Back in 1942, during World War II, Hammer Field, an airfield used by the United States Army Air Forces’ Fourth Air Force was founded. The airfield would be renamed Fresno Air Terminal with one part for travelers and the other for the California Air National Read More …
Possibly one of the most recognizable buildings in Tokyo is the QFRONT building right across from Shibuya Station and right there at the corner of Shibuya Crossing (Shibuya Scramble). With a huge LED video advertising screen right on front, the retail store property is the Read More …
“This is the Very Steak, the Big Cut of Steak!” This is the slogan of the restaurant “Ikinari! Steak” (which translates to “Sudden! Steak”), which was founded by Kunio Ichinose. The first restaurant opened in 2013 in Ginza and by 2015, there were 64 restaurants Read More …
While many countries around the world celebrate October 31st as the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallow’s Day. Somewhere in the past, the day known as Halloween has changed to being a day full of pumpkins, ghosts, witches, spiders, bats and a Read More …
If you are in Japan and happen to be near the Sumida River, you can get to Asakusa and Odaiba easily via riding the water buses, the Himiko and the Hotaluna. The Himiko and Hotaline were both named by Leiji Matsumo. Making its debut in Read More …
In October and November, I will be embarking on several travel challenges. The main travel challenge is known as the “Tokyo Ward Challenge”. The challenge is quite simple: Visit each of the 23 wards in Tokyo. For those in the United States, think of it Read More …
Quite often, when you visit a home team’s stadium, there is an official store located right at the stadium. But for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, since their stadium is one of the oldest active stadiums in the world, the official good store is located a Read More …
In Japan, there are many forms of entertainment. While no different from the United States in its many offerings of entertainment, Japanese radio has managed to stay relevant. For one, unlike the United States where radio on the FM dial is primarily musically-driven, via AM, Read More …
Shibuya, the trendy city for teenagers and young adults for their shopping needs. And since 1979, Shibuya 109 (Ichi-maru-kyu) and 109Men’s department stores have stood tall in Shibuya. It’s name is a word play on the owner, Tokyu Mall Development. In Japan, 10=to, 9=kyu and Read More …
In the United States, we are used to seeing Starbucks almost in every city. In Japan, while Starbucks can also be seen in major cities, you can also find coffee shops everywhere and one prevalent coffee shop is Doutor Coffee. Founded by Toriba Hiromichi, there Read More …
For sushi enthusiasts, the name Jiro Ono is internationally known. The sushi chef is considered one of the greatest sushi craftsman alive and in Ginza, his restaurant “Sukiyabashi Jiro” has received a three-Michelin-starred rating. There is also a restaurant in Roppongi as well. And many Read More …
Before traveling overseas, assuming your passport, tickets, luggage, hotel and important details have been taken care of. But there are a few things one should make sure they take care of before traveling. Here are my Top 10 Things One Should Do Weeks Before Traveling Read More …
In Tokyo, one of the more popular department stores is Marui. While most people are familiar with the “○I○I” logo, the symbol “O” is not the vowel but the Japanese symbol for “Maru” and the “1” is pronounced “i”, hence the “Marui”. The first store Read More …
If you are visiting the Chiyoda ward and are in Jimbocho, if you are a fan of Japanese comic books (manga) and animation (anime), you will definitely want to visit Shueisha Inc. (Kabushiki Gaisha Shueisha). Founded back in 1925, Shueisha is the entertainment-related publishing division Read More …
You are in the market for luggage as you are planning to travel. But what key things should one know before purchasing luggage? 1. STAY AWAY FROM 28″ OR HIGHER LUGGAGE This will shock some people that I start off with this because I own Read More …
For those who are first time travelers and those who have traveled internationally before, there is always a concern about the weight of our luggage and what is allowable by the airline company. A few airline companies have lowered their maximum size limit which makes Read More …
I have written about my final visit to Tsukiji Fish Market but I decided that because I love sushi so much, I had to be in Japan for the final closure of the Tsukiji Fish Market before its transition to Toyosu in November 2016. With Read More …