Category Archives: Just…Beautiful

March 26

Cherry Blossom Report 2018

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Yikes, everything is blooming crazy early this year! Here are a few highlights, as each day unfolds. For directions and maps, head over to The Best Cherry Blossom Spots in Tokyo For where to take the best photos of both early-blooming and late-blooming cherry blossoms, along with maps of where to find each variety in […]

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November 20

The Best Tokyo Illuminations 2017

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It’s time again for the best free holiday light show ever! Here are this year’s Tokyo Illuminations offerings, some of them even better than before: • TOKYO MIDTOWN This year’s “Starlight Garden” extravaganza is super lavish, with different shows for each night of the week. There’s a four-minute blue and white spin around the galaxy, […]

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November 10

A Feast Of Autumn Leaves

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The season has arrived, and in somewhat strange order this year. The ginkgo trees are full-on gold and already carpeting their surroundings with fallen leaves, but most Japanese maples are still just showing a mere tinge of red. Here’s what’s happening right now, and here are the best places to see them, with maps. These […]

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November 03

Yokohama Smart Illumination 2017: Even More & Better Than Before

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I know it seems like all I do these days is frant about looking at stuff lit up at night, but there’s been a sudden rash of illuminations events in & around Tokyo lately, and they’ve all been worth staying up way past bedtime for! Last time I went to the Yokohama Smart Illuminations, you […]

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November 01

The Digital Greenhouse: Interactive Illuminations, I Am In You!

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Level up, holiday lightshow fanboys & girls! This digital greenhouse ups the ante in the illuminations game, bigtime. First of all, you can go inside and LIVE THE KALEIDOSCOPIC DREAM. But that’s not all. You can trigger new musical sounds and light patterns by touching the live veggie plants inside. (Yes. Dying. Going to heaven.) […]

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October 17

In The Japanese Dahlia Garden

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There’s a secret walled garden at the Ueno Toshogu Shrine that’s only open once a year for peony season, but guess what? This year they’re letting us come in to see the dahlias too! Bring your thesaurus, though, so you don’t wear out the word WOW. Open: Every day from September 30 – October 29 […]

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October 07

Obsession, Thy Name Is This Exhibit

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Okay, I really want to hate the Mitsui Memorial Museum (because see below) but they keep putting on shows like this. The idea behind “Amazing Craftsmanship!” is to pair mad Meiji-era woodwork, metalcraft and even (who knew?) embroidery with contemporary artists whose mindbending skillz rival those of the obsessed artists past. But don’t take my […]

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