The holidays are among us, a time for family and celebration. It might come as a surprise to you that Christmas isn’t truly celebrated here in Japan. Christmas is a time for couples, not fami...

…The rainy season continues as we enter July! We have 2 topics to cover for this article–   On the 7th of July is one of the Gosekku (五節句 / 5 annual ceremonies) … “TANA...

(header photo by Patrick Vierthaler) June and TSUYU With the passing of May’s blue skies and refreshing weather, June is finally here. While Japan may only have four official seasons, this time of ...

Sekku Part 2: Golden Week and Boy’s Day (retrospective report, updated mid-May) Once cherry blossom season is finished in Tokyo, attention immediately shifts to Golden Week. Golden Week takes place...

Don’t hesitate to experience this great cultural custom in Japan   In Tokyo, cherry blossoms are usually in full bloom from the end of March to the beginning of April. As you may know, a...

Food and the Seasons With the passage of Hinamatsuri, spring is finally upon us in Tokyo (article posted in mid-March). If you look up at trees in the city, plum blossoms should now be gone with th...

The Four Seasons in Tokyo   Spring is on its way! The flowers of the plum tree are the harbingers of spring in Japan – giving Tokyoites a reminder that winter is finally coming to an end. The ...

Japanese market stuffs?! It’s no secret that the Japanese live long lives. Their life expectancy is one of the tops in the world. It could be that most Japanese are incredibly active, some ev...

Maybe you’re planning to move to Japan,  or maybe you’ve lived here for awhile and are looking for somewhere that’s not as hectic as Tokyo, yet still offers all the vibes and conv...

Japanese Recycle Shops/Services and Recycle Concept Whether you are furniture shopping for your new apartment or trying to find places to donate/sell stuff, Japan has a variety of Second-Hand shops...

How to throw away your trash in Tokyo Welcome to Japan- the land of systems, and organization. There is so much good that comes from living in an organized country! Clean trains, organized lines/qu...

When moving to Japan- or if you’ve just started living in Japan- you might experience a few culture shocks, with one of those being the number of people wearing surgical masks! You might be s...

Tokyo is the land of impeccable transportation. With millions of people, there isn’t enough road for everyone to drive. Not to worry, superbly clean and always on time, trains and buses can t...

Tokyo is not the easiest place to live on a budget, but there are plenty of ways to make your yen last a bit longer. One of the easiest is by finding a relatively affordable apartment in one of the...