Near the famous bamboo forest: a new museum in Kyoto's beautiful riverside Arashiyama district has an amazing collection of Japanese paintings and is not to be missed!

Nihonga is a genre of modern Japanese painting that uses natural materials and draws inspiration from nature and traditional themes in Japanese culture. Find out more, including the best museums in Japan to experience the unique beauty of nihonga.

Paul Martin is the first foreigner recognized as a Japanese sword expert by the Japanese Government and the first foreigner to be appointed as a trustee for a major Japanese sword craftsman's public foundation.

The Kaminosato Museum in Hitachiomiya has a gallery of products made with Nishinouchi Washi and offers workshops for visitors who want to try their hand at papermaking or learn more.

Coffee culture, antiques . . . even a Pig Cafe: Tokyo's Meguro is definitely worth a train stop.

In the Meiji Era (1868--1912), some enterprising woodblock artists used their traditional skills to bring a mix of news and entertainment to the masses.

The Shibamata neighborhood on the outskirts of Tokyo retains the essence of the city’s “everyman” past. An iconic films series has helped to preserve its charms.

The Japanese painter Tanaka Isson fled mainland Japan for one of the country’s most beautiful southern islands—Amami Oshima. There he labored for years in obscurity, creating large, vivid artworks of his subtropical surroundings.