Feeling the Quake in Kansai
For those of you worrying about family or friends living in the Kansai region, Osaka, Kyoto, Shiga, Hyogo (Kobe) and Nara, while many people felt the initial quake down this far south, the Kansai region was not really effected. People in this area should be alright. Wakayama, however, did experience a tsunami along the coastal areas. If your family lives along the coastal area of Wakayama, they may have been effected by the quake. Related PostsMajor Storm Hitting the Kansai Area Kyoto Ci
Read More2009 Kobe Luminarie
This year, the Kobe Luminarie will be held from December 3rd to 14th, 2009. The area will be open from 6pm to 9:30pm from Monday thru Thursday each week, on Fridays from 6pm to 10pm, Saturdays from 5:30pm to 10pm and on Sunday from 5:30pm to 9:30pm. If you wish to experience the Kobe Luminarie, it is best to take the train. Traveling there by car will take much more time out of your day because of heavy traffic. Also, if you visit the area earlier in the month, you will experience...
Read MoreSwine Flu Hits Kobe and Osaka
The World Health Organization has confirmed that in the past few days the swine flu has gone from a handful of people to 52 cases with the majority being high school students who most likely contracted the virus from others while watching and participating in volleyball matches. School faculty became suspicious after noticing higher than usual numbers of students absent from school with flu-like symptoms and notified public health authorities prior to the weekend. For now, schools in Kobe are...
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Momiji Viewing Areas in Kansai
In April, Japanese cherry blossoms bring in spring, while the Japanese momiji, known as the Japanese maple, announces autumn has come. If you are traveling in Japan, make sure you come in autumn at least once in your lifetime to see the Japanese maples in their vibrant yellows, oranges and reds. The best known areas to view maple trees are at shrines, temples and gardens. But Japanese maple trees are so abundant, you can just about see them anywhere you go. They are strewn along mountainsides...
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Heavy Rain and Strong Lightning Storms in Japan
Heavy rain and lightning have been hitting Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto areas causing flash flooding, power outages and many other problems lately. Heavy thunderstorms in Tokyo caused flooding in rural Shinjuku and surrounding areas. People were stranded in their cars and some even had to abandon their cars otherwise they would possibly have drowned. One woman showed cameramen her car in an underground tunnel. Her car had water up to the roof. [ad#kansaiconnect] In Kobe, heavy rains caused...
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