Dear

 

Welcome to our May newsletter! The weather in Japan is getting warmer and the rice paddies are full of water awaiting planting. Soon the rainy season will be upon us and then the very hot summer ahead.

We hope you are all well and would really appreciate if you can follow JapanVisitor on Twitter and/or like JapanVisitor on Facebook if you see something you like.

Just click on the links above or the icons to the right.

Thank you to all our subscribers who entered our previous competitions. We are running a new competition this month. If you could let us know which of the prizes below you would prefer if you win, that would help us match the winner with a prize you actually might want. See the entry details below and please have a try! Gambatte!

 

This month Goods from Japan is sponsoring our Japan competition, which is open only to subscribers to our Japan newsletter.  Each month (or thereabouts!) we will be offering new prizes for our members all sent registered mail from Japan. This month we have a number of new prizes on offer.

Our prizes include 10% reduction vouchers for our shop GoodsFromJapan, we'll send you a voucher code that you can redeem for 10% off the value of any purchase at GoodsFromJapan.com, TK16 Master Kendama, Japanese koma, a dog collar (for dogs), Byobu folding screens, ceramic teapots, Japanese baseball caps, Arimatsu shibori handkerchiefs, hachimaki headbands, hand-puppets for young children and a variety of other Japanese gifts. If you have a preference for a particular prize please let us know in your answers.

All you have to do is answer these five simple questions (follow the links to find the answers). 

• How tall is the new Tokyo Sky Tree?
• Which prefecture is home to Karatsu Castle?
• Name one famous exile on Sado Island.
• When did the American Commodore Perry first arrive in Shimoda with his Black Ships?
• What is the main intersecting station on the Sapporo Subway System?

To enter the competition, just reply to this email with the subject line "JV competition".

We will select the winners who will receive the prizes listed above from all entries received before we send out our next newsletter.  

Living in Japan - Useful telephone numbers - a full listing of important phone numbers you might need in case of emergency.

Japan Travel - Visit Hirosaki in Aomori, famous for its beautiful castle and Meiji Era western-style buildings.

Japanese Nature - The Japanese Crested Ibis - is making a comeback after its reintroduction on Sado Island.

Books - Routledge Handbook of Japanese Society & Culture by Victoria Lyon Bestor and Theodore C. Bestor.

Museums - The Sezon Museum of Modern Art - is a museum of contemporary art in Karuizawa.

Korea - Military Related Sites include the DMZ, which can be visited by tourists - at your own risk!

Kansai - Walk the delightful Kumano Kodo in western Japan for a taste of Japan of yore.

Temples & Shrines of Japan

Visit our pages on the temples and shrines of Japan.

Komyozenji Temple - in Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu.

Tokoji Temple - Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Nishi Honganji Temple - a massive, historic Kyoto temple.

Kenninji Temple - in Kyoto.