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Picture this: five days of sake-induced giggles, cultural capers, and an avalanche of instagenic photos that will have your iPhone storage pleading for mercy, and by the end of the this boozy voyage we may or may not have emerged as Japanese sake connoisseurs… and that’s just the tip of the sake bottle.

Make yourself a hot cuppa coffee (or sake, to match the theme–hey no one is judging here) because we’re diving into a very, very long article (3500 words!) of a five-day whirlwind through Japan’s Chugoku Region, swirling sake and unlocking travel treasures. read more

Kobe City, the town that needs no introduction! If you’re planning a visit to this romantic port city and you’re thinking about adding some pizzazz to your trip beyond just indulging in mouthwatering Kobe Beef teppanyaki, you’re in for a real treat!

Rokko Meets Art 2023 beyond is here to light up your day (and especially your night) with an artistic extravaganza.

Are you done with all the major attractions in Tokyo and looking for something different to spend a day near the megacity? Well, Seibuen Amusement Park is on the list.

As a Showa-born millennial, Seibuen Amusement Park, or Seibuen Yuenchi in Japanese, brings back all the childhood memories.

Dear blog, happy 19th birthday.

(There’s a photo only because each post requires a thumbnail photo.)

There’s no photo for this 19th anniversary post. It’s kinda like how your nineteen-year-old offspring is probably not even there to celebrate their birthday with you so there isn’t any picture to be taken to begin with.

Things feel like they fall apart so that they can be put back together so that they can fall apart again so that they can be put back together again… and so on and so forth. I think that’s how things work, generally. Like buildings that are torn down to give way to new developments, regardless if the new developments are better or the city or worse. Things like that happen all the time. read more

Hello travellers! If you are planning to travel to the Kansai region soon, this post is for you.

As many of you might be aware, there have been announcements of a massive price hike all types of Japan Rail Passes, which have caused many keen tourists to have second thoughts about booking their flights to Japan, given airfares nowadays are not exactly the most affordable either.

Although I think that international travelers are still enjoying huge benefits in saving if they properly utilize their now more-expensive-passes compared to us residents here who could not even get our hands on those delicious discounts, I do want to give an alternative if you are looking for something else, especially when you are bored of the usual (and now very, very crowded) Kyoto and Osaka. read more

If you have been to Japan even once, I am pretty sure that you have had an intimate encounter with one of the greatest inventions in the world: washlet.

In fact, many international travelers are so impressed by Japan’s toilet system that they can never forget about their first experience using one. And more often than not, I have heard that it is one of the things they miss most about Japan. I mean, just recall the involuntary sighs of “ahhhh….” when you place your behind onto a spotless, warm toilet seat on a freezing winter night. (Don’t worry, it’s not because someone sat there for a long time before you.) Who would have thought that doing your business in the lavatory could be such a blessing! read more

Ironically, the last blog post was titled “The Movie” but it wasn’t about a movie at all.

This is.

I should be better at titling. Or entitling. I’m pretty sure that’s not how “entitle” works but I am entitled to title titles however I like. Now the word looks funny to me.

(Then again, if one is entitled, they are literally being titled. What would their title be?)

(Also, I suspect this is the reason why nobody reads this blog anymore. Because I am bad at writing titles. And writing. Maybe.) read more

Done with relieving a heavy load off my chest after some vomiting literally into my private diary… wait. Wait wait wait.

That’s not how the word “literal” works, is it? That would mean that now the papers of my secret notebook are soaked wet with an encrypted pool of sick on it. No. That’s gross.

I think the word I am looking for is literary. Sorry, literarily. More like. Don’t laugh at me, you know, because after living this long in Japan, I bet you wouldn’t know how R and L work anymore, either. Also, Engrish is hard. read more

One of the things that international travelers look forward the most visiting Japan is food experience.

There are DMs flooding my inbox non-stop asking about the best food to enjoy in various cities of Japan. While it is easy to identify each region’s meibutsu (popular gourmet/specialties) , things get a little shrouded in mystery when it comes to Tokyo, the world’s largest and busiest megacity.

Why? The reason is simple. Tokyo has everything.

It was warm. Beyond warm. The sky was clearing out, as if Hina from “Weathering with You” has just stretched her arm wishfully far into the blue above and beyond, with surrounding clouds gradually drifting away, revealing glimmering rays which warmth filled my core.

I remembered when I checked the day before, the forecast read cloudy. But who cares.

“Sasuga desu…” they laughed, so impressed and surrendered. I couldn’t help but feel pleased, and let out a relieved sigh. The soft shore breeze tickles lightly wafting through my cardigan. There were sparkles of magic in the air, so light and soothing. read more

If you follow me on IG, you may have realized that I am updating less these days.

That is because I started writing for myself again.

Left: 2023 Right: 1993

Recently I received a few private messages on social media asking me if I ever detail my journey of finding spirituality. I did start writing a little back in 2021, but I think I am ready to share some glimpses of walking the curious path of self exploration. This is one.

How many of you have actually heard of the region “Hanshin-Kita”? Being a self-professed Japan addict who has traversed many grounds off the beaten path of all 47 prefectures, I am ashamed to admit that it too, missed my radar.

Please bear with me for a second to get the semantics out of the way: the word “Hanshin” (阪神), is taken from the second word from Osaka (大阪) and the first kanji from Kobe (神戸), and in “onyomi” (okay let’s not get there today) pronunciation it makes the word “Hanshin”. The world generally refers to Osaka, Kobe and the surrounding areas in between these two cities in Kansai. read more