By Zen Lynch During this past decade, anime and manga have started to rise in popularity here in the United States. For those of you who are unaware, anime is an animated style of Japanese film [...]

By Zen Lynch Wagyu is an umbrella term for different Japanese cattle breeds. When put together, wa means Japanese and gyu means cow. Kobe beef is a [...]

By: Zen Lynch While anime was once considered a niche in the Western entertainment world, it has successfully breached the mainstream. According to the Association of Japanese Animations, global [...]

A big part of our Lynch family’s fascination with Japan is its unique Shinto and Buddhist-based culture. Despite our many travels to this wonderful land, we are always amazed by the reverence and [...]

Though we have used many beautifully designed chopsticks throughout our various travels to Japan, Bev, Zen, and I have become especially enamored with the Yakusugi brand. The name comes from the [...]

Zen, Annalise, Marshall, Noah, and Randy (the honorary Gen Z member) at Wazuka Tea Plantation, July 2024 Located in the isolated mountains of Wazuka, the sprawling grounds of the Wazuka tea [...]

Naoshima represents nothing less than aesthetic perfection. The island’s relatively remote, picturesque location, coupled with its array of world-class contemporary art and architecture makes for [...]

By Zen Lynch Aman is a Lynch family favorite and well-known by many of our clients and friends! Originally founded in Singapore, Aman represents the pinnacle of world-class luxury [...]

The 19-room, 266-foot-long “floating” ryokan, guntû, is best described as a cross between a traditional Japanese ryokan and a luxury yacht. Designed by architect Yasushi Horibe, this [...]

Regardless of where you travel in Japan, the natives are well-groomed, neat, and fastidiously clean. This extends to streets, homes, office buildings, and wherever, from garbage men with [...]

The Japanese concept of “Shinrin-Yoku” or “forest bathing” originated in Japan in the early 1980s as a natural therapy to alleviate the pervasive stress of Japan’s growing urban office culture. [...]

Hope you find our Lunch Family's Favorite things about our beloved Japan informative/entertaining!

Despite the 3 ½ hour travel time from Kyoto (Shinkansen-subway-train-cable car), we thoroughly enjoyed our brief stay in Koyasan. Founded in the 9th century, Koyasan is home to  Shingon [...]

We consider a ryokan stay (a traditional Japanese inn) to be the quintessential cultural immersion experience and essential activity on any Japan private tour!  Originally dating back [...]

Derived from ancient Shinto rites celebrating a good harvest, Sumo is Japan’s truly unique national sport. The tournament’s lively pageantry is as exciting as the matches themselves, which can [...]

As many of our clients who travel to the Pacific Rim have expressed interest in unique spa activities using anti-aging skincare, Japan and Korea’s companies stand out as the world’s top beauty [...]

Japanese sweets “wagashi” have a long tradition in ancient Japan. Established in 1803, Kyoto-based Kameya Yoshinaga is among the most noteworthy practitioner of this unique Japanese culinary [...]

By: Beatrice, Lily, and Randy The Nakasendo Trail, also known as the Nakasendo Way, is an ancient and historic pilgrimage trail in Japan that dates back to the Edo period (1603-1868). It was [...]

As a Chicago company, we here at Kipling & Clark know a little something about love for baseball, but, remarkably, not even our beloved city can compare to Japan’s obsession with [...]

For the many of us who have enjoyed past early morning visits through the fishy stench of the tuna auction at Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, we are saddened to see the Market’s final move to the new [...]

History of “Onsen” “Onsen” is one of the distinctly native Japanese cultural aspects that did not originate from Greater China. Accounts of onsen bathing go back to Japan’s earliest historical [...]

By: Beatrice, Lily, and Randy The Nakasendo Trail, also known as the Nakasendo Way, is an ancient and historic pilgrimage trail in Japan that dates back to the Edo period (1603-1868). It was one [...]

“A Japanese Garden is at once a picture and a poem; perhaps even more a poem than a picture.” – Lafcadio Hearn Japanese gardens are revered for their detail, symmetry, and dedication to nature [...]

Based on our recent September 2023 Lynch family’s return scouting trip to Switzerland and Japan, we were amazed at the striking similarities between these two fastidiously clean, high-quality [...]

Tokyo is known to hold Japan’s finest collection of Bonsai trees, and the Shunkaen Bonsai Garden and Museum is no exception to this rule. We LOVE this place, and find an approximately two-hour [...]

It’s no secret that there is lots to love about Switzerland: the food (chocolate!), landscape, passion for punctuality, cleanliness, respect for nature, culture, those cute Swiss clocks, and, [...]

For the many of us who have enjoyed past early morning visits through the fishy stench of the tuna auction at Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, we are saddened to see the Market’s final move to the new [...]