How to Reach Kumamoto from Tokyo or Kansai

May 31, 2024 By Justin Hanus

Most visitors to Japan are aware of the top tourist destinations, such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and other places in Kansai. However, there are interesting spots to see all over the country, including some that are less frequented by tourists. Visiting these places often gives you a more authentic Japanese...[ Click to read more ]

No Comments

Hawaiian Food in Tokyo

By Michael Stigall

There are places one can go to in Japan where it will seem you’ve stepped through Doraemon’s Dokodemo Door and straight up landed in America’s 50th state, Hawaii. From hula dancing to learning to play the ukulele, Japan has been all-in on all things Hawaiian since the heady “Bubble Era”...[ Click to read more ]

No Comments

Tokyo’s Best American BBQ

May 29, 2024 By Michael Stigall

In the United States, BBQ is cooking meat for long periods at low temperatures with smoke from a wood fire.  BBQ adds a distinctive smoky taste to the meat, and depending on the style in question, BBQ sauce.   While BBQ traditions may not have originated in the United States, they...[ Click to read more ]

Tokyo Oktoberfest 2024

Apr 30, 2024 By Michael Stigall

We've said it before, and we'll say it again: Japan loves beer. So it's no surprise there's an Oktoberfest festival happening somewhere at any point in the year. For Golden Week, Octoberfest is coming nearly half a year early in late April and early May. For those of you who...[ Click to read more ]

Tokyo’s Go-Karts

By Michael Stigall

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 ]

Yoyogi Park – Where The World Comes to Tokyo

By Michael Stigall

Situated south of Shinjuku, north of Shibuya and just west of Harajuku, the expanse of lush greenery, rolling hills and clear ponds known as 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...[ Click to read more ]

Records Shops in Tokyo

Mar 26, 2024 By Michael Stigall

Did you know that April 21st is Record Store Day? Sure, the modern music industry is well and truly established in the digital world, but record stores still cling on for those preferring the sound of vinyl. Most people access their favorite artists now through Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, and...[ Click to read more ]

Day Trips from Tokyo

Mar 25, 2024 By Michael Stigall

Now that the weather is getting better, we can start focusing on my favorite Tokyo pastime: Getting out of town.  There are actually more options to accomplish this than you would think. Sure, when talking about trains in Japan, people either think of the Shinkansen high-speed rail lines linking Japan's...[ Click to read more ]

No Comments

It’s back! teamLab Borderless

Feb 28, 2024 By Michael Stigall

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, there was a legendary museum...[ Click to read more ]

Hanami in Tokyo 2024

By Michael Stigall

Rejoice for the end of winter is nearly here, and one of the best times to be in Japan is almost upon us. I am speaking, of course, of cherry blossom viewing or hanami. Just picture it! The weather will soon be warmer, the days longer, and it'll be time...[ Click to read more ]