8 Tricks to Deal with Japanese Summer
Hot, humid, damp, and muggy. When it comes to Japanese summer, you might feel like this. “暑い(Atsui)” is kind of how people say hello in this season. You might hear …
Author: Kazu Kadowaki
What is Donki?
Have you ever seen this penguin? This is “Don Quixote,” which is the Japanese discount store whose headquarters is in Tokyo. Now it has 604 stores in Japan and 96 …
The 13 Best Products to Buy at Daiso
Hyakkin literally means “one hundred yen” (in Japanese, hyaku-en, and also represented as ¥100 or 100円). Hyaku means “one hundred,” and “yen” is the English pronunciation of the Japanese currency, …
How to Use SUMIMASEN Practically
You definitely have heard that Japanese people often say “sumimasen.” Probably you know it means “sorry.” This is true, but actually, it also has another two definitions, like “excuse me“ …
Amazing Japanese Vending Machines Part 2
There are a lot of vending machines in Japan. A vending machine is called “jihanki” which is an abbreviation for “jido hanbaiki.” The benefits for owners are that they can …
How to Enjoy Japanese Vending Machines!
We call vending machines “jihanki(自販機)” which is an abbreviation for “jidohanbaiki(自動販売機).” You might say there are many vending machines all over the world, and yes, that’s right, but I bet …
Must Go Places in Kawagoe!
1. What’s Koedo(小江戸）? It means “small Edo（江戸).” In the Edo period (1603-1867), Kawagoe was called Koedo because it flourished as a castle town of Kawagoe Domain. At the time, General …
My Way to Enjoy Hot Springs!
There are a lot of hot springs which are called Onsen in Japan. You don’t necessarily need to go to a fancy hotel or Ryokan to use them. You have …
How Amazing is Japanese stationery!
What you have tells a lot about who you are. It’s not necessarily fancy things. Stationery is a good example because everyone uses it every day. Of course, there are …
How to Enjoy Japanese Winter
How do you spend wintertime in Japan? Today, I’m going to share how to enjoy Japanese winter locally instead of going to touristy places. If you want to see more …