Why is Bubble Tea Suddenly Popular in Japan?
Jun 28, 2019 By Jason Gatewood
The first time I tasted tapioca pearls in milk tea was as a teenager in the mid-1990’s while checking out a new trendy Asian fusion spot that was all the rage with us young folk in my hometown in the States. Fast-forward a couple of years to my first foray...[ Click to read more ]
Fireworks Festivals in Tokyo
Jun 17, 2019 By Jason Gatewood
Fireworks and summer festivals are arguably the best part of summertime in Japan, with days spent wearing yukata and jinbei traditional clothing while munching street food and nights spent outside watching literally hours of explosions and enjoying the atmosphere of the festival, and the crowds. Summer festivals are a rare...[ Click to read more ]
How to Go-kart Through the Streets of Tokyo
May 29, 2019 By Jason Gatewood
If you’ve been in Tokyo’s tourist areas for just a few hours, you might have caught a glimpse of a fleet of go-karts with costume-clad drivers speeding through the streets. Even if you haven’t seen them up close, you may have heard of them or even caught them all over...[ Click to read more ]
Let’s Tour: Yokocho Drinking Alleys
May 25, 2019 By Jason Gatewood
Japan is very adept at making sure its past is preserved while building the future in terms of architecture at the city level. It is very common to see a new building complex go up right next door to a 200+ year old temple complex in many cities, even in...[ Click to read more ]
Yoyogi Park, home of Tokyo’s “World Festivals“
Apr 24, 2019 By Jason Gatewood
Situated south of Shinjuku, north of Shibuya and just west of Harajuku, the expanse of lush greenery, rolling hills and clear ponds, Yoyogi Park serves as an oasis of refreshing nature in the concrete jungle known as Shibuya Ward. It’s also the home of Meiji Jingu, the shrine dedicated to...[ Click to read more ]
Japan National Correctional Facilities Exhibition in Tokyo
By Jason Gatewood
Spending a weekend in jail is probably not at the top of most people’s list, but if you’ve had a passing thought about what a Japanese prison is like, then just like everything else in JapanLand, there’s a festival for it. Called Correctional Exhibitions (矯正展), they give a chance for...[ Click to read more ]
Diving into Hiroshima’s Sakes
Apr 23, 2019 By Matt Mangham
If you’ve only recently moved to Hiroshima, you may not yet be aware that you are in one of Japan’s three great centers for sake production, the other two being in Kobe and Kyoto. Of the three, Hiroshima is both the youngest and, by some metrics, the most innovative. Until...[ Click to read more ]
Cinco de Mayo Festival and Mexican Restaurants in Tokyo
Apr 19, 2019 By Bert Wishart
Cinco de Mayo, while originally a commemoration of an unlikely victory for the Mexican Army against the then powerful French in 1862, has in the US become something of a large celebration for all things Mexico. As these things tend to go, Japan has taken the American interpretation of the holiday, and...[ Click to read more ]
Things to do in Tokyo For Golden Week 2019
Apr 15, 2019 By Bert Wishart
Golden week is the longest public holiday period in Japan, and many residents make a trip abroad, or to a tourist area like Kyoto over the break. Trains and airports can be crowded, and the traffic into any area worth a visit is going to be heavy at best, standstill...[ Click to read more ]
Finding an English-speaking Personal Trainer
Mar 29, 2019 By Jason Gatewood
Personal fitness is something that takes dedication, and mental training more than the physical will to push weights or run miles down the road. Moving to another country and embedding oneself into a different culture is hard enough without sacrificing our physical health in the process. Some years ago, I...[ Click to read more ]
