How to Get an ETC Card in Japan
Oct 19, 2023 By Justin Hanus
To pay the expressway tolls in Japan, it helps to have an Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) card. This allows you to make automatic cashless payments instead of needing to stop at tollbooths and pay in cash. There are even special lanes at the tolls for holders of ETC cards, which...[ Click to read more ]
Odakyu’s Romancecar Museum
Sep 27, 2023 By Michael Stigall
It's an open secret that one of the reasons I enjoy living in Japan is that public transportation is held in high regard and promoted by the people as a matter of social, security, and cultural importance. Most people think of the Shinkansen "bullet train" network of high-speed rail routes....[ Click to read more ]
Tokyo’s Best Mexican Food
By Michael Stigall
Tokyo is the "World's Greatest Food City," and at last count, home to over 200 Michelin-starred restaurants. More than ramen, udon, and tonkatsu places, you can find whatever a human can consume if you search hard enough in the Metropolis. But just because you can find it doesn't necessarily mean...[ Click to read more ]
Volunteering in the Tokyo Area
By Michael Stigall
When living in a new country, offering your free time to help the local community can be a great thing. One such way is volunteering for a nonprofit organization (NPO). Volunteering has a lot of upsides and a few downsides. It is a great way to meet new people when...[ Click to read more ]
Find Your Halloween Costume in Tokyo
By Ray Proper
Halloween is rapidly approaching, so get your costume soon because leaving your costume to the last minute and dressing as "an ax murderer, because they look just like you and me" isn't as creative as you think it is. Halloween was not really "a thing" in Japan previously, but recently...[ Click to read more ]
Buying A Summer Yukata in Tokyo
Aug 29, 2023 By Michael Stigall
Now that festivals are back on the menu again, you may find yourself at one. Or perhaps, while taking in one of the restarted firework festivals, you may have noticed many people wearing traditional Japanese dress and wondered what was going on. Well, summer festivals are a time when Japanese...[ Click to read more ]
Dessert Buffets in Tokyo
Aug 28, 2023 By Michael Stigall
If you’re the type that is all about putting cake before casserole and satisfying your sweet tooth to the point that would make your dentist’s hair stand on end, then you’ll want to read on further as we present the best places in Tokyo to check out All-you-can-eat sweets, treats,...[ Click to read more ]
Public Sports Facilities in Tokyo
By Michael Stigall
Staying in shape in a big city like Tokyo can be a chore sometimes. I myself am a big fan of lifting weights and biking outdoors, but sometimes it seems cars and bad traffic along with the occassional bout of extreme weather can have me sidelined for days or weeks...[ Click to read more ]
The Tokyo Fire Museum
Jul 24, 2023 By Michael Stigall
Tokyo’s massive number of people and buildings packed into the smallest area imaginable has always left me with more than a few questions. One of the most prominent questions has always been, “How does this place not turn into a tinderbox whenever something catches fire?” Luckily, the Tokyo Fire Museum...[ Click to read more ]
Tokyo’s Railway Museum: See Japan’s Locomotive History
By Michael Stigall
A good many visitors to Japan have been known to utter out loud, “There sure are a lot of trains in Japan!” …And they wouldn’t be wrong! We happen to have the world’s highest per capita train ridership and are home to The world’s busiest station. It is not an overstatement to...[ Click to read more ]
