Nowhere but Japan is it this much fun to get yourself into hot water. Today’s Kanto Pass excursion took me to Kusatsu Onsen, up in the mountains in Gunma. I’m a huge onsen fan, and Kusatsu is regarded as one of the best onsen towns in Japan, both for atmosphere […] Read more
Astonishing doesn’t begin to cover it. I’m on break this week, so I decided to use the JR Kanto Pass (¥8000 for three consecutive days of travel anywhere in Kanto) to do three day trips. That maximizes the value and saves me money on hotels, but it’s going to be […] Read more
Too much is never enough. My friend Bonnie is in town from California (generously, she bought Kabuki tickets – not cheap – and I was amazed at how much fun it was) so I tagged along on her trip to Kamakura. I already have two Kamakura posts but damn, so […] Read more
In the name of Mars, I will chastise you! Today’s outing took me to Hikawa Jinja. It’s one of the seemingly endless atmospheric and beautiful Shrines hidden all over Tokyo, but might be best known as the inspiration for the Shrine in the anime version of Sailor Moon – the […] Read more
Plus mecha… You may recall my reporting from last year’s Tokyo Anime Fair and Anime Contents Expo, the rival con that was established in protest over Ishihara and Bill 156. Well, Ishihara is gone (though now exuding his stink in national politics, trying to out-fascist Abe Shinzo) and while I […] Read more
No ablutions occurred during the course of my visit. I’ve been to Yushima Tenjin before and blogged it, but given the Noragami connection there were obvious reasons to go back. Besides, I’m a student and next week is finals week, and it’s virtually a requirement that all good students visit […] Read more
So long ume, hello sakura. Today’s brief entry chronicles adventures on the Keio Inokashira Line, my old stomping grounds from my early days in Tokyo. The Inokashira Line spans a vastly underrated and very pleasant area of Tokyo spanning from Shibuya through Shimokitazawa (where the Natsu no Sora anime is […] Read more
More ume is never a bad thing. I had to get one more plum blossom trip in before the weather turned – there aren’t enough Tereuteru bozu in Tokyo to deal with the forecast for the next week. So I played hooky and headed for Ikegami, out in suburban Tokyo, […] Read more
Spring is in the air. My fellow Tokyo expat blogger Rurousha said of plum blossoms that they’re “the shy girls hiding in the library while the cherry blossom cheerleaders are prancing about on the football field”. No question, it’s the sakura that are the belle of the ball – they’re […] Read more
Yes, it’s already blossom season in Tokyo. I paid a brief visit to the small but pretty Ushi Tenjin Shrine today, about a 20-minute walk from my apartment near Chuo University. The snow hasn’t even melted yet (in fact it flurried while I was there) but the shrine’s Ume Matsuri […] Read more