Boutique Japan Blog

Since Japan’s successful bid in 2013 to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, travel to Japan has ramped up — big…

For most travelers visiting Japan, a high-end sushi meal is on their culinary bucket list. It’s no surprise—eating sushi in…

Do you love travel and spreadsheets? Boutique Japan is hiring a brilliant, experienced, and incredibly organized Operations Ninja. If you’re…

You could spend a lifetime getting to know a megalopolis like Tokyo, and there are so many things you could…

Japan’s railway system, including its world-renowned shinkansen (bullet train), is famously clean, safe, modern, and efficient. But to a first-time…

If you’ve ever thought about visiting Japan, you’re probably familiar with the advice that you should “go for cherry blossom…

Japanese whisky (it’s spelled whisky, not whiskey, in Japan) no longer needs an introduction. While Japan was traditionally best known…

Autumn is a wonderful time to be in Japan. In my book, fall in Japan outshines spring (and cherry blossom…

Travelers often ask us — When is the best time of year to visit Japan? — and our simple answer…

In today’s Japan Travel Q&A we answer a question about shochu from Annika in Sweden: “Is shochu Japanese vodka?” Don’t…

Brilliant maple leaves on a blanket of moss, the murmur of a babbling brook, the moon and mountains as seen…

Kamakura is a small city about an hour south of Tokyo. Nestled between the mountains and the sea, this charming…