Kaoru KURIYAMA

Kaoru KURIYAMA is a freelance writer. A graduate of Sophia University, he spent more than 20 years working in New Zealand. He returned to Japan in 2010 to to work for the Ministry of Defense (civilian staff) on contract, and now is covering Asia including Japan as a freelance writer and photographer.

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Celebrating Japan's Festivals on the Banks of the Rhine and Beyond

Kaoru KURIYAMA May 30, 2023

Trendy pop culture is leading the way but among Japan's festivals, the old and...

plum blossom

Plum Blossom Festival at Kairakuen: Full of Color and History

Kaoru KURIYAMA March 10, 2023

Kimono-clad plum blossom ambassadors welcome visitors to the display of red, white and pink...

Beni Warabe 1

Plum Blossoms: Children Revive a Poet's Millennium-Old Love

Kaoru KURIYAMA March 1, 2023

Sugawara no Michizane was an eminent poet of the Heian period. His love of...

Mito Shrine

Signaling Early Spring at Mito Shrine with New Adults and Plum Blossoms

Kaoru KURIYAMA January 18, 2023

If you visit the Ume Matsuri at Mito Shrine between February 11- March 19...

Savvy Foxes Festival_Kasama Kitsune Soushi 2

[Corona ni Makeruna] Savvy Foxes Celebrate Festival Online, Keep Up Spirits and Traditions

Kaoru KURIYAMA December 28, 2020

This year, so many events all over Japan have been either canceled or scaled...