{"id":3645,"date":"2013-01-23T14:30:40","date_gmt":"2013-01-23T14:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/insidejapanblog.com\/?p=3645"},"modified":"2015-06-19T16:01:45","modified_gmt":"2015-06-19T15:01:45","slug":"get-a-wriggle-on-in-the-year-of-the-snake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/23\/get-a-wriggle-on-in-the-year-of-the-snake\/","title":{"rendered":"Get a wriggle on in the Year of the Snake"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3645&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3645\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3645&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3645&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3645%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3645\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3645\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/snake2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3656\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/snake2.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"year of the snake\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/snake2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/snake2-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/snake2-720x360.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/snake2-390x195.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/snake2-780x390.jpg 780w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>After a roaring Year of the Dragon, we have wriggled into the Year of the Snake and the winter is slipping by. Just in case you really need a reason to travel to Japan, I thought I would list a few very good reasons as to why you should slide off\u00a0 to Japan in 2013.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/castle.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3657 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/castle.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"castle\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/castle.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/castle-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/castle-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/castle-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/castle-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/castle-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/castle-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/castle-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/castle-900x675.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><strong><br \/>\nIce cold welcome &#8211;<\/strong><br \/>\nGet your (snow) boots on and get out to Japan now for some of the world\u2019s best snow and some great festivals. The winter sees some of the craziest festivals in Japan with the <a title=\"Fire festival\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3aGbOP60Y9s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nozawa Dosojin<\/a> (fire festival) in January and the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tRG1HtHZAJ8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hadaka Matsuri<\/a> (Naked Man festival) at Sadaiji shrine, Okayama in February.<br \/>\nOne of the more mainstream festivals though is the impressive\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=kyt0_BsQGpQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yuki Matsuri<\/a> (5-11 Feb) in Sapporo.<\/p>\n<p>Go and enjoy some \u2018proper\u2019 snow in Hokkaido with some of the best powder skiing available, but the island\u2019s capital is taken over by huge snow sculptures at the beginning of February. The sculptures range from life-size models of famous landmarks to overgrown Disney figures taking over the city along with a party atmosphere, music, great food and drink &#8211; Kanpai!\u00a0 There are also a number of smaller lesser know \u2018snow festivals\u2019 that take place in towns across Hokkaido.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/3323214_cherry_blossoms-2700.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3659 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/3323214_cherry_blossoms-2700.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"Cherry Blossom\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/3323214_cherry_blossoms-2700.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/3323214_cherry_blossoms-2700-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/3323214_cherry_blossoms-2700-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/3323214_cherry_blossoms-2700-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/3323214_cherry_blossoms-2700-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/3323214_cherry_blossoms-2700-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/3323214_cherry_blossoms-2700-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/3323214_cherry_blossoms-2700-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/3323214_cherry_blossoms-2700-900x675.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\nBlooming\u00a0 alternatives &#8211;<\/strong><br \/>\nIf you want something a bit warmer, then the cherry blossom is a favourite. Late March and early April is the height of the Sakura (cherry blossom) when pink fills the parks and temple gardens. This is a truly beautiful time of year and very sociable with friends and colleagues out eating food and drinking sake under the trees \u2013 great fun\u2026.but busy! Avoid the crowds of Kyoto in April and catch the late blossom in the far northern Tohoku region and Hokkaido which hits in May. Maybe you cannot wait for the blossom? \u2013 If this sounds like you, head to the subtropical islands in the south where the blossom comes out at the end of January! Either way, the blossom is pretty, but the Hanami parties are what makes this time of year such fun &#8211; another chance to Kanpaiiii!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Culture vulture &#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/09_75_1_nakamura.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3649 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/09_75_1_nakamura.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"Setouchi Arts festival - pic. Osama Nakamura\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/09_75_1_nakamura.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/09_75_1_nakamura-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/09_75_1_nakamura-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/09_75_1_nakamura-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/09_75_1_nakamura-720x480.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/09_75_1_nakamura-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/09_75_1_nakamura-390x260.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/09_75_1_nakamura-780x520.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/09_75_1_nakamura-900x600.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nOne of the most exciting festivals to look forward to this year is the <a title=\"Setouchi festival\" href=\"http:\/\/setouchi-artfest.jp\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Setouchi Triennial Arts Festiva<\/a>l which takes place over 14 of the islands on the Seto Inland Sea between Honshu and Shikoku including the \u2018art island\u2019 of Naoshima. Contemporary art combines with traditional rural island life providing some stunning sculptures and spectacles. The great thing about this festival is that it will cover 108days in total during Spring, Summer and Autumn embracing the different seasons. There are extra ferries and a pass that allows you to travel at your leisure between the islands taking in the art, landscapes and traditional festivals that are due to coincide with the event. Can\u2019t wait to get down to the islands at some point in 2013&#8230;.of course, the islands and Naoshima in particular are stunning any time of year.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Geek fest<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/goths_harajuku-3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3658 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/goths_harajuku-3.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"Cosplayers\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/goths_harajuku-3.jpg 1840w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/goths_harajuku-3-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/goths_harajuku-3-1024x686.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/goths_harajuku-3-1200x803.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/goths_harajuku-3-720x482.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/goths_harajuku-3-1440x964.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/goths_harajuku-3-390x261.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/goths_harajuku-3-780x522.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/goths_harajuku-3-900x603.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><strong>&#8211;<\/strong><br \/>\nIf you are into anime and manga, you just need to go to Japan. There are plenty of events on in 2013 to give you even more reason to go though. <a title=\"Anime fair\" href=\"http:\/\/www.tokyoanime.jp\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The International anime <\/a><a title=\"Anime fair\" href=\"http:\/\/www.tokyoanime.jp\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fair<\/a> takes place\u00a0 at the end of March (23-24)\u00a0 showcasing the cr\u00e8me de la cr\u00e8me of Japanese anime. The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tPfvxNItBys\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">World cosplay <\/a>takes place in our home town of Naogya (May 31-June 2) home bringing some really interesting people and outfits from across Japan and the world together. The <a title=\"game show\" href=\"http:\/\/tgs.cesa.or.jp\/english\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tokyo Game Show<\/a> highlights the latest games and developments in the computer world in September (21-22). Head to Odaiba in Tokyo for the huge Gundam statue and the relatively new <a title=\"Gundam\" href=\"http:\/\/gundamfront-tokyo.com\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gundam Front museum<\/a>. Or you could\u00a0 save it for the brand new <a title=\"ShonenJump Theme prk\" href=\"http:\/\/www.comicsalliance.com\/2012\/12\/17\/shonen-jump-japan-theme-park-naruto-one-piece-dragon-ball\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shonen Jump theme park<\/a> featuring characters from \u2018One Piece\u2019, \u2018Dragon Ball Z\u2019 and more which opens this summer at the brilliant <a title=\"Sunshine City\" href=\"http:\/\/www.japan-guide.com\/e\/e3038.html#sunshine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sunshine City Building in Ikubukero<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>These are just a few reasons as to why I would go to Japan in 2013. I haven\u2019t even mentioned the huge summer festivals in Tohoku or the splendid autumn leaves&#8230;or even <a title=\"Fuji Rock\" href=\"http:\/\/www.fujirock.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fuji Rock<\/a> and the other cool music festivals that go on. After the release of Hugh Jackman\u2019s<a title=\"wolverine app\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheWolverineMovie\/app_173079372838320\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> \u2018Wolverine\u2019<\/a> filmed largely in Toyko and Keanu Reaves\u2019 remake of <a title=\"47 Ronin \" href=\"http:\/\/www.japan-guide.com\/e\/e3000.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201947 Ronin<\/a>\u2019 you won\u2019t want anything else other than to head to Japan\u2026\u2026unless you wanted to go to <a title=\"InsideVietnam\" href=\"http:\/\/www.insidevietnamtours.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vietnam<\/a> of course.<\/p>\n<p>Loads more to come on all of that so kongoto mo yoroshiku onegai shimasu!<\/p>\n<h4>Like this post? 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Help us by sharing it! After a roaring Year of the Dragon, we have wriggled into the Year of the Snake and the winter is slipping by. Just in case you really need a reason to travel to Japan, I thought I would list a few very good reasons as to why [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2361],"tags":[1208,1255,1404,1446,1508,1653,1678,1720,1974,2074,2099,2113,2242],"class_list":["post-3645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-when-to-go-to-japan","tag-japan-travel","tag-2013-preview","tag-cherry-blossom","tag-culture","tag-festivals","tag-insidejapan-tours","tag-japan","tag-japanese-culture","tag-otaku","tag-setouchi-festival","tag-sightseeing","tag-snow-festival","tag-travel"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3645"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9509,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3645\/revisions\/9509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}