Hi everyone!

Today I will tell you about how Chiba, a prefecture in Japan got its name.

From the kanji (chinese character) itself, Chiba is written as 千葉(ちば) which is comprised of:

千（one thousand)
葉（leaves）

thus making it "a thousand leaves". What a beautiful meaning, right?

Do you guys know any origin of other place name? Like "Johor Bahru", I just know that it is written as "新山" in chinese. Anyone knows why?

Yeah what michlove said is true. Actually the Wagyu itself means Japanese beef:

Wagyu/和牛
和: wa, japanese
牛: gyu, com/beef

and wagyu consists of several breeds. The most popular ones are Kobe beef, Matsusaka beef, and Mishima beef, which their names come from the region they are bred.

What important is.. THEY ARE DAMN TASTY!

Hi Limchee, welcome to Japan!
I have been living in Japan for 6 years, will try to share my experience for travelers!

Will you follow a full-guided tour or just bus hop-in hop-out? If just transport, when you arrive at Takayama, I recommend you to choose one of this tour:

http://www.isitetakayama.com/english.html

The guide english-speaking japanese, and it is actually CHEAPER than if you buy another bus for yourself!
Last year I went there, taking half-day tour.

Side-note: If you are visiting in winter, beware... wear multiple layers of clother with good ventilation.

Cheers!

Hi everyone!

If asked about Japan, one of the most popular spots is of course Mt Fuji right!?
I would like to share some of the most amusing trivias regarding this iconic mountain.

1. The hiking period is quite short: just around 2 month of mid summer throughout the year.
Example: You can only climb to the peak between July 1st ~ September 14th this year (2014).

2. What really makes Mt Fuji an exceptional mountain is the symmetrical conic shape- which is quite rare for a mountain. Seriously guys, it is really a breathtaking view.

3. There are 5 lakes surrounding Mt Fuji: Kawaguchi-ko, Yamanaka-ko, Motosu-ko, Shoji-ko, and Sai-ko. "Ko" here means lake.

4. Mt Fuji just received its World Heritage Site on June 26th 2013, making it the 17th UNESCO-designated site in Japan.

5. Mount Fuji is actually ACTIVE
The last time it erupted is on 1707, and supposed to erupt within this 10 years.

*Extra fact: Starting from 2016, every August 2016 is "Mountain Day" in Japan to appreciate the mountainaous Japan! (and also to give some rest to the hardworking Japan salarymen)




I climbed Mt Fuji 2 years ago. It is in the middle of summer but really cold up there!
How about you guys, have you tried to climb this magnificent beauty?