Welcome back to the Japan Longing Club Podcast! A whole new segment is introduced for the second "season" of the show. It's time to Get Prefectured. I'll cover one Japan prefecture per episode and go over travel ideas for the area. Also in this episode is tips and tricks to finding Japan spots in New York City, a summary of the Studio Ghibli Concert at Radio City Music Hall, and a spooky story from Camellia Teahouse! And finally, there's news on the reopening? You may be able to travel soon to Japan without a guide but it still needs to be through a travel agency? Catch the latest here!

Send me your Japan travel stories and questions to [email protected] or on Twitter @LongingClub.

Check out the amazing posts (with pictures!) from Camellia Tea Ceremony on Twitter @camelliakyoto and visit their website https://tea-kyoto.com/ for more information about authentic Kyoto tea ceremonies with an authentic touch!

Song : Daystar - Puberty on a summer day / https://youtu.be/7rwxq1CmZhI

Song : Daystar - Fluffy / https://youtu.be/X_iSipLXcg0

We say goodbye to Randy and wish him well on his future adventures! We spend about half the episode reminiscing on the show so far and talking about the dog days of Summer. Then it's all about the cats and International Cat Day. Nyaa? Thank you to our listeners for our first story contributions about Takachiho! 

Send us your Japan travel stories and questions to [email protected] or on Twitter @LongingClub.

Check out the amazing posts (with pictures!) from Camellia Tea Ceremony on Twitter @camelliakyoto and visit their website https://tea-kyoto.com/ for more information about authentic Kyoto tea ceremonies with an authentic touch!

Song : Daystar - Puberty on a summer day / https://youtu.be/7rwxq1CmZhI

Song : Daystar - Fluffy / https://youtu.be/X_iSipLXcg0

Bonus episode number 9! The internet recommended more list articles, this time counting off the 10 things to know before traveling to Japan. We read each one and give our thoughts and travel experiences! Does the list hold up? You're about to find out!

The articles we reference:

https://wanderwisdom.com/travel-destinations/10-Things-to-Know-Before-Traveling-to-Japan

https://wanderwisdom.com/travel-destinations/The-sights-and-sounds-of-Japan-10-things-to-expect-for-a-first-time-visitor

Send us your Japan travel stories and questions to [email protected] or on Twitter @LongingClub

Song : Daystar - Puberty on a summer day / https://youtu.be/7rwxq1CmZhI

Song : Daystar - Fluffy / https://youtu.be/X_iSipLXcg0

Episode 8 of the Japan Longing Club podcast is here! We dive in to the upside down with the Stranger Things Cafe opening in Shibuya and go over the biggest news out of Anime Expo! Listeners mention Takachiho Gorge as the most unmissable place in Japan. Do you agree? And we're back with a new story from Camellia Teahouse - The Star Festival and A Tale of Love.

Send us your Japan travel stories and questions to [email protected] or on Twitter @LongingClub.

Check out the amazing posts (with pictures!) from Camellia Tea Ceremony on Twitter @camelliakyoto and visit their website https://tea-kyoto.com/ for more information about authentic Kyoto tea ceremonies with an authentic touch!

Song : Daystar - Puberty on a summer day / https://youtu.be/7rwxq1CmZhI

Song : Daystar - Fluffy / https://youtu.be/X_iSipLXcg0

Jared and Randy take a look at MSN's article "Japan is open! 40 unmissable experiences to enjoy" and we go through each one! In the end we choose our favorite, and not so favorite, unmissable things to do. What's your favorite on this list? Send us your answers, travel stories, and questions to [email protected] or on Twitter @LongingClub.

Check out Rebecca Hallett's MSN.com article here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/japan-is-open-40-unmissable-experiences-to-enjoy/ss-AAYjNKN?li=BBnb7Kz#image=1

Song : Daystar - Puberty on a summer day / https://youtu.be/7rwxq1CmZhI

Song : Daystar - Fluffy / https://youtu.be/X_iSipLXcg0

Your hosts Jared and Randy delve into all the new travel details for Japan's reopening, pick a favorite attraction at the new Studio Ghibli theme park that we'd love to visit, and plan out an adult field trip. We close the show discussing the article "5 Places in Japan You'll Never Get to Visit Again" found on the GaijinPot website. We choose which place we'll miss or wish we could've gone to before Covid took it away!

Send us your Japan travel stories and questions to [email protected] or on Twitter @LongingClub.

Check out the GaijinPot article written by Matthew Coslett here: https://blog.gaijinpot.com/5-places-in-japan-youll-never-get-to-visit-again/

Check out the amazing posts (with pictures!) from Camellia Tea Ceremony on Twitter @camelliakyoto and visit their website https://tea-kyoto.com/ for more information about authentic Kyoto tea ceremonies with an authentic touch!

Song : Daystar - Puberty on a summer day / https://youtu.be/7rwxq1CmZhI

Song : Daystar - Fluffy / https://youtu.be/X_iSipLXcg0

Join Jared and Randy with this special episode #5! It's a What We've Been Watching - The new anime film Bubble, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Everything Everywhere All at Once. We're enjoying a small break and will be back soon with the next episode of the Japan Longing Club!

Send us your Japan travel stories and questions to [email protected] or on Twitter @LongingClub.

Song : Daystar - Puberty on a summer day / https://youtu.be/7rwxq1CmZhI

Song : Daystar - Fluffy / https://youtu.be/X_iSipLXcg0

Japan decided to allow in 50 foreign tourists from a few specific countries. Jared and Randy weigh in on this small number, wish we could visit an unofficial Studio Ghibli themed cafe, and read a story from Camellia Tea House in Kyoto!

Send us your Japan travel stories and questions to [email protected] or on Twitter @LongingClub.

Check out the amazing posts (with pictures!) from Camellia Tea Ceremony on Twitter @camelliakyoto and visit their website https://tea-kyoto.com/ for more information about authentic Kyoto tea ceremonies with an authentic touch!

Song : Daystar - Puberty on a summer day / https://youtu.be/7rwxq1CmZhI

Song : Daystar - Fluffy / https://youtu.be/X_iSipLXcg0

On the most exciting episode of the podcast yet we talk about the FIRST EVER Japan Parade in New York City, lead by Grand Marshal George Takei and Sailor Moon The Super Live made an appearance! Big news this episode with the travel borders possibly opening this Summer? We have all the updates here! Explore some travel ideas to Miyagi Prefecture, Sendai, and Matsushima Bay! Jared tries to recite a haiku from the famous poet Basho and Randy wants to visit the Naruto whirlpools. We close the show with another Story from the Teahouse - The Temple of Lost Information!

Send us your Japan travel stories and questions to [email protected] or on Twitter @LongingClub.

Check out the amazing posts (with pictures!) from Camellia Tea Ceremony on Twitter @camelliakyoto and visit their website https://tea-kyoto.com/ for more information about authentic Kyoto tea ceremonies!

Song : Daystar - Puberty on a summer day / https://youtu.be/7rwxq1CmZhI

Song : Daystar - Fluffy / https://youtu.be/X_iSipLXcg0

We've made it to Episode 2 of the Japan Longing Club Podcast! We talk about Tokyo's disappearing trash cans and wish we could travel to Japan's Kii Peninsula, like, yesterday! And we introduce a new segment called Stories From the Teahouse, featuring writings by Camellia Tea Ceremony! Send us your Japan travel stories and questions to [email protected] or on Twitter @LongingClub.

Check out the amazing posts (with pictures!) from Camellia Tea Ceremony on Twitter @camelliakyoto and visit their website https://tea-kyoto.com/ for more information about authentic Kyoto tea ceremonies with an authentic touch!

The New York Times article "A Long Walk in a Fading Corner of Japan" can be read at https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/25/travel/japan-kii-peninsula-pilgrimage-routes.html.

Song : Daystar - Puberty on a summer day / https://youtu.be/7rwxq1CmZhI

Song : Daystar - Fluffy / https://youtu.be/X_iSipLXcg0