Onsen In and Around Hiroshima
Nov 27, 2018 By Matt Mangham
Hot springs, or ‘onsen,’ are a great idea any time of year, but there’s something about being outside and up to your chin in hot water that just really appeals in the depths of winter. Fortunately, you don’t need to book a room at one of the famous Kyushu hot...[ Click to read more ]
Fall Festivals in Tokyo
Oct 30, 2018 By Jason Gatewood
Just because the leaves are golden (or gone), and the temperature has fallen, doesn't mean the festival numbers have gone down along with it. As always, you'll be able to eat tasty yatai street food, purchase cool trinkets, and enjoy being outside in the crowd… Just remember to bring your jacket!...[ Click to read more ]
Apps for Learning and Using Japanese
Oct 29, 2018 By Jason Gatewood
Living in Japan means having to some extent assimilating to one of the most complex language systems mankind has devised, or at least that’s how it feels. The spoken language is a mixture of original Japanese words mixed with ancient and modern Chinese, English, Spanish, and Portuguese loanwords that are used...[ Click to read more ]
Mailing Christmas Gifts Home from Japan
Oct 25, 2018 By Jason Gatewood
The first of November in Japan is marked by a noticeable drop in temperature and the sudden appearance of decorations and music in public spaces with Christmas themes. In our home countries, this early appearance would annoy us a bit, but this is Japan, and at least it reminds us...[ Click to read more ]
Christmas Present Ideas From Japan
Oct 22, 2018 By Bert Wishart
Whether you love it or loathe it, Christmas shopping time is pretty much here. Personally, I'm in the latter camp. As the eldest of 13 cousins (and now countless cousins-once-removed) Christmas shopping becomes a Herculean task, as coming up with ideas for presents becomes increasingly difficult. Thankfully, being here in...[ Click to read more ]
Nagoya’s Expat Bars
Oct 15, 2018 By Bert Wishart
While coming to Japan is all very exciting, and it's interesting meeting new people and going on new adventures, sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name. Heck, sometimes you just wanna go where they know how to pronounce your name correctly. Hence the draw of the ex-pat bar....[ Click to read more ]
Childcare in Kobe
By Justin Hanus
If you are a parent living and working in Japan and can't look after pre-school age children during the day, there are public and private childcare facilities that you can use. In 2015, the Japanese government introduced new measures to improve the quality of childcare and make support more available....[ Click to read more ]
Get Inked: Nagoya’s Tattoo Parlours
Sep 28, 2018 By Bert Wishart
The subject of tattoos in Japan is a bit taboo. The history of body modification in Japan is long, going back as far as the Jomon Period (roughly 10,500 B.C. to 300 B.C.). But in modern Japan, however, tattooing is immediately associated with criminal organizations, and those with body ink began...[ Click to read more ]
Free Places to Visit During the Nagoya Festival
Sep 27, 2018 By Bert Wishart
Nagoya has a long and rich history, and The Nagoya Festival is a great time to celebrate this great city in which we live. Of course, the parade through the town is the festival's greatest spectacle, but you may be surprised to know that there are also plenty of other...[ Click to read more ]
Japanese Horror Movies to Terrify You this Halloween
By Bert Wishart
Halloween is becoming an increasingly popular event in Japan with parties popping up all over the country and thousands of kids filling the streets in their spookiest getup. For me, though, there is nothing better on All Hallow's Eve than hunkering down at home, dimming the lights, grabbing a bowl...[ Click to read more ]
