Author: Hugh Cann

Hello and welcome to my site! I’m so glad you’re interested in visiting this Japan and experiencing its culture, mystique, and its hospitality. And thanks very much for your interest in You Can Tours Japan. I have worked as a small group tour leader and guide in Japan since 2006 and I have a more than thirty-five-year history with Japan, 22 years of that as a resident. From the get-go I immersed myself in the nation’s life, becoming fluent in Japanese and delving into traditional culture, particularly the elegant martial discipline of Aikido along with Japanese brush calligraphy, the quick draw sword style of Iaido, and a deeper personal experience in Zen Buddhist teachings. After a  decade and a half residency here I took my family back to Australia in 2000 to see to my three sons’ education and where I worked in a range of fields: English language and Japanese language teaching,  tourism, interspersed with stints as a Japanese content consultant and interpreter in film and TV production and, as a Japanese language tour guide and Guest Relations Ambassador at Sydney Opera House.  Returning to Japan in 2015 I loved working full-time as a small group tour leader in metropolitan and throughout regional Japan but wanted time for my other interests, so in 2019 I went independent – and now I concentrate on providing fun and interesting guided tours, mostly in and around Hiroshima but also curating fully independent tours.

The Best Things To Do in Kanazawa

Thanks to its remote location Kanazawa, throughout its history, has avoided damage from many disasters such as war which happily has left much of the architecture and culture intact. It’s known for not only well-preserved Edo-era districts, art museums, and regional handicrafts, and most well known as home to the stunningly beautiful Kenroku-en Garden but also as a city of high culture.

JAPANESE LANGUAGE and SOME USEFUL TRAVEL PHRASES

Learn JAPANESE LANGUAGE with SOME USEFUL TRAVEL PHRASES Around 130 million people speak Japanese; it is the ninth most widely spoken language in the world. Outside Japan itself, there may be as many as 5 million people who speak Japanese with some degree of fluency – predominantly descendants of Japanese emigrants in Hawaii, Brazil, and […]

The Best Things To Do in Takayama

Hida-Takayama is best known for the preserved Edo period (1603-1868) section of town known as ‘Sannomachi’, and for Hida Folf Village, its feudal age village. The town and its culture, as they exist today, took shape at the end of the 16th century

The Best Things To Do in Kyoto 京都

A collage of scenes from Japan: bamboo forest, temple buildings, zen garden, golden pavilion, woman with red umbrella, gold statue, red torii gates, tea ceremony—showcasing The Best Things to Do in Kyoto—and a five-story pagoda in winter trees.

The Best Things To Do in Kyōto is simply a must. It is the ”Thousand Year Capital” and was indeed the capital from 794 to 1868. Originally, it was founded as Heian-kyo (“Capital of Peace and Tranquility”) by the emperor, and it was built as a scale replica of the then capital of the Tang […]

The Best Things to Do in Tokyo 東京

Tokyo is the brash somewhat dazzling frontline of any visit to Japan. The list of things to do in the capital is not quite endless but it’s close to. Here is a list that should cover a couple of days of The Best Things to Do in Tokyo:

The Best Places to Visit in Japan!

The Best Places to Visit in Japan from a local guide perspective Japan is a country of finely developed esthetic, cultural tradition that like a good wine seems to improve with time.tradition, but also its on the cutting edge of technology. In the next couple of weeks look forward to my coming post The Best […]

The Best Things To Do in Hiroshima

The Best Things To Do in Hiroshima Thanks very much for visiting my site. Laadies and gentlemeeen…everyone…allow me… to introduce the BEST…THINGS… TO DO… in my town…Hiroshima…ta tata tata ta taaaaa! I think most people agree that Hiroshima is one of the absolute must-visit destinations in Japan. There are two main attractions in Hiroshima, but […]

Best Things To Eat In Hiroshima – Restaurant Near Me

Following is a series of blogs that I hope will prove helpful information for visitors. – You Can Tours Japan So you’ve had a wonderful day exploring Hiroshima. Peace Memorial Park, its monuments, memorials, artifacts hall, and the museum. It’s a full day on its own but if you’ve only planned one day and you […]