Christmas in Japan: KFC, Spaghetti bolognese and other weird and wonderful things
‘Every year, I make sure I’m not in Japan during Christmas, because Christmas in Japan is so sad and depressing!’ When I was living in Tokyo, I heard so many people who came from traditionally Christian countries saying this. You…
20 Essential Travel Japanese Phrases (& FREE PDF sheet)
If you’re worried about going to Japan without speaking Japanese – don’t worry. In most major cities many English signs can be seen and some restaurants offer English menus. However, there will be some situations where you need to go…
What is Tokyo like?
Have you been to Tokyo? What is your impression? Would you like to visit Tokyo one day? What are your expectations? For the Japanese, Tokyo can be seen as the ‘city of dreams’ associated with opportunity and chance of success…
Numbers in Japanese 0 – 99 : Easy Guide
Knowing basic Japanese numbers will certainly be useful when you are travelling in Japan: telling the time, communicating how many rice balls you want to buy in a shop etc… Here is the super easy way to learn Japanese numbers…
2 weeks in Kyushu with the Japan rail pass. Part 6 of 6: Day 14 – 17 Kyoto and going to Narita airport (Tokyo)
Day 14: typhoon approached Southern Japan – Rest day and Kyoto ramen We woke up and felt smug and relieved at the same time. Smug as we made the right choice traveling yesterday and relieved as we actually managed it.…
2 weeks in Kyushu with the Japan rail pass. Part 5 of 6: Day 11 – 13 Beppu and emergency move to Kyoto!
Day 11: travelling to Beppu – Kaimonji hotspring – Beppu reimen noodles We checked out of our Kagoshima airbnb at around 10am. The main station was only about 5 minutes walk, but the owner of the building (not the host)…
2 weeks in Kyushu with the Japan rail pass. Part 4 of 6: Day 9 – 10 Kagoshima and Sakurajima
Day 9: visit to Sakurajima – volcanic foot bath – food stall village in Kagoshima Sakurajima is an active volcano and the symbol of Kagoshima. Easily accessible from Kagoshima city centre by a ferry which runs every 15 minutes during…
2 weeks in Kyushu with the Japan rail pass. Part 3 of 6: Day 8 Kumamoto to Kagoshima by sightseeing trains
Day 8: A great sightseeing train journey from Kumamoto to Kagoshima Today we are heading to Kagoshima. With shinkansen, Kagoshima can be reached from Kumamoto in less than an hour, but we decided to take 3 sightseeing trains and have…
2 weeks in Kyushu with the Japan rail pass. Part 2 of 6: Day 4 – 7 Nagasaki and Kumamoto
Day 4: Travelling to Nagasaki – Atomic Bomb Museum and Peace Park – Dejima and city night views We started using our rail pass. Our initial plan was to visit Tozan shrine in Kami-Arita on our way to Nagasaki, but…
2 weeks in Kyushu with the Japan rail pass. Part 1 of 6: Day 1 – 3 Fukuoka
In the Summer of 2019, we explored Kyushu Japan with the Japan rail pass (aka: JR pass). This time we were 3: myself, C, and C’s mum. The JR pass allows you to travel with almost all JR trains including…
