Eating & Drinking
Itâs Christmas! You know what that means yeah? Greasy dirty deep-fried chicken for all. Well, if youâre in Japan at least. See, Japan has this weird Christmas tradition of eating KFC for Christmas dinner. Thatâs sick, but why? It all began in 1974. Christmas isnât a national holiday in Japan, and although these days the…
Living
âTime to start! You will drum for 40 minutes non-stop.â I was shivering in an abandoned elementary school that had been converted into the base for one of Japanâs most renowned taiko drumming group – Ondekoza, literally âDemon Drum Groupâ. On 4 hours of sleep and with a hacking cough, I wondered mildly if I…
Experience
I might have been late to meeting my newly rented friend as a test of true friendship. Or I was just late. I’m never admitting which one is true! But there I was, almost breathless and 20 minutes late to our lunch appointment. How did I get here? I thought to myself. I DO have…
Experience
Shinjuku is home to one of the worldâs busiest stations with over 3.5 million people passing through every day. With 200 exits from the station and countless winding streets through this dense commercial district, it is as much a place to lose someone as it is to meet someone. The entire area exudes potential for…
Living
The Challenge! The words âeco-friendlyâ and âZero Wasteâ have been popping up a lot in the media recently. Between the worldwide climate protests, the climate summit, and the brave young activists who are speaking out, the discussion about how the choices weâre all making affect our future has been getting louder and louder. I have…
Experience
According to many a spiritual guru nowadays, enlightenment can be reached in many waysâcleansing the mind and body of distractions and toxins⌠going all the way to coffee enemas. Who’d a thunk? Could this be the fast track to spiritual bliss? If that’s the case, ‘bottoms’ up! Everlasting inner peace, here I come! At least…
Experience
SuperstitionsâŚ. A few months after my colleagues and I had settled into our new office, a fashionable residence to the north of Shibuya, I stretched back in my chair and sighed contentedly. âI love the feel of this place!â I said absent-mindedly. Two colleagues – both Japanese – froze and looked at each other. âReally?â…
Eating & Drinking
Ah, the humble izakaya, a foundational element of Japanese social life. A place to drink, eat, catch up with friends, and make new ones. Itâs a place where low-key dinners can quickly and seamlessly transform into a night of wild debauchery. Itâs also one of my favorite things about Japan.Â
Experience
Perhaps one of the most unusual jobs I have is that I work in the Japanese idol industry. Westerners donât really know about idols, but I completely fell down the âidol rabbit hole.â Itâs not your⌠usual form of escapism, but then again, nothing in Tokyo is, is it?
Eating & Drinking
Among cryptocurrency enthusiasts, Tokyo is often mentioned as one of the most crypto-friendly cities in the world. Recently, it has especially become known for Bitcoin Cash (BCH) adoption, which is a cryptocurrency that has the characteristics of the original Bitcoin (BTC), as intended by the mysterious creator Satoshi Nakamoto. Bitcoin Cash is meant to be…
Experience
As someone who was surrounded by some of the most dangerous predators growing up down-under, facing disaster-prone Japan should be a sinch, no? After all, years of residing in this catastrophe infested wonderland have provided me with many luxuries. These include living through the geological shakes, rattles and rolls that rival any of Nihon’s premium…
Traveling
Japan is the pinnacle of convenience and thereâs no better symbol of this than the venerable Japanese vending machine. From the mundane to the magnificent, Japan offers something for nearly everyone with just a couple coins and the push of a button. If youâre looking for a truly Japanese experience, weâve got 13 vending machines…
Shopping
I never knew I wanted a tiny sniper guy pointing at me sneakily from inside a candy wrapper. But when I saw it pop out of the gacha capsule, I swear Akihabara echoed with my laughter! See, I caught toy fever in Tokyo, thanks to Tokyo Survival Channel who challenged me to buy a 100…
