The Cocolo Chronicles

Perspectives

Japan as it is now, looked at closely — what is shifting, what is worth questioning, what you do not notice first.

Five things you are doing in an onsen that count as rude

Published in Perspectives on 14 February 2025

Bathing in an onsen is one of the things we would make room for on any trip to Japan. Going in does mean following certain rules, so as not to give offence. Here is a short guide to the five mistakes to avoid while you bathe. And if you want to go further into Japanese culture, here is an article on ryokan, traditional Japanese inns Onsen are large baths shared by a lot of people. To keep hygiene where it needs to be, washing BEFORE you get in is compulsory. There is always a small room with showers and everything

Read the article

Periods to avoid

Published in Perspectives on 14 February 2025

Everything we say about activities in our articles and itineraries is based on an ordinary day. Waiting times, opening hours, how busy a place gets: all of it shifts sharply during the busiest periods. If your trip falls in one of them, read this article carefully. Golden Week is a week in which several public holidays fall one after another, which lets Japanese people take time off. It is the busiest travel period in Japan, and most Japanese people are away. Hotels cost more as a result, and the well-known sites

Read the article

Japanese castles

Published in Perspectives on 2 January 2024

Japanese castles are a central part of Japanese culture. Their architecture sits at the opposite end from anything European, and they are the surviving trace of the warlike past of feudal Japan and its samurai. A pillar of medieval Japanese culture, the castle was above all a fortress, and a good number were built during the Sengoku period, known for its political instability. Early castles were put up on mountain tops, where the terrain itself did the defensive work. Climbing a mountain was punishing for enemy

Read the article

Interview with a solo traveller in Japan

Published in Perspectives on 5 January 2020

DIDIER has just finished a two-week solo trip through Japan, taking in Tokyo, Hakone, the Nakasendo, Takayama, Hiroshima and Kyoto, among others. He agreed to answer a few of our questions about the trip, so that future travellers can get a better sense of what to expect in the land of the rising sun. FANNY: Hello Didier, and thank you for taking the time. Could you start by telling us why you chose Japan? DIDIER: Of course. I was looking for a country with a different culture, a different way of living, somewhere

Read the article

How to keep clear of the crowds on a trip to Japan

Published in Perspectives on 4 January 2020

Japan is a popular destination, and it draws a lot of visitors. Avoiding the crowds altogether is not possible, but the advice below will help you shape a route that keeps you out of the heaviest periods. Shifting your trip by a week or two is sometimes enough to miss the busiest stretches. Planning matters here: watch the main tourist periods, and watch the Japanese holidays too. For more on the most congested times of year in Japan, see our guide to the seasons to avoid in Japan. Starting your day early is a

Read the article