Super Komachi

An unprecedented 10-day Golden Week holiday started Saturday ahead of the Imperial succession, with bullet train stations, airports and expressways crowded with travelers heading to their hometowns, major cities and overseas destinations. From the morning, t…

The number of holidaymakers from Japan traveling domestically and overseas is expected to reach a record high during the extended Golden Week vacation, according to a major travel agency. Golden Week -- starting Saturday and running through May 6 -- has been…

All aboard the Mickey Mouse train! Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains are getting their first Disney-inspired makeover starting next month. The country’s high-speed trains occasionally pay tribute to popular Japanse animation, such as Hello Kitty and Evangelio…

If you dont want to waste a huge amount of time in Japans cultural capital, heres something youll want to avoid. While the city is particularly striking during cherry blossom season or as the leaves change color in the fall, Kyoto is beautiful at any time of…

We are now very familiar with Japanese characters and franchises appearing on special trains. From Hello Kitty to Evangelion, and Pikachu, train operators frequently use tie-ups to promote regional travel. (And don’t forgot those Star Wars passenger planes fr…

I have a deep and abiding love for udon. Soba and ramen get all the love, but the humble, unassuming udon noodle is my favorite. Thick and chewy in the best way, super slurpable udon noodles dont get enough love. Theyre just the right amount of firm, with a s…

Being in Japan during sakura or cherry blossom season has always been on my bucket list. Still, it took Mike and I nine years of going to Japan before we actually got to see sakura. Not because we kept missing the season, or because we didnt want to. To be…

NAGANO - A 77-year-old man was arrested Friday night after allegedly trespassing on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line and disrupting bullet train services by walking on the tracks, police and the operator of the railway said. Katsuichi Sakurai, a farmer from the …