Snow bunnies, this is one for you... Japan's 61st annual Sapporo Snow Festival kicks off this Friday 5th February and runs for a week. The festival attracts 2 million visitors every year and showcases snow statues and sculptures on a massive scale: 244 in total this year.

Teams from across the world head to Sapporo to take part in the snow and ice sculpture contest, which transforms the city into a glittering, icy spectacle of winter whimsy.

We recommend stopping into the Sapporo Snow Festival en route to a few days of skiing up in Niseko.

For more information about the festival visit www.snowfes.com.

Photo Credit: Sapporo Snow Festival by sachman75 via Flickr (Creative Commons).

By Turner Wright

When you are travelling in Japan follow these simple guidelines to ensure that cultural misunderstandings (or worse) do not occur.

10) Misuse Your Shoes

Thresholds at businesses and all homes and apartments in Japan have a convenient place for you to store your shoes and don borrowed slippers for your journey. However, did you know you should never wear slippers on tatami mats? It's also a huge cultural faux-pas to come out of the bathroom still wearing toilet slippers, as they've been rubbing on dirty linoleum (although this even slips Japanese minds from time to time).

9) Bathe in the Bathtub
The bathing culture in Japan is unparalleled. Even if I soak in a mineral pool in the backwoods of New Zealand, nothing will make me feel more cleansed inside and out than a soak in a traditional Japanese hot spring resort. Ignoring the fact the water is still hotter and contains more minerals than most hot pools abroad, Japanese bathing etiquette dictates one should shower thoroughly before entering the steaming bath; if you were to do otherwise in Japanese homes (as a guest you would be given the honour of bathing first) the family would have to completely drain the tub, clean out the ring, and refill. You'd probably just be kicked out if you brought soap and shampoo into the pool at a public bathhouse.

8) Fumble with Chopsticks

You don't have to be able to pick up an individual grain of rice to use chopsticks properly. Rather, just be aware that there are a few things for which they were not meant to be used. First, even if you're sharing dishes with a group, do not pass food from one set of chopsticks to another, as this is considered in bad taste. Second, when not using them, set your chopsticks across your plate or bowl as you would a knife; poking them out of your rice resembles two sticks of incense commonly used for a certain death ceremony... and why would you want to be reminded of that over a fine dinner?

7) Grope on a Train

Obviously this isn't a mere misunderstanding of cultures if such an act were to occur, but even when visiting Japan and having nothing but pure intentions, one should be aware of the dangers. Women (and even men) have been fondled on crowded trains and often cannot trace the hands back to their owners. This has lead to women-only subway cars during peak travel times, and the police giving advice to young girls: seize the arm of your attacker and don't let go until security sees his face. I only mention this because if you're a foreigner riding a train in the land of the rising sun who knows absolutely no Japanese, and when disembarking you find a man or woman screaming "shijou!" or "chikan!", respectively (the terms for female and male perverts), you're essentially at the mercy of one individual who may have mistaken your desire to get a little bit of room on the car as blatant groping.

6) Choose the Wrong Seat
There's a somewhat antiquated custom when it comes to eating out in groups. If you're with some business colleagues, it's better for a junior member (in terms of hierarchy, not age) to take the seat closest to the doorway or access point, the senior member the farthest away. The belief is that should an attack occur, the least experienced (thus the least valuable) will be killed first, giving the others time to mobilize and protect the higher-ups.

5) Show Strong Emotions
One of the most common mistakes a foreigner makes upon entering the Japanese business world is to openly express his frustration when the unexpected comes along... and it always comes along. Showing strong emotions like anger is a social death sentence in Japan; the only time someone might get away with it would be if he were seriously inebriated, or at least making the effort to get there. Tears, especially those of happiness, can be forgiven (even from men), but take care to keep your temper in check.

4) Blow Your Nose
Even out on the street when it's sub-zero degree weather, blowing your nose in Japan is probably one of the rudest things you can do, even more so if you're talking with someone face-to-face and take a moment to pull out your handkerchief. It's the equivalent of asking someone to watch you use the toilet.

3) Yawn
This is a good policy for conversations around the world, but it really hits home in Japan. Whereas in the States or other countries one might dismiss a tired expression with a certain nonchalance or a chuckle (e.g. "crazy night on the town?"), in Japan you might as well slap your superior in the face to completely prove your desire not to listen.

2) When Listening...
I had an interview with an English school in Akita Prefecture not too long ago. As I was listening to the manager speak via Skype, I realised how out of practice I was at listening by Japanese standards. He spoke for only a few seconds at a time, each time taking my silence as an indication that the call must have been disconnected. Why? Because I failed to provide the appropriate guttural sounds: when speaking one-on-one with someone in Japan (group meetings can be an exception), it's best to utter a few words every now and again to show you still have the speaker's attention. A simple hai (yes), or so des ne (ah, I see) can work wonders.

1) Respect Yourself
Modesty is a virtue. I cannot count the number of times as an English teacher I gave high praise to certain young Japanese students, only to have their parents contradict me by saying something like "yes, but she's terrible studying at home" or "no, you must be mistaken". Disregarding or refusing complements in Japan is the only way to accept them graciously:

(in Japanese)
Me: Excuse me, but could you tell me the way to the nearest train station?
Japanese: Ooohhh! Your Japanese is so skillful!
Me: No, no, it's nothing really.

By claiming you have no skills or any life experience exceeding that of another, you in fact raise their impression of you. If I were to refer to myself as "Turner-san" or respond to such praise of my language skills with "Thank you very much! I have been diligently studying for nine months!", then I might be forgiven as an ignorant foreigner... but more likely marked as arrogant.

Photo Credits: Slippers by amirjina; Chopsticks by KaiChanVong; Morning Train by gullevek via Flickr (Creative Commons).

Now is the time to head to Japan to see the Cherry Blossom in full bloom.

We love this shot, by skyseeker, of Mount Fuji though the pink branches of a Cherry tree.

For Japan travel itinerary ideas click here.

By Turner Wright

"Do you have hot springs in your country?"

We talked in the bath, the Japanese and I. Rambled on about the differences in our cultures, debated which onsen (hot springs) were the best in the land, and tried to trick each other into moving into the current of the tenki furo (electric bath), to thunderous laughter. But more often than not, both in my neighbourhood bathhouse and across the country, my hosts were curious at to whether Americans enjoyed the benefits of a daily soak.

I didn't really have a good answer for them; with the exception of Palm Springs and what I assumed were a smattering of geothermal springs in the Rockies and Sierra Nevada mountains, I had no idea of what calming waters I could have missed in my own home town. Are hot springs even possible in the middle of the United States, where volcanoes are few and far between, and unlikely to produce anything remotely similar to what one sees in Japan?

In Japan, most of the springs are fuelled by underground water sources coming into close proximity to magma or volcanic "veins" of heat rising to the surface. As these types of hot springs are usually superheated, many have to be regulated so as not to scald the bather.

Given the number of volcanoes in the land of the rising sun, it should come as no surprise that hot spring culture has played a major role in Japanese society: relaxing at an onsen resort in the country is a favourite romantic getaway; super sento (large "amusement park" scale bathhouses) provide a means for families to spend time together while both exercising and staying clean (take that, American nuclear family!); if you are a guest in a Japanese home, you may be asked to bathe before dinner.

More than a means to stay fresh and clean, the sanctity of the bath is of utmost importance. In Japan you bathe first, removing all the dirt and soap from your body, then enter the pure waters of the bath to blissfully while away the time. In Beppu on the island of Kyushu, there is so much hot water beneath the earth's surface that it appears as though small fires are constantly burning on the streets, steam releasing some pressure and providing some very picturesque scenes. In northern Honshu, near Nagano, snow monkeys are clever enough to go in for a soak themselves, as Japanese tourists snap some truly original photographs.

Although some springs in the United States are heated in a similar manner, others are the result of geothermal energy: the deeper you go towards the centre of the Earth, the higher the temperature of the rocks. Hot springs powered in this manner need to reach a sufficient depth in the planet's crust to achieve any significant temperatures (enough for soothing baths, anyway).

My search led me straightaway to west Texas, more specifically a resort not far from the Mexican border: Chinati Hot Springs.

Legends of the regenerative powers of the waters of Chinati trace their origins back to the Native American Apache and Comanche tribes who once had free reign over the great state of Texas. The superstitions surrounding such a burial ground remain in full effect, the current owners always mindful of the direction their karma takes them... "Whoever closes the spring for the use of anyone else will die before his time," warning those who would attempt to restrict access to what nature has provided freely and without prejudice.

Slowly filling the tubs at a steady 109 degrees, these springs offer the same kind of therapeutic effects one would see from any volcanic source: scar regeneration, joint health, overall wellness, a rejuvenation of the spirit.

And unlike in Japan, where one may soak as rain gently disturbs the surface of the outdoor baths, in Chinati, light hail provides just the right effect to appreciate the heated waters underneath the starry night.

If you want privacy and a place to watch Orion dance above a desert oasis without the noise of cell phones and car wheels, Chinati is the place for you. The biggest problems you'll face are runaway burros and all-too-friendly bloodhounds.

In nearby Big Bend National Park, an outdoor hot spring pool lies on the border to Mexico: the Rio Grande Village.

Mere walking (or swimming) distance from the closest Mexican village, the springs are remote, even by Big Bend standards. Your journey will take you slowly backwards in time, as you depart the black asphalt of the late 20th century, amble past trading posts and a post office build nearly one hundred years ago, and catch sight of Native American pictographs and petroglyphs along a sheered rock face pre-dates them all.

A little farther down the sandy path you'll come across the ruins of what was once the bathhouse, now a mere foundation used to prevent the healing water from flowing directly into the river. I must admit I was sceptical... but fear not, these springs are comparable to any seaside onsen in Japan.

The hot springs at Rio Grande Village is recommended for its remote location, soothing waters, and communion with nature. Take a soak in the shadow of Native American culture and melt your troubles away in the Texas sun. Everything is bigger, better, and apparently even more relaxing in Texas.

"Yes, we do have hot springs in America. Let me tell you..."

How are the hot springs where you come from? Iceland, Canada, the UK, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Taiwan... Antarctica?

By Turner Wright

We've all heard of sushi: fresh raw fish delicately sliced and placed over a bed of rice soaked in vinegar. It's the quintessential food that comes to mind as soon as Japan is mentioned, but I'm here to tell you that there is more. More than raw fish, more than an elaborate knife show at Benihana, more than avocados in a California roll. What follows are the lesser-seen delicacies of nihon ryōri (Japanese cuisine).

1. Nattō (納豆)

By strict definition, nattō is fermented soybeans. In practice, however, these little brown nuggets are the test of a foreigner's "Japaneseness". Each piece is bound by a pungent, sticky paste resembling a spider's web, making nattō an acquired taste (after living in Japan for two years I still can't stand it).

If it's your first day in a Japanese company and your co-workers offer to take you out to dinner, prepare to have natto thrust under your nose. The dish is usually accompanied by a polite phrase 召し上がってください (please do me the honour of eating this) that makes it impossible to refuse. Eat it quickly with rice and (try to) enjoy the rich protein.

2. Basashi (馬刺)

Shifting towards the meat end of the Japanese food spectrum we find basashi, a local specialty of the southern city of Kumamoto; it is raw horse meat dipped in soy sauce and often served with ginger and onions. The first time I sampled this dish I was fresh from an hour-long soak in a hot spring just north of the super-volcano Aso and eager for any kind of nourishment my lodging had to offer.

Ignoring the guilt brought on by memories of childhood rides through my native Texas, I raised the chopsticks to my mouth and slowly chewed. Although one might assume horse is tough and stringy, this dish was in fact quite tender and succulent.

3. Whale Meat

Although surrounded by controversy, the whaling industry remains alive and well in the land of the rising sun. Prevalent throughout Japanese history, whale meat really made its mark in post-war Japan when food supplies were stretched thin. Today canned meat and whale sashimi are widely available in shops and restaurants across Japan. If your conscience allows, give the blood red meat a try.

4. Takoyaki (たこ焼き)

Has there ever been a time when you were abroad and thought "thank god I understand the local language"? This happens to me whenever I see a takoyaki stand.

I know, I know, I should embrace the idea of sampling dishes across the world and broaden my palate with every taste imaginable, but still, tako (octopus) and I will always be sworn enemies.

Takoyaki is a perfectly spherical fried dumpling made of baby octopus, mayonnaise and batter. Japanese pop them into their mouths as easily as Westerners chew popcorn at the movies.

5. Ikizukuri, or “Eat it while it flops around”

I prefer to think of this as extremely fresh fish. In Japan, sashimi (sliced raw fish) is usually prepared in restaurants from a live animal, but served once quite inert. Ikizukuri is something very different. It often begins with a diner choosing a live fish, which a trained chef will then carefully slice up and present - the heart still beating as you take a bite.

6. Some like it hot

To understand this next style of cooking the importance of onsen (hot springs) in Japan has to be appreciated. While the art of the public bath has been waning in Western culture since the fall of the Roman Empire, in Japan it still flourishes, thanks to the country's active volcanoes. Hot spring culture has produced an amazing variety of products: special ramen, green tea, and champagne baths; stores stocking minerals and sulphur to recreate the hot springs experience at home.

In the small southern town of Beppu food is even prepared using the power of hot springs steam. Termed jigoku mushi, some of the more common steamed plates include pudding, dumplings, vegetables, and eggs; you can even order a hot chocolate made from hot springs water! Because the steam is seen as being clean and natural, it is believed that those who consume jigoku mushi will experience the same positive effects that come from a long soak: vitality, health, and longevity.

7. Shirako… you really don't want to know

Shirako might seem more suited to a reality TV show challenge than a list of delicacies. It is cod milt or, to put it bluntly, cod sperm. Enclosed by a thin sack, it is very tender and very gooey. Widely available, it can be eaten raw like sashimi or cooked like tempura.

8. What's that in my cake?

So you've been in Japan for a day or two, so far you've relied on Western chain restaurants and touristy sushi places for nourishment, but now realise that it's time to challenge your palette and discover the taste of "real Japan". But where to start? A restaurant serving infinite varieties of fish? A ramen shop? Why not try a bakery?

You'll see many familiar sights in a Japanese bakery: strawberry shortcake, chocolate cake, croissants. Alongside these old friends lie some mysterious looking cakes of various sizes and shapes. Curious, you take a bite. What just happened? Depending on the filling, you could have just consumed chocolate, cheese, green tea, or the mother of all Japanese fillings… red bean paste.

Red bean paste is available everywhere, from the largest supermarket in Osaka to a tiny convenience store on a remote island. It is the be-all and end-all of Japanese sweets, and it's unlikely you can spend a day in Japan without running into at least one confectionary filled with this soft, saccharine, powdery delight.

9. Squid Ink

If you're familiar with Mediterranean food, squid ink won't be unchartered culinary territory. For those of you who aren't the inky black discharge given off by squid might come as a shock mixed into your spaghetti or sushi. In Okinawa, the southernmost island of Japan, squid ink is used in a variety of dishes including squid ink soup.

10. Fugu (鰒)

If you feel like dicing with death in Japan forget launching yourself in front of a morning train in Tokyo station and order a serving of fugu.

This Japanese blowfish is mainly eaten for the thrill rather than the flavour. It is quite inedible, and can be lethally poisonous, save a few pieces of flesh which are meticulously excised by a licensed chef. Not to worry, even though the poison produced by the blowfish is deadlier than cyanide, chefs are trained for seven years before being allowed to use their skills professionally. No-one has ever died from eating fugu in Shimonoseki, where the fish is said to be the freshest and most delicious.

Try it raw, baked, boiled, or even served in sake (just the tail, though). If you're not up for the real thing, you can buy chocolates and toys shaped like blowfish in Shimonoseki.

Those with strong stomachs can see a Japanese chef preparing fugu here:

Photos (all via Flickr / Creative Commons): 1. Natto by jasja dekker 2. basashi by shrk 3. Whale meat curry by Animals in Japan 4. Takoyaki – Asatsuki by avlxyz 6. Beppu – Steam-powered kitchen by knaakle 7. Sushi - Shirako by puss_in_boots 8. Japan 2007 166.4 by mesozoic 9. Squid Ink Soup by hostelmanagement 10. fugu nigiri by selva.

By Aaron Humphrey

In the forested mountains high above Kyoto, an enclave of temples and monasteries lies delicately arranged amongst the cedars. This is Koya-san (Mount Koya), home to Buddhist monks since the early ninth century and a serene retreat for devout pilgrims and curious travellers alike. As the centre of Japanese esoteric Shingon Buddhism, Mount Koya has seen the development of dozens of holy buildings over the centuries, and is now home to 120 temples; many of them are happy to host visitors for a night or two.

The journey from Kyoto takes about two hours, and as you pull further away from the city by train, the wait between stations grows longer. Time almost seems to go backwards, each station quieter than the last, as progressively smaller towns replace Kyoto's sprawling suburbs and metropolis. Where the train tracks end, a red cable car awaits to take you on the final, scenic stretch up the mountain.

It's best to book a temple stay ahead of time, and there are plenty to choose from, ranging in price from ¥10,000 – ¥20,000 (US$105-$210/£68-£135). Included in that price are two meals, dinner and breakfast, which are prepared by the monks. Meals consist of traditional vegetarian dishes, from nuts and lotus root to tofu soup and tempura leaves, the food is plentiful, and as delicious as it is unique. Sitting on tatami mats and sampling the food of Mount Koya ranks among the most memorable culinary experiences in a country bursting with them.

After dinner dusk begins to settle on Koya-san, casting an even more mysterious air to the sacred mountain, this is the perfect time to stroll through the cemetery, where thousands of graves and shrines fill the quiet, mossy forest. This is Japan's largest graveyard, home to stone jizo statues and memorials of all sizes, centred around the mausoleum where the founder of Shingon lies, not dead, according to the faithful, but merely meditating for the arrival of the Buddha of the Future. Here, many hundreds of small lanterns glow a colour between red and ginger throughout the night. Some of them are said to have remained lit for over a millennium, part of Mount Koya's timeless serenity.

Getting there: Travel by train to Gokurakubashi station at the bottom of Koya-san. From Gokurakubashi visitors take a cable car to the top of the mountain, which takes 5 minutes. For more detailed travel information, click here

Stay:

Many Buddhist monasteries on Koya-san function as hotels and provide traditional accommodation that includes an evening meal and breakfast. Try Shojoshin-in one of the oldest temples on Koya-san, which offers Japanese style guest rooms as well as a "hanare" (private guest residence with bathroom), Japanese-style gardens and a pond.

See:

Kongobuji temple: Koyasan Shingon Buddhism's headquarters. The temple boasts a stone garden that is said to outshine many of Kyoto's best.

Oku-no-In: the mausoleum of Kukai, the monk who first settled Koya-san, which is illuminated by thousands of lanterns.

Konpon Daito pagoda and the Garan temple: Garan Temple is one Mount Koya's most sacred temples and was designed by Kukai. The Konpon Daito pagoda sits within the temple's grounds and is said to represent both the central point Mount Koya and all of Japan.

Photos:

Lanterns #3 by mrlins via Flickr (Creative Commons).

Koyasan Mountain Rail by Sofia Brightsea via Flickr (Creative Commons).

koyasan - 高野山 by kanjiroushi via Flickr (Creative Commons).

If you're after traditional Japanese paper and you want it to be pretty check out Tokyo's stationery-filled Aladdin's Cave, Kyukyodo.

Origami paper, wrapping paper, cards, writing paper, bookmarks, notebooks, scrolls, address books, photo albums, card holders, photo frames, calligraphy kits and more. Almost everything is made from or covered with traditional Japanese washi in a myriad of colours and designs. Yum.

Open for business since 1663 this place is a serious Tokyo institution. There are 6 shops in the capital in Ginza, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Shibuya, Yokohama and Marunouchi. Ask your concierge for directions in English and Japanese.

The Ginza shop is meant to be the best, and if you haven't got your washi fix after you've been there you could stroll down to Itoya, one of the biggest stationery shops in the world. Write on.

Kyukyodo: 7-4, Ginza 5chome Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Itoya: Ginza 2-chome, Tokyo

Paper Flock by Jippolito via Flickr (Creative Commons)