Behind every video is a story. This video was shot at the hanami party in Senkoji, Onomichi in April 2011. Hanami is a beautiful time in Japan when people get together to eat, drink, and gaze at the natural beauty of the newly-bloomed cherry blossoms.

One visit a month to the orphanage does wonders. The anticipation that builds up from one visit to the next is dumbfounding. I’ll have kids not pay attention in class just to ask me when we are coming back and what we’re going to be doing. That right there is how I know we are making at least a bit of a difference. There’s expectations there, excitement. There’s a lot that we can’t do for these kids, but by giving a little time and a little effort we give them at least one bright spot every few weeks.

A short video documentary about Onomichi City.

Yuki Gassen is a sport that takes place in Japan. The game is like a combination of capture the flag and paintball. The goal is to either capture the other team’s flag, get the other team out by hitting them with snowballs, or by having more members than the other team when time expires.

Beppu (別府) is a small city on the northeastern coast of Kyushu, and is known as “the onsen capital of Japan.” There are literally dozens of different hot springs, from ritzy hotel onsen with ten baths to tiny local establishments with only one. Because there are so many, though, it can be hard to know which ones to try, especially if you only have a couple of days. So, I decided to make a mini-guide of the onsen I visited in Beppu, to help you narrow down your choices.

Commonly known by its nickname, “the art island,” Naoshima is a small island located in the Seto Inland Sea just off the coast of Okayama. Until recently, Naoshima was a rundown industrial island of very little interest. However, the island’s stock quickly rose when the Benesse Group took interest in revitalizing Naoshima’s economy. In order to draw tourists to the island, world famous Japanese architect Tadao Ando was hired to build the Benesse House Museum to showcase the corporation’s art collection.

Winter will soon be upon us, and for just about everyone this means one thing: winter vacation. Nagano is known as a great winter destination due to its location in the Japanese Alps. Now, if you are not a big fan of either skiing or winter you may be thinking that there is nothing of interest for you there, but Nagano is not so one-dimensional. In fact, Nagano prefecture has many attractions and is a great place to visit at any time of the year.

In the first week of October Hiroshima AJET set out to Otoyo, Kochi in Shikoku for a whitewater rafting experience! This was our first big trip out of the prefecture this year, brought to us by the amazing new leaders of AJET: Myia, Brandon, Alex, and Jennie.

Fall is almost upon us. October and November happen to be the prime time for a close relative to the better known hanami custom: maple leaf viewing. This is sometimes called 紅葉狩り(momijigari), which literally means “maple leaf hunting.” This is a pretty accurate description as, like the short-lived hanami season, the turning of leaves in fall tends to last only a short period of time before their brilliance fades.

It seems that most people in Japan who are into cute things have taken a trip to Tokyo Disneyland or DisneySea at some point, but let me tell you a little secret: I’m not that into Disney. No, my obsession is with Sanrio and so it was with great joy that I finally visited Sanrio’s own magical kingdom, Sanrio Puroland, a couple of weeks ago. Opened in 1990, Sanrio Puroland is a forty minute train ride from Shinjuku Station, located in the rather grey looking Tama New Town.