Earlier this month, I traveled to Nagoya, Japan to visit Nagoya Castle. And I will say it was one of the most breathtaking experiences that I have ever seen. Just from a distance and seeing the castle, you are literally in awe. According to Wikipedia: Read More …
Located at Tokyo Dome City, right between the Under Armour Tokyo Giants shop and the Japanese Hall of Fame is “The Burgers Tokyo”. The restaurant which is owned by Italian Tomato (who operates restaurants such as Faribeurre, IL VIGORE, Italian Tomato Cafe, Caffe Superiore, Panes Read More …
Back in 1999, Kawaguchi Station and the area surrounding it was not so crowded as it is today. As the location was still developing (as I wrote in my May blog post), I wrote that I would be returning to the area in November 2016 Read More …
In Japan, my favorite beverages that I tend to drink are milk tea and milk coffee. And for the latter, Cafe Au Lait (Coffee and Milk), I absolute love it! For milk coffee, I absolutely love Coca-Cola’s hot Georgia Milk Cafe Au Lait and Kowai Read More …
Nishiarai Daishi (西新井大師), known formally as Sojiji (総持寺), is a relatively large Shingon Buddhist temple located in the northeastern part of Tokyo. It is said to have been founded in 826 by Shingon Sect founder Kukai. This temple of the Buzan sect of Shingon Buddhism, Read More …
Located in one of Tokyo’s largest park areas is Ueno Zoo, one of Japan’s oldest zoos which was opened back in 1882. Only a five-minute walk from Ueno Station and one that can be reached via train or the Ueno zoo Monorail, the Ueno Zoo Read More …
Tsukiji fish market may be known for its fresh fish and its many sushi restaurants, but the location is also well known for its tamagoyaki. Think of tamagoyaki as a Japanese omelette with its egg rolled together to make up several layers of a cooked Read More …
Located in Arakawa, Tokyo and in an area with loud trains passing by over the location is the Kozukappara Execution Grounds. A location, one of the three of what was then known as the vicinity of Edo, was where criminals were executed by the Tokugawa Read More …
And the Tokyo Ward challenge has been completed! I have visited all 23 Tokyo Wards and it was definitely one of the more exciting adventures I have taken part of. It was a blast! And now to end my final week in Tokyo an Read More …
The week leading up to Halloween has no doubt been incredible but because Halloween takes place on a Monday, a lot of the Halloween festivities took place on the weekend. Still, I had a feeling that people would be out on Halloween Day dressed up Read More …
On October 30th, the 2016 Omotesando Halloween Pumpkin Parade took place. A parade in which parents and their children and literally entire families can dress up and take part in the Halloween festivity (including dogs) was no doubt a success. I have heard about how Read More …
As I am currently in Japan, as I promised, I will be reporting on how Halloween is in Japan. Having read how Halloween has grown huge in Japan within the last five years and many saying that promotions for Halloween is becoming close to Christmas Read More …
Originally planned, I was to travel to multiple countries in Europe as final vacation for 2016. But one thing that had gotten on my nerves was the fact that I didn’t cover so many locations in Tokyo in 2015. So, I decided to take on Read More …
In the United States, many are used to seeing capsule toy machines as cheap toys to keep your kids occupied while visiting a supermarket or restaurant. In Japan, the concept is similar but the offerings reach out to people of all ages. Known as “Gashapon” Read More …
Back in 1953, toy company Kotobukiya established themselves as toymakers that care about craftsmanship. Fastforward to 2016 and the company still prides itself in craftmanship and quality and have become the #1 toy company specializing in collector toys and creator of statues, figures and kits. Read More …
If there is one shrine in Japan that is controversial, it’s Yasukuni Shrine. For those not familiar with Yasukuni Shrine, since 1869, the shrine is where people go to honor the souls of those who died in service of Japan. Known back in 1869 as 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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …