It feels like summer, but the calendar says April. I’m truly frightened about what’s to come. Next week is a Golden Week here in Japan, and a precious week off from school (and for most of the country, work). Sadly, financial issues make a trip impossible and anyway, Golden Week […] Read more
There’s more to Narita than just an airport… While most people never get past their terminal, there’s actually a town called Narita a few miles away. It’s the location of one of the most popular temples in Japan (12 million annual visitors) and has a very attractive temple approach lined […] Read more
For Tsuritama fans, you can always go home again. I decided to pay another visit to Enoshima on my last day of Spring break. I’ve been fighting a nasty cold but I was able to make the trip thanks to the wonders of Japanese ibuprofen, which contains lots of caffeine […] Read more
Hey, I can’t help myself – they’re pretty. Two more rounds of cherry blossom shots. The daytime ones are from Shinjuku Gyoen, a large former Imperial garden just steps away from the madness of central Shinjuku. It was a drizzly and overcast day, which never lends itself to getting good […] Read more
It’s not hard to see a pretty big difference between Kanto’s two rival anime industry conventions. This was my first visit to Anime Contents Expo – it’s only the second that’s ever been held – so I didn’t really know what to expect. As I mentioned in my TAF post, […] Read more
More Sakura? Mochiron. I paid a visit to Inokashira Koen in Kichijoji to check out the Sakura today, as it was my favorite spot in Tokyo when I was here in 2011 for the cherry blossom season. Amazingly enough, it seems we’re already past peak there – though things were […] Read more
Unlike the Sakura, TAF came off right on schedule this year. After all the controversy surrounding Bill 156, I wasn’t sure I’d attend Tokyo Anime Fair again – or even if it would continue to be held. Well, Ishihara is gone as Governor (though now afflicting national politics, and his […] Read more
Global warming skeptics might want to skip this one. We’re still well into March, but not only have the Sakura started to bud, they’re expected to reach full peak in the Tokyo area this weekend – full two weeks earlier than average and the earliest on record. A string warm […] Read more
The nekokissa really is one of Japan’s most intriguing and charming innovations. This Saturday I visited a couple of Tokyo institutions in Ikebukuro – Jiro Ramen and Nekorobi. Jiro Ramen is hard to explain until you’ve tried it – many locals are fond of saying, “It’s not ramen, it’s Jiro.” […] Read more
It’s Spring – sort of. Attached are some pics of my outings this weekend. First off is the Ume Matsuri at Yushima Tenjin, in Yushima (a neighborhood famous as the one-time center for Tokyo’s transvestite geisha). This shrine is dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, the same legendary Heian scholar enshrined at […] Read more