Getting To Know You – Nagoya Station Area of Meieki
Oct 29, 2019 By Bert Wishart
For years, though the city center in name, the area around Nagoya Station was considered to a poor relation to the shopping district of Sakae. However, over the past decade there has been dramatic investment in the Meieki (a Japanese abbreviation of 'Nagoya Station') area, and today it is an...[ Click to read more ]
English Stand-up Comedy Around Tokyo
By Jason Gatewood
Turn on the TV at any given moment during “Golden Hour” (what we Yanks call Primetime) and you’ll no doubt see comedy duos interspersed in the endless waves of food tasting, international shenanigans, and celebrity anecdotes that seem to permeate the average Japanese media diet. Those comedy teams, called manzai,...[ Click to read more ]
Making sense of the Consumption Tax rate hike
Sep 27, 2019 By Jason Gatewood
It’s officially happening after many delays and false starts, Japan’s consumption tax (消費税 shohizei) will go from 8% to 10% on October 1st, 2019. The tax is levied on almost every purchase, from food and drink to train fares and utility bills; even the fees incurred from using the ATM...[ Click to read more ]
How to ease the impact of Japan’s impending consumption tax hike
By Jason Gatewood
In order to ease the overnight transition into a higher tax bracket, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has begun a program that will effectively refund the difference back to consumers. But there are a few catches of course; its only in effect for 9 months beginning 1 October...[ Click to read more ]
Sushi: a Short History and Where to Get It in Hiroshima
By Hugh Cann
The earliest form of sushi, known today as narezushi, most likely originates in the paddy fields along the Mekong River in Southeast Asia. The prototype narezushi is made by lacto-fermenting fish with salt and rice to control putrefaction. It then spread southward. In Japan, the dish's introduction overlaps with the...[ Click to read more ]
The Red Capped Statues – The Patron Saint of Children.
By Hugh Cann
If you’ve visited Mitaki Temple on the city outskirts or perhaps Daishoin Temple on Miyajima (or many other places throughout Japan) you will surely have come across small stone statues of monks wearing red knitted caps and bibs across the chest. These are statues honoring the Jizo Bosatsu. Jizo is...[ Click to read more ]
Japanese Sake: Sake Festival in Hiroshima
By Hugh Cann
To begin with, we all know the word sake (pronounced sa-keh not sa-ki). But in fact, that is the generic term in Japanese for alcohol. If you want to order it and not sound like a complete “blow-in” you would be better ordering it as Nihon-shu. Most Nihon-shu (from my...[ Click to read more ]
Great Places to Spot Wildlife in Kansai
Sep 24, 2019 By Justin Hanus
Japan is known for its densely-populated neon-lit cities but look beyond the lights and high-rise buildings and you can find some beautiful open spaces where you can see nature at play. The Kansai region has no shortage of breath-taking mountains, wetlands, large parks and woodlands filled with a diverse array...[ Click to read more ]
Night Clubbing in Kobe
By Justin Hanus
Kobe is not quite on the New York levels of “city that never sleeps” but there is plenty going on after pubs and restaurants close up for the night with something for everyone from ravers to jazz aficionados. The good news is that many decent late-night joints are within walking...[ Click to read more ]
Yokogawa: Where Old and New Meet in Hiroshima
Aug 26, 2019 By Hugh Cann
Historically, Yokogawa is the old Shitamachi and before the second world war was Hiroshima's commercial business district. The post-war reconstruction shifted most commercial and retail activity to Naka -ku (ward) area of central Hiroshima. Today, some of the businesses in Yokogawa remain much as they were after the immediate reconstruction....[ Click to read more ]
