The city of Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture has been the foremost science city in Japan, leading efforts on industrial innovation and pioneering elementary school education with the use of information and communications technology (ICT).Located about 50 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, Tsukuba is home to a…

As the area with the largest concentration of medical research facilities in the country, there is good reason Kobe was chosen to host the G7 health ministers' meeting on Sept. 11 and 12.The Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster (KBIC) is a science park that is home…

A G7 Transport Ministers' Meeting will be held in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, on Sept. 24 and 25. Located in the center of the country and boasting a variety of transportation networks, Nagano is easily accessible from anywhere in Japan. The prefecture is also known as…

The G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting is scheduled to be held in Sendai from May 20 through May 21.During the two-day meeting at Hotel Sakan in the famed Akiu hot spring resort in a suburb of the Miyagi Prefecture capital, finance ministers…

I lower myself into the steamy 42 C water of my outdoor tub. While my mind is not yet awake (it's just 5:30 in the morning), my body feels fully alive, charged instantly by the onsen hot spring water of Akiu Onsen, famously known as…

The G7 Education Ministers' Meeting will be held in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, on May 14 and 15, with related ministers of the Group of Seven and others from international organizations gathering to discuss global education challenges.Under the theme of "Innovation in Education," representatives from Japan,…

The G7 Energy Ministerial Meeting will be held in Kitakyushu on May 1 and 2, at which global issues on security and sustainability of energy will be discussed by the energy ministers of the Group of Seven — Japan, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and…

Nagano Prefecture, located in the center of Japan, has so much to offer — ski resorts in the mountains, traditional ryokan Japanese inns, onsen hot springs, snow monkeys and many more attractions. Japanese craftsmanship is one draw as there are many industrial arts and crafts, with…

Saga prefecture sits in the northern half of Kyushu, sandwiched between bustling Fukuoka and historic Nagasaki. From the wild north coast to the porcelain towns of western Saga to the sake brewing districts of the southern Kashima region, this compact prefecture offers a host of…