Japanese researchers at Keio University have unveiled a robotic tail that has been designed to be worn by elderly people who struggle to maintain their balance.

All the latest Covid-19 news from around the world.

Teaching English in Japan

Tokyo, Japan

The Amateur Traveler talks to Mike from Toronto who is living in Japan as part of an exchange program Mike talks to use about the Chugoku or middle region of Japan. Mike starts us out in Hiroshima with its world famous peace park and atomic bomb museum and its lesser known shopping and izakaya eateries. After we sample the okonomiyaki at okonomiyaki mura Mike sends us off to see the red Torii gate on Miyajima island. Mike recommends getting the Japanese railway pass because of the expensive local transportation. Mike then directs us to Yamaguchi which is known for its onsens (hot baths), 5 story temple and the church of Francis Xavier. Hagi which is a preserved walled town is our next stop. Hagi is Mike’s favorite spot in Japan. Hagi is also where many of the modernization movement came from.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Phil Smy about his second home in Kyoto, Japan.

"Japan is organized and meticulous and perfect. Kyoto is the number one tourist destination outside of Tokyo in Japan.  The former capital of ancient Japan, it is history and I think you get a real sense of Japan's psyche by going to Kyoto."

Phil talks about the temples, palace, geisha culture, and food of Kyoto.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Andrew about the Island of Kyushu, the southern island in Japan. Kyushu is one of the warmer parts of Japan. Nagasaki is probably the best known city on the island for its tragic history as the second city targeted with an atomic bomb. The island has is green and hilly with a number of active volcanos. Andrew and his wife had a chance to visit a number of museums, the peace park in Nagasaki, visit a volcano, be buried in hot and and take in a local soccer game. They toured its large cities but also headed into the countryside.

Hear about travel to Japan on the Amateur Traveler as I relate stories from my recent trip to Tokyo, the ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto, the castle at Hikone, the shrines and temples of Nikko and Kamakura.

Hear about travel to the Island of Shikoku, Japan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dan from Chicago about his recent trip back to the island. Dan also worked teaching English on Shikoku in the city of Imabari. Shikoku is the 4th largest of the islands in Japan and just across the from Hiroshima. Shikoku is mountainous, more traditional and more rural than the areas of Japan more tourists know.

Hear about hiking Japan's Nakasendo Trail as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dave Grenewetzki about his experiences on this trip into the Japanese countryside between Kyoto and Tokyo.

Hear about travel to the Kansai Region of Japan (Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, etc) as the Amateur Traveler talks to Amanda Kendle from the Thoughtful Travel Podcast about one of her favorite parts of the world. Amanda originally came to Kansai to teach English and fell in loved with it.

Hear about travel to Tokyo as the Amateur Traveler talks to family travel blogger / podcaster Jason Andrew Jenkins from AnEpicEducation.com about a city he called home for 13 years.

Hear about travel to Tokyo as the Amateur Traveler talks to family travel blogger / podcaster Jason Andrew Jenkins from AnEpicEducation.com about a city he called home for 13 years.

Hear about hiking the Kumano Koto trek in Japan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sherry Ott about her experience on this trail that was used by medieval emperors on the Kii Peninsula. 

Hear about travel to Nagoya, Japan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Lena Yamaguchi from nagoyafoodie.com about her adopted home.

Christmas is not an official holiday in Japan, nor a widely observed religious holiday, but it is celebrated nonetheless in its own unique way. Here's some data that highlights Christmas in Japan.

Vancouver resident Hugo Huynh says he's never seen the man who got out of a minivan outside his home early Monday morning and uprooted the young tree.

8 January 2020 , Volume 96, Number 1

Research Event

Event participants

Kiichi Fujiwara, Professor of International Politics, Graduate School for Law and Politics, Tokyo University
Yuichi Hosoya, Professor of International Politics, Faculty of Law, Keio University
Akiko Yamanaka, Senior Visiting Research Fellow, Churchill College, University of Cambridge; Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan (2005-2006)
Chair: John Swenson-Wright, Senior Consulting Fellow, Asia Programme, Chatham House 

Research Event

Event participants

TJ Pempel, Jack M. Forcey Professor, Department of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley
Chair: John Swenson-Wright, Head, Asia Programme, Chatham House

8 January 2020 , Volume 96, Number 1

Research Event

Event participants

Jennifer Lind, Associate Fellow, US and the Americas Programme and Asia-Pacific Programme, Chatham House
Chair: Tania Branigan, Leader Writer, The Guardian  

Invitation Only Research Event

Event participants

Dr Robin Niblett CMG, Director, Chatham House  
Toshiro Mutoh, Honorary Chairman, Daiwa Institute of Research; CEO, Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Game
José Manuel Barroso, Senior Adviser, Chatham House; President of the European Commission (2004-14); Prime Minister of Portugal (2002-04)
Akihiko Tanaka, President, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies

Research Event

Event participants

Alexander Bukh, Senior Lecturer, International Relations, Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand; Author of These Islands Are Ours: The Social Construction of Territorial Disputes in Northeast Asia (Stanford University Press 2020)
Chair: Mathieu Boulègue, Research Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme