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 ]
Winter Illuminations in Tokyo 2023
Nov 30, 2023 By Michael Stigall
Christmas Day in Japan is just another working day for the most part. The most interesting facet of the Christmas and holiday season in Japan is that all traces of it will be gone by morning on December 26th. Without fail, every bell, light, and garlands; every decoration will come...[ Click to read more ]
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 ]
Ferris Wheels of the Tokyo Area
Jan 30, 2023 By Michael Stigall
Ferris wheels aren't the first thing that comes to someone's mind about Japan unless you visit here and notice how many of them seem to exist. Almost every large city here seems to boast one Ferris wheel attraction somewhere nearby. While most Ferris wheels here don't rise to the level...[ Click to read more ]
A Guide to Onsen and Super Sento in and around Tokyo
Sep 28, 2022 By Michael Stigall
The onsen is one thing that immediately comes to mind when one thinks of Japan, and it's no mystery why. In addition to appearing in most tourism-related media, they are excellent places to relax. With so much seismic activity, from small sento bathhouses to entire onsen towns, sento and onsen...[ Click to read more ]
Let’s Tour: Kamakura
Oct 19, 2021 By Jason Gatewood
Despite being one of the most densely populated parts of the world, containing the capital city and Japan's most significant urban area, Greater Tokyo is historically newer than many places in the country. It wasn't until the 1600s during the Edo Period that the area, then called Edo, became important;...[ Click to read more ]
Romancing the rails at Odakyu’s Romancecar Museum
Apr 25, 2021 By Jason Gatewood
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 ]
Flying High in Minato-Mirai
Apr 23, 2021 By Jason Gatewood
The concept of a gondola in an urban setting isn’t new; they serve as high-speed transport options in places like Bogota, Colombia, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There was even a plan to build one to connect the main Olympic venues in Odaiba with Tokyo station and another connecting Tokyo...[ Click to read more ]
Let’s Tour: Shonan Beach Cities of Kanagawa
Aug 31, 2020 By Jason Gatewood
Located south and west of Yokohama, the Shonan region of Kanagawa Prefecture is known for beaches along Sagami Bay and a "laidback lifestyle" seen in other seaside places like Southern California, the Mediterranean Coast of Spain, and France. Before the 1880s, no one cared about the coastline and beaches other...[ Click to read more ]
Watching Sumo matches in Jungyo Exhibition Tour
Feb 10, 2020 By Admin
Watching sumo is one of the most authentic attractions in Japan. The annual grand tournaments are held only in odd months; January, May, and September in Tokyo, March in Osaka, July in Nagoya, and November in Fukuoka. You don't want to miss the tournament matches if you happen to be...[ Click to read more ]
