Hope everyone is having a good day! With family for July 4th and did anyone in California feel that earthquake from Southern California. That one went a little longer than usual but fortunately, the epicenter was in a remote area of California. Anyway, a short Read More …
NOTE: The following report is also being featured on Neo-Tokyo 2099 As I visited each booth in one exhibit room and busy taking photos of booths and booth girls/guys, the attendees haven’t arrived yet but already I was starting to sense the enormity of this Read More …
NOTE: The following convention report is also being featured on Neo-Tokyo 2099 From March 23-24, AnimeJapan 2019’s public event took place at Tokyo Big Sight in Koto Ward. While we have covered AnimeJapan since Tokyo International Anime Fair and Anime Contents Expo (and those two Read More …
Hi everyone! In the next few hours, I will be on an airplane off to Japan. I know a lot of people (including friends) have asked “Japan again?”. And it’s understandable. For me, I love Japan, maybe not enough to move there but I love Read More …
One of the statues featured at the Matsuoka Museum of Art is “The Statue of Enehey”. Made of Limestone. Egypt. New Kingdom, late 18th dynasty (1300-1200 b.c.). Excavated from Saqqarah, a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, Saqqarah served as the necropolis for the Ancient Read More …
I’m often asked if I ever go to Starbucks because I’m more of a third wave coffee guy. What is third wave? What are the first and second waves? The first wave was long ago when coffee became widely accessible and that was around the Read More …
I’ve been asked what my latest challenge will be for this upcoming adventure to Japan. I’ve done the Tokyo Ward Challenge, the Kanto Region Challenge and there are so many other challenges I have on my bucket list from going north of Japan for Hokkaido, Read More …
Although most of my time is spent in Tokyo, when I go to Japan, there are cities in the Kansai region that really captivate me in terms of atmosphere, food and vibe and one city I enjoy visiting is Kobe, Japan. The sixth largest city Read More …
Now you need to go through a path to reach the Kusatsu Onsen (Yubatake). But first, you’ll be making a stroll through many shops and restaurants. Kusatsu-machi unfortunately had to be reconstructed. Back in 1869, ther e was a devastating fire which burned the town Read More …
The original Franze & Evans London has been around since 2008 when it featured Italian classics reimagined for London living. Serving salads, brunch, coffee and cakes in the heart of Shoreditch, the restaurant opened a sister deli in London and creating a Tokyo outpost since Read More …
Located in Odaiba in the Pallette Town area is a shopping mall known as VenusFort. The mall has been called a “Theme park for women” and the mall is operated now by Mori Bulding. VenusFort opened back on August 25, 1999 and is located on Read More …
For those who are traveling to Ibaraki from Tokyo will no doubt be taking the Joban Line from Ueno Station to Katsuta Station in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki. The station (which is operated by East Japan Railway Company – JR East) first opened back in March 1910 Read More …
You probably heard that Japan will be kicking off a “Sayonara Tax” beginning in January 2019. With the increase of tourism in Japan (28.69 million international tourists in 2017) and Japan ranked #4 out of 141 countries in the “Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017”, Read More …
As I continue to cover my final goodbye to Tsukiji Fish Market, as the fish market’s auction and inner market will be moving to Toyosu, it’s important to emphasize that if you spent your time outdoors at the Tsukiji Fish Market, the shops of the Read More …
In the Shonan area of Enoshima (A beachside community in Kanagawa Prefecture), Japan’s first “French Toast” specialty stores opened. Known as LONCAFE, the cafe’s theme is resort life and Shonan culture. The LONCAFE at Naka-Meguro is a smaller location, so I didn’t want to take Read More …
In the United States, we are accustomed to knowing that America has 50 states, a federal district (Washington D.C., which is also a capital city) and five major territories (which includes Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands and Northern Mariana Islands). The latter Read More …
I absolutely love taking night shots in Tokyo and this time, I took photos in Roppongi. “Roppongi” means “Six Trees” and is a district in Minato ward. Back in the 1600’s, there were six very old and very large zelkova trees, three were cleared and Read More …