Random Japan

New train recreates hotel atmosphere with wood interiors and views from the foot of Mount Fuji

Oona McGee

It’s a much better way to enjoy Mount Fuji than from a speeding bullet train.

When visitors to Japan travel between Tokyo and Osaka by Shinkansen, a clear day will grant passengers a glorious view of Mount Fuji. It’s a sight that disappears all too quickly, though, given the speed the streamlined bullet train zips through the landscape. A much more enjoyable way to gaze upon Japan’s most sacred mountain is on the Fujikyuko Line, which runs from Otsuki Station to Kawaguchi-ko, located in the famous Mount Fuji Five Lakes region.

▼ From Shinjuku Station, it’s an easy transfer to the Fujikyuko Line at Otsuki Station. Those wanting to climb to the summit of Mount Fuji often board this train to connect with the bus to the fifth Station, which is located 2,305 metres above sea level.

The Five Finger Discount 
While In The Ambulance 

Japan Just Can't Say Goodbye
To Internet Explorer

A peek into the world of the Japanese tea ceremony

BY Amy Chavez

The culture of tea in Japan goes back 1,000 years. Today, we’re going to scratch the surface with this short introduction to the wonders of the Japanese tea ceremony.

In the UK, they serve high tea. In Australia, they serve morning tea and afternoon tea. In Japan, they have “chado,” literally “the Way of Tea.” In the U.S., in contrast to the Way of Tea, we had the Bay of Tea, dumping vast quantities of it into the harbor to protest England’s tax on tea. You haven’t been able to get a good cuppa in the U.S. since.

But Japan tops us all when it comes to tea and tea parties. Japanese tea ceremony is an art form that has been perfected over a thousand years. Japanese tea masters dedicate their lives to the ritual preparation of a simple bowl of tea.

Lifestyle: Ghibli’s ‘When Marnie Was There’ anime nominated for Oscar

Directors Guillermo del Toro and Ang Lee announced on Thursday that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has nominated Studio Ghibli‘s When Marnie Was There for the Animated Feature Film category of the 88th Academy Awards. It is competing against Anomalisa, Boy and the World, Inside Out, and Shaun the Sheep Movie.

GKids, the North American distributor for When Marnie Was There, describes the film’s story:

Sent from her foster home in the city one summer to a Sleepy Town by the sea in Hokkaido, Anna dreams her days away among the marshes. She believes she’s outside the invisible magic circle to which most people belong – and shuts herself off from everyone around her, wearing her “ordinary face.” Anna never expected to meet a friend like Marnie, who does not judge Anna for being just what she is. But no sooner has Anna learned the loveliness of friendship than she begins to wonder about her newfound friend…