Home > Highlighting JAPAN > Highlighting JAPAN January 2020
Winter Pleasures
In this month's issue, we take a look at some of the pleasures of the Japanese winter, from the “first visit” of the new year to a temple or shrine, to the scenic beauty of Shirakawa-go in Gifu Prefecture; from competitive snowballing in Sobetsu, Hokkaido, to illuminated flower viewing in Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture.
An interview with Iguchi Tomohiro, representative director of the Snow Country Tourism Zone in Yuzawa Town, Niigata Prefecture
The shrines and temples of Japan are at their busiest in the new year as people make their hatsumode “first visit” to offer prayers.
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Monkfish hotpot, a popular winter dish in Japan, is the specialty of one charming old restaurant in Tokyo.
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In spring, wisteria; in winter, illuminated flowers. Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi Prefecture pulls in the crowds for two extraordinary seasonal displays.
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Shirakawa-go in Gifu Prefecture is an enchanting place to visit in winter.
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Snowballing as a sport is capturing the imagination of snow lovers not just in Japan but around the world.
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In winter, Tsurui Village becomes an important center of conservation activities in Hokkaido to protect red-crowned cranes.
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The popularity of saunas and outdoor “contrast bathing” is on the rise in Japan.
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World’s First “Non-Gluten” Rice Flour
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© 2009 Cabinet Office, Government of Japan