If you’re coming to Japan for the first time, I can almost guarantee you’ve put Kyoto somewhere on your itinerary. Now you need to figure out how long to spend in Kyoto, so you’re confident that you’re making the most of your…
So, you know how some people love getting spooked by horror movies, right? Well, I’m not exactly one of them. Horror movies often leave me more bored than scared, but Japanese horror films seem to hit differently. Japan is so good at…
Over the year I’ve currently lived in Japan, I’ve spent a good amount of that time watching everyday dramas on Japan’s various TV channels. To be brutally honest, 99% of what I’ve seen is pretty awful (“Pending Train’ sitting near the top…
With Japan winning the 2023 World Baseball Classic, not only did I find myself wanting to own every single piece of Shohei Ohtani’s memorabilia, but I also spent a considerable amount of time wondering “Why is Japan so good at baseball?”. Japan…
Pretty much anyone I’ve ever met that hasn’t spent a prolonged period of time in Japan has a certain view of the country. Normally, that comes under ‘crazy’, ‘wacky’, and weird. But why is Japan perceived as weird? Many people consider Japan…
I’ve lived in Japan for a while now, and what’s become clear to me over this time is the lack of physical contact I see. While I’m sure that it doesn’t mean people don’t love each other as much, it definitely got…
Before I came to Japan, I was completely on the side of people who took a shower in the morning rather than in the evening. After a few months of living here, I’m not so sure. Japanese people have baths at night…
Perhaps the most synonymous feature of Japanese architectural design is the curved roof. Whenever I used to think about Japan before I moved here, I envisioned large towns with roofs that curved up at the edges, which seemed to make practically any…
I must admit, I’ve never tried to speedrun a game. Maybe that’s because I prefer to take my time and explore a game as much as possible (hence my love of Animal Crossing) …or maybe it’s because I’m just not good enough.…
The more time I live in Japan, the more it becomes clear that so many people around the world romanticize it as a destination. While I’ve created this website which is dedicated to my love of the country, it’s important to realise…
From raw horse and whale to fermented soybeans and the infamous Fugu fish, Japan certainly has its fair share of interesting foods. So, what do the people of Japan traditionally eat on Christmas Day? Well, having lived in Japan for a few…
Before I started this article, I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it was that made Japan so unique and special. It seemed to me that while most other countries blended into one, Japan stuck out like a sore thumb, but…
For a lot of people, traveling around Japan without a care in the world is a lifelong dream. However, many people often wonder whether you need to know Japanese before you go, to make the most of your trip.…
If you’ve ever been to Japan, you may have noticed the distinct lack of facial hair pretty much anywhere you look. At first, I thought it was purely genetics, but maybe there’s some sort of cultural reason (just like why Japanese people…
Here in the UK, shaking someone’s hand is the most common way to greet them. It’s polite, formal, and a sign of respect to the other person. But if you’ve ever been to Japan or seen it on TV, you’ll notice they…
I'm pretty sure I can count on one hand the number of times I've fallen asleep on public transport.…
I've always dreamed about being able to learn Japanese whilst exerting the least amount of effort possible. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy an intense study session, but Japanese is an incredibly heavy language sometimes.…
I don't cook big meals, but even I would probably miss the oven!…
Motivation is a fickle mistress, especially as far as learning Japanese is concerned.…
Most people know one thing about Japan. That they don’t use an English alphabet at all.…
I have way too many backpacks. One for weekend getaways, one for hiking and adventuring, one specifically for photography...…
Whether it's cute clothing, food, or anime, it seems Japan and it's people have a nationwide obsession with anything cute. But is that actually the case?…
Some topics on this website takes hours of research to come to a conclusion. This was not one of those posts!…
On the surface, it’s easy to write off-Japan as a country of flying cars and robot butlers. However, as with countless things surrounding Japan, the actual situation is a lot more complex. Today we’re going to discuss Japan’s unusual and perhaps surprising…
Quite often I find myself pondering strange questions about Japan. In the past, that’s led me to find out why Japanese cars are so boxy, why Japan is so clean, and why it snows so much. But today, we’re going to find…
It's time to find out which of these music genres is most popular.…
Japan loves Pokémon, but just how much?…
A guide to Japanese Kei cars.…
If you're from the western world, chances are high that you've heard Japan referred to as the 'Land of the rising sun'. But why is this the case?…
If you’ve ever seen a documentary about Japan, chances are that somewhere along the line you saw a video (or 10) of people squished into train carriages like sardines. But can’t one of the most advanced and populated countries in the world…
If you've only ever slept on western style beds your whole life, the prospect of sleeping on the floor may sound strange to you.…
Today we’re going to look at two of the biggest producers of Japanese milk tea, Hokkaido and Okinawa.
But which is best?…
In England we get roughly 20 pathetic days of snow a year. That doesn't mean it settled and doesn't mean it was heavy! So it got me thinking, 'Where's the snowiest place on earth?'.…
If you've ever visited Japan then you know it's an extremely clean country. We explore how and why that happens.…
Buying a Japanese textbook is the first decision during your learning journey. We've made a guide to help you decide which one is best for you.…
It's a time of the year that many of us probably celebrate and enjoy, but is easter celebrated in Japan?…
Long have we drunk coffee every morning to prepare us for the day, but is it really the best drink to be starting your day with?…