Author: Ayla Yuile

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G'Day Japan! / Ayla Yuile

Celebrating love in Japan

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This week over Golden Week it was also pride week in Tokyo as well. Hosted by the Tokyo Rainbow Pride and a slew of sponsors including politicians and corporate companies such as Playstation and Lush Cosmetics. Many events such as seminars, meet ups, yoga in the park as well as movie screenings hel… Read More

Kawaii Stuff: Animals in Japan (part 2)

Discover Avatar photo Ayla Yuile

We recently did a list of top 5 cutest native Japanese animals and you loved it so much that we had to add to the list! This time we've gathered five of the fluffiest animals you can meet in Japan. Ezo Momonga Image via Japan Info  These adorable little creatures are found in Hokkaido, which was… Read More

Shop like a local: Ameya Yokocho

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A common problem when departing Japan is luggage allowance - it is just way too much fun to shop in Japan and it's no surprise that many of us get overexcited and over-buy during our stay. Unfortunately if you're looking for a way not to over-shop, this article isn't for you but if you want to know… Read More

Golden Week 2018!

Event Avatar photo Ayla Yuile

Here in Australia we've just had Easter long weekend and then ANZAC Day, now it's Japan's turn to have a nice long block of public holidays! The first week of May (between the 29th of April and 5th of May) is known as Golden Week in Japan. During this week there are four national holidays, makin… Read More

Tokyo’s whackiest hotels!

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Japan has this special power of going the extra mile in anything they set out to do. This includes their commitment and love for the more whacky and kooky side of Japanese culture. From theme parks to themed restaurants and food, to Hello Kitty trains and Anime themed planes, the whacky and kooky m… Read More

Hello Kitty Palooza in Japan!

Osaka Manga and Anime Avatar photo Ayla Yuile

Hello Kitty and the whole of Sanrio Universe are the corner stone of the Japanese kawaii culture. Whether you are obsessed with Hello Kitty already or have a soft spot for anything cute and pastel coloured, you want to keep on reading. Hello Kitty is everywhere in Japan - it's at the supermarket… Read More

IKEBANA – The Japanese art of flower

Art Avatar photo Ayla Yuile

Have you noticed that traditional Japanese culture is very extra? For example, there's culinary arts, and then there's Japanese cuisine. Another great example would be Japanese tea ceremonies (stay tuned for more on tea ceremonies!), which are a performance even though it's basically a tea party. … Read More

TOKYO TOWER VS TOKYO SKYTREE

Tokyo Basics Avatar photo Ayla Yuile

Tokyo city is full of towering buildings, but did you know there are two rivalling towers there? Image via Klook Both Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Skytree are free standing broadcasting towers. They are both quite tall and visitors can take a long elevator ride up to look over Tokyo city, but that's as … Read More

Kawaii Stuff: Animals in Japan (part 1)

Discover Avatar photo Ayla Yuile

Japan is known for many things, for its traditional culture, for its food, for its abundant powder snow, and for being the home of truly ‘kawaii’ (cute) stuff! We are diving right into the big wide world of kawaii and we are starting with the animals in Japan, because in true Japanese fashion, they… Read More

Sumo: Japan’s biggest national sport!

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Sumo is a national sport of Japan; a form of wrestling that has over a thousand years of history! Image via Robb Report Even after all of these years, it’s much loved by the Japanese people, and it’s a mainstream sport that can be watched freely on television. Viewing sumo at a tournament is on… Read More

All About Cherry Blossoms

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The gorgeous blush coloured Cherry Blossoms are one of Japan’s key icons, although in recent years, Japan’s abundant powder snow has attracted many from around the world in winter, the Cherry Blossom season remains to be one of its key attractions, and for a very good reason. Photo by JJ Ying on… Read More

Kansai Tourism Seminar Report

Osaka Event Avatar photo Ayla Yuile

Do you know what’s in the centre of Japan? The Kansai region known as western Japan is located in the middle of Honshu (the main island of Japan). Not only that, the Kansai region was at the centre of Japanese politics and culture until the 19th century. The region consists of 10 prefectures and m… Read More

We want to go to Tokushima!!

Tokushima Event Avatar photo Ayla Yuile

We were invited to join the Discover Tokushima Tourism Seminar in early February and there we got to learn what a wonderful and mystical place Tokushima is. By the time we left the seminar we were ready to pack our hiking boots and be on our way to enjoy all that Tokushima has to offer. In recent … Read More

Anti-Aging and Bihaku

Culture Avatar photo Ayla Yuile

In today’s day and age, having perfect skin continues to be a defining feature of beauty. In Japan, a defining feature of perfect skin is Bihaku - an ideal which women of all ages have endlessly pursued. So what exactly is Bihaku?  The term Bihaku can be defined as having a flawless complexio… Read More

The ‘NŌ’ Girls & Boys

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The Japanese food culture is one of the most healthiest in the world. The Japanese are also known to have long life expectancy and their obesity rate is among the lowest in the world. It's a clear fact that the Japanese people have a profound respect and love for their food and recently, this has t… Read More

Kimono Evolution – Part 2

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aaPreviously in Kimono Evolution - Part 1, we discovered that the word kimono does not necessarily mean the Japanese traditional clothing but it describes clothing in general. We also discovered that over the long history of Japan, the 'kimono' has evolved from a simple potato sack style dress into… Read More

The Japanese Tradies

Culture Avatar photo Ayla Yuile

The word 'tradies' paints a very Australian picture; high-vis shirt, lace up workman boots, shorts, a small esky style lunch box, ute and beer stubbies. The hard working tradies of Australia have a certain look and certain mannerisms, and their work becomes a big part of their identities. Men who t… Read More

The Art of Deco

Art Avatar photo Ayla Yuile

Looking at the title of this piece you might be thinking, isn’t it ‘art deco’ or even ‘is it a typo for the art of decor?’ In fact, ‘deco’ is a shortened Japanese-English word for decoration. The word is used to describe any kind of object that has been ‘deco-ed’ as the Japanese would say. ‘Deco… Read More