Let’s Tour: Kawagoe City; Little Edo
Aug 31, 2018 By Jason Gatewood
Located about 60 minutes by train northwest of central Tokyo is the city of Kawagoe in Saitama Prefecture. Because of its location in the Greater Tokyo area, it’s mainly considered just another “bedtown”; Japanese borrowed English slang for a bedroom community. But its current day suburban moniker can be easily...[ Click to read more ]
An Art Museum for the Digital Age: Mori Building Digital Art Museum
Aug 30, 2018 By Jason Gatewood
When most people think of art and Japan in the same vein, images on the order of Hokusai’s Great Wave of Kanagawa spring to mind. You could tour the traditional art scene in Nippon seemingly forever, enjoying a multitude of museums throughout the metropolis. However, only one is dedicated to interactive...[ Click to read more ]
English Language Comedy in Tokyo
Aug 24, 2018 By Bert Wishart
Tokyo's thriving comedy scene offers a wide range of comedians performing around the city; in English! Below are a few comedy clubs and troupes that you can find in the city. Tokyo Comedy Store Tokyo Comedy store is mainly about standup and improv comedy - the kinds of comedy that...[ Click to read more ]
Summer Evening of Prayer and Peace in Hiroshima
Jul 30, 2018 By Matt Mangham
Let’s say you arrive in Hiroshima for the August 6th Peace Memorial Ceremony a day early. You don’t feel like sitting around the hotel room watching TV, but what feels right to do the night before attending the anniversary of the A-Bombing of this lovely little city. Anyway, it’s Sunday...[ Click to read more ]
Tokyo’s rise of the premium BBQ sites
Jul 27, 2018 By Jason Gatewood
As long as we have known fire, we’ve also known barbecue. Most of humanity would agree that there’s nothing beating a few pieces of meat and/or veg on the grill, with the smoke from the coals helping to give it a flavor that’s unmistakably summertime. We Tokyoites have it rough...[ Click to read more ]
Bon Odori Dancing Festivals in Tokyo
By Jason Gatewood
Obon is an annual event where Buddhists and Confucians celebrate their ancestors. Buddhists and many Japanese people in general believe that every year during Obon their ancestor's spirits will return from "beyond the grave" for three days to visit with relatives they left behind. The highlight of summer in Japan is...[ Click to read more ]
Tokyo’s Beer Gardens
Jul 25, 2018 By Bert Wishart
It could be argued that one of the greatest things on Earth is sitting outside on a warm summer’s day with an ice cold beer. Being from the south west of England I am used to having a pub on every corner, and almost all of them will have a...[ Click to read more ]
Sort it out: A Primer on Recycling in Tokyo
Jun 26, 2018 By Jason Gatewood
Ask almost any expat who has lived here for at least a year or so, “what are some difficult things about living in Japan you’ve had to come to terms with”, and without fail “learning how to deal with the garbage” is going to be somewhere near the top of...[ Click to read more ]
Splish, Splash, Sploosh!: Your Guide to Tokyo’s Waterparks
By Jason Gatewood
When the air outside is thick with humidity, cicadas begin their endless chirping, the stores start stocking endless varieties of flavored bottled water and teas, and all the kids start sporting “playground tans”, Tokyo Summertime has finally come. We are the enviable environment to enjoy a trip to the beach,...[ Click to read more ]
Let’s Tour Tokyo: Kichijoji
By Jason Gatewood
It’s been awhile since I last introduced a part of Tokyo you may not be so familiar with, so this time we’ll head westward from Shinjuku to visit the Kichijoji (吉祥寺) district. This area is centered around the junction of the JR Chuo Line and Keio Inokashira Line at its...[ Click to read more ]
