Okonomiyaki

What is Japanese Food, Anyway?

If you say “Japanese food,” most Westerners think of sushi. But it turns out that sushi is only one of a broad range of Japanese cuisines. They include: Izakaya: This is like the Japanese version of BBQ. These restaurants are known for their meat grills: common offerings include kushiage (skewers of deep fried meat and vegetables) and…

Uogashi Nihon-Ichi

You Have to Visit This Tokyo Restaurant

There is a restaurant in the Nakano neighborhood of Tokyo that you need to visit if you go to Tokyo. We didn’t see it in any guide book or site; we just happened into it one day. And then we came back twice more, despite the fact that Nakano wasn’t near much that we wanted to…

Beer Vending Machine

Surprising Things About Japan

Here are some things we found surprising about Japan as a whole – added to the surprises in Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo specifically: Attire All of the locals are well-kempt. You don’t see people with loose threads or worn spots or pills on their sweaters or worn-out shoes. It’s not that they don’t have hand-me-downs, but that they seem…

Tokyo Election Posters

Surprising Things About Tokyo

Here are 14 things that surprised us about Tokyo specifically. There were a lot more about Japan overall and about Osaka and Kyoto. There are a lot of brightly-colored flowers planted all over town, along sidewalks or on road medians. These are not flowers planted by individual households, but by public workers using city funds. This…

Tokyo's Nihonbashi Ward

Where We Stayed in Tokyo

Neighborhood: (Nishi)Waseda and Takadanobaba Also Called: N/A Pros: Because these are both university neighborhoods, there is plenty of affordable dining – from restaurants to grocery stores. At the 7/11 in this neighborhood, they’ll even heat your food for you, in case your place doesn’t have a microwave. Because these are both university neighborhoods, places like cafes or…

Japanese Menu

Speaking Japanese

One thing that stands out about Japan is the language. Specifically, the fact that they use it. Let me explain. Imagine you go to a grocery store. You’re checking out, and the cashier needs to ask you something. For example: how many plastic bags do you need? cash or credit? do you need chopsticks? do you…

Tokyo Sushi

The Price of Tokyo

Tokyo is not currently the most expensive city in the world, but it’s still in the top six. Certainly, housing plays a part, and I have found apartments and hotels to be more expensive than many (but not all) other places we’ve been. However, I also expected food to be expensive. After all, sushi at even…

Kyoto Manga Museum

What We Saw in Kyoto

Because we were finalizing summer living details while in Kyoto, we didn’t see as much as we could have during our week there. But here is what we did explore: 1) Nishiki Market: I didn’t find this market as friendly or interesting as the Kuromon Market in Osaka. Perhaps it was because the food was more expensive and the…

Otaku Costume

Mediterranean Looks

A few days ago, we visited the Akihabara neighborhood of Tokyo, which specializes in exactly two things: electronics and comics-related costumes. We were there for the former, trekking from store to store in search of a new phone for B. We hit up several superstores, like the old Best Buy or Circuit City, but times…

Kyoto Botanical Garden

No Tea for Us

Our last day in Kyoto was rainy and depressing. What started out as precipitation devolved into the kind of rain that makes you feel damp right down to your skin. We were out in it because we had been working for a few days, so this was our last chance to see the city. On a friend’s…