawa sounds like the name of a river, there’s no…
Japan’s cruise industry in 2022
First in a series of blog posts on luxury cruising, cruise ships, and cruise ports in Japan in 2022. In early summer 2022 when COVID-19 cases in Japan were relatively…
Japanese luxury cruise ships
Overview of Japan’s luxury cruise ships in 2022 by Philbert Ono, Updated: Sept. 25, 2023 On this page: In 2022, Japan’s three major cruise ships were (largest to smallest) Asuka…
Cruise ship ports in Japan
Overview of Japan’s cruise ship ports. Being a stretched-out archipelago with a long coastline (34,600 km or 21,500 mi.) and hundreds of inhabited islands, Japan has many sea ports and…
Port of Yokohama (横浜港)
Japan’s most historic and popular cruise ship departure port. Located on the west side of Tokyo Bay, Port of Yokohama is Japan’s most historic and storied port since it opened…
Peace Torii of Hakone Shrine, Lake Ashi, Moto-Hakone
When you visit Hakone, the famous hot spring resort near Mt. Fuji, part of the standard tour route is a lake cruise on a gimmicky pirate boat (upper right photo)…
Higashi Rinkan Awa Odori 2015
Went to the Higashi Rinkan Awa Odori dance festival on Aug. 2, 2015 from 5:30 pm to 9 pm in Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan. The dance was held near Higashi Rinkan…
Yamato Awa Odori 2015
The 39th Yamato Awa Odori dance festival was held on July 25-26, 2015 from 5 pm to 8:30 pm in Yamato, Kanagawa, Japan. I went to see it on July…
Odawara Castle cherry blossoms
Revisited Odawara Castle’s cherry blossoms in April 2013. Unfortunately, no blue skies when I went, but the flowers were impressive. Click on image to see more photos.
Early-blooming cherry blossoms in Matsuda, Kanagawa
Went to see Mt. Fuji and early-blooming (hayasaki) cherry blossoms in Matsuda, Kanagawa Prefecture in March 2012. These cherry blossoms are the Kawazu sakura (河津桜) variety which bloom earlier and…