Dealing with to-go drinks in Japan takes some getting used to, especially when you realize there aren’t many trash cans on the street. You’ll quickly notice how easy it is to buy a delicious iced matcha latte from all the local cafés. But don’t fall into the trap of grabbing a paper or plastic cup to sip while you explore.
Read more
Unlike a standard theme park packed with roller coasters and flashing neon signs, Ghibli Park in Aichi offers an immersive, slow-paced journey through nature and masterfully recreated architectural wonders. It’s a stunning tribute to the Ghibli films, but if you don’t plan your day out, the sheer scale of this place will completely kick your butt. This comprehensive guide will walk you through every operational detail to ensure your day runs smoothly.
Read more
When visiting just about any major temple or shrine in Kyoto or Tokyo, you’re guaranteed to spot crowds of people elegantly dressed in Japanese kimono. Many first-time visitors to Japan feel a rush of excitement, instantly assuming they’re catching a rare glimpse of an elusive geisha. In reality, those aren’t geisha. What they’re actually seeing is a massive rental trend that has completely transformed these historic neighborhoods.
Read more
Food is one of the best parts of any trip, but you don’t want to accidentally come off as rude while using your chopsticks in Japan. Most tourists don’t realize that how they handle their chopsticks is a direct reflection of their respect for the culture and the chef.
If you’ve ever browsed a high-end department store in Japan, you might have come across some stunning Japanese deer leather accessories covered in intricate, textured patterns. These aren’t your typical mass-produced luxury handbags, wallets, and phone cases. Instead, Koshu Inden is a 400-year-old craft that gets its origins from the samurai battlefields.
Read more
It wasn’t that long ago that cash in Japan was your only real option for buying anything. If you visited Japan ten years ago without exchanging to yen, you were going to have a very difficult holiday. Things look a lot different today, but don’t let the high-tech facade fool you into leaving your cash at home.
Whether you’re traveling for business or a once-in-a-lifetime vacation, you’ve likely considered booking an Airbnb in Japan. On paper, it sounds like a fantastic experience. You get to stay in a local apartment with a kitchen and get a real neighborhood experience. However, there is a massive gap between Western expectations and the reality of Japanese culture. Read more
To travel easily with luggage in Japan, you need to have a solid plan for what to pack and how to move your bags from city to city. Read more
You probably already know that eating out in Japan offers some of the best culinary experiences in the world. But what you may not realize is that the dining experience in Japan is slightly different from what you’re used to back home.
If you’re traveling this spring to enjoy cherry blossoms in Japan, there are a few things we’d like to share with you to help you blend in. Read more
Becki and Shawn
Japan Travel Specialists
Hi, we’re Becki and Shawn! We love Japan and are truly passionate about Japan and Japan travel.
We’ve lived, worked, and traveled in Japan for 20+ years, so we know where to go, what to see, and how to get there. Join us in Japan for an adventure of a lifetime!
This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
AcceptWe may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.
Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.
These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.
Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.
We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.
We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.
We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.
Google Webfont Settings:
Google Map Settings:
Google reCaptcha Settings:
Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:
You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.
Privacy Policy