Rent a pocket wifi for your trip to Japan, and you’ll be online everywhere you go. gokodama lists the pros and cons.
Posts
24 hours in Tokyo – or how I quit smoking
FLYING BLUE On my 50th birthday, in April 2013, a friend and senior purser with KLM gave me the best present ever: a ride to any destination in the world, my choice. I didn’t have to think long. It had to be Tokyo. We just had to wait for the destination to fit into her schedule.… Continue reading 24 hours in Tokyo – or how I quit smoking
Must see beautiful view of Mount Fuji from Chureito Pagoda
Google “Mount Fuji” and your first search results are very likely to include the beautiful view of Japan’s sacred mountain from the Chureito Pagoda in Arakurayama Sengen Shrine Park, Fujiyoshida. Most of these search results won’t even mention the location – it’s just one of the default “pretty Japan” stock photos used in articles. This… Continue reading Must see beautiful view of Mount Fuji from Chureito Pagoda
Cycling around Lake Kawaguchiko
Rent a bike and cycle around Lake Kawaguchiko, in the shadow of Mt Fuji. I’m the kind of traveller that plans their trips meticulously. The planning and looking forward to those plans is a part of the enjoyment. I don’t want to waste any time deciding what to do every day. But I have no… Continue reading Cycling around Lake Kawaguchiko
A boat trip to Gunkanjima, the James Bond island
Back in 2015, on one of my first trips to Japan, I tried to go to Gunkanjima, the “James Bond” island off the coast of Nagasaki. I was staying in Fukuoka and had booked the trip via the Gunkanjima Concierge website, one of several operators of sightseeing tours to the island. I was aware that… Continue reading A boat trip to Gunkanjima, the James Bond island
Robot Restaurant, typically Tokyo?
Update: Robot Restaurant closed in 2021. Robot Restaurant is listed in most “Top 10 things to do in Tokyo” articles and videos you can find. It is a very popular attraction and often described as a kind of “only in Japan” experience. Typically Japanese. Is it really though? Well, brace yourselves, because here’s what I… Continue reading Robot Restaurant, typically Tokyo?
Visiting the Mount Fuji World Heritage Centre
photo copyright CC BY-SA 4.0 – Sablier de Verrie The Shizuoka Prefecture Fujisan World Heritage Centre is a museum in Fujinomiya City, Shizuoka Prefecture. A facility for protecting, preserving and maintaining Mt. Fuji. The Centre also has an academic research function. In 2013, Japan’s iconic Fuji mountain was registered as a Unesco World Heritage site. I had read about the architect Shigeru Ban’s… Continue reading Visiting the Mount Fuji World Heritage Centre
My favourite Japan related YouTube channels
This information was written in 2019. Some channels have since changed or stopped producing videos. I get most of my Japan travel ideas and information from YouTube channels. I started my “J-vlogger” viewing about five years ago, at the tail end of the first or second wave of the phenomenon. J-vloggers are mostly non-Japanese (mostly… Continue reading My favourite Japan related YouTube channels
Japanese series Samurai Gourmet on Netflix
Samurai Gourmet is the title of a cool Japanese series on Netflix. It’s funny, moving and full of delicious food. There is an ever growing collection of Japanese series on Netflix: Terrace House, Good Morning Call, Atelier en the wonderful Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories. I’d like to talk about Samurai Gourmet (Nobushi no Gurume). This… Continue reading Japanese series Samurai Gourmet on Netflix
Visiting Tadao Ando’s Church of the Light
The architect Tadao Ando has designed four chapels and churches in Japan. They are known as the Churches of the Wind, Water, Sea and, his signature work, Ibaraki Kasugaoka Church, better known as the Church of the Light. The Church of the Light was built in 1989, in the town of Ibaraki, in Osaka prefecture… Continue reading Visiting Tadao Ando’s Church of the Light
“Colorful Japan” showcasing Japanese graphic design with 226 posters
The “Colorful Japan” exhibition which opened today at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam showcases a selection of 226 of the more than 800 Japanese posters in their collection.