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Kamakura

Former sushi chef serves onigiri rice balls for breakfast at new morning restaurant in Japan

A breakfast place so good it’s only open for around three hours every morning.

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We visit a Japanese cafe famous for John Lennon and epic pancakes

A Beatle and a Nobel Prize-winning writer is just the start of what makes Iwata Coffee Shop so famous.

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This sandwich bento with 120-year history from Kamakura is a masterful example of how less is more

Don’t be fooled by its simplicity, because that’s what makes it shine!

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18-year-old man stabbed to death for protesting a car blasting loud music in Kamakura

Police are searching for the whereabouts of three men who fled the murder scene by car.

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Foreign citizen arrested in Japan for throwing his bento trash in a mailbox

U.K. citizen claims he thought it was a trashcan.

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Trio of thieves break into Japanese glasses store, foiled by old-timey cash register

They don’t make them like they used to… back in 1908.

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Can the powers of the Tokyo area’s literal money-laundering shrine make us rich? We find out

Our latest get-rich-quick scheme takes us to a Shinto shrine in Kamakura with an 835-year history.

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Kamakura Warrior Tour now offering T-shirts that are the spitting image of real samurai armor

Now’s your chance to snag a samurai armor-inspired T-shirt during your next visit to Kamakura, a beautiful day trip destination from Tokyo.

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Foreigner visiting Japan? Don’t forget to get your free-to-use smartphone from Kanagawa

One more reason to visit beautiful Kanagawa, just a 30-minute train ride from downtown Tokyo.

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Bioluminescent plankton turn Kanagawa seashore into something that looks more like a Final Fantasy game.

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Anime-style outfits have become so popular they’re inspiring their own fan art.

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Tour Japan’s former capital dressed as a samurai or noble lady on awesome day trip from Tokyo

History buffs and cosplay fans won’t just look like samurai, but eat like them too on their visit to Kamakura.

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Anybody want to live rent-free in a house in a Japanese beach town for two years?

Non-Japanese applicants also being accepted for unique housing program from interior goods brand Mujirushi.

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Japanese library offers itself and its manga collection as refuge for emotionally troubled youths

Though summer vacation is a lot shorter in Japan than it is in the U.S., most tudents here aren’t exactly itching to go back to school once it’s done. Even worse, since it falls in the middle of the Japanese school year, the end of summer break is also the start of the second, and more demanding, semester.

Needless to say, a lot of kids would rather blow off school and kick back with a good manga, which is exactly what one library in Japan is encouraging them to do. The reason, however, is far more important than just finding out what happens to their favorite fictional characters .

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Israeli bath and beauty product maker Sabon opening beach restaurant in Kamakura

Having grown up a quick drive from southern California’s miles and miles of prime coastline, I’ll admit Japanese beaches can sometimes be a little underwhelming. Among other problems, they’re crowded with day trippers during midsummer, and infested with jellyfish as the season winds down.

One great thing about beaches in Japan, though, are the umi no ie, temporary restaurants/lounges built right on the sand and only operated during July and August. Due to their temporary nature (the buildings are completely disassembled come September), umi no ie used to be pretty bare-bones. In recent years, though, the ones at Japan’s more popular beaches have been attracting some well-known corporate sponsors and collaborative partners, such as Israeli bath and beauty product manufacturer Sabon, which is set to open its first umi no ie next week.

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The beautiful flowers of Hydrangea Temple: Possibly the best thing about Japan’s rainy season

As much as I look forward to summer every year, I’ll admit it can be a little hard getting excited about the early part of the season in Japan. The humidity rises, mosquitos come out in force (although we’ve got a secret trick for dealing with them), and the weather is rainy enough that going almost a week without seeing the sun isn’t that unusual.

Still, there’s at least one nice part about June in Japan, which is the blooming of the hydrangeas. The bundles of blossoms are blooming right now, and if you’re in the Tokyo area, there’s no better place to see them than at Meigetsuin Temple in Kamakura.

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A Fast-Food Joint to Visit Before You Die

First Kitchen is a Japanese fast-food chain that has been rapidly expanding in the Kanto and Kinki areas. Readers in Japan have probably been to a First Kitchen at least once, but did you know that there is a branch with phenomenal views that rival high-end resorts and skyscraper restaurants?
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