The Tokyo Traveler

Maru serves an excellent modern take on traditional kaiseki cuisine in Omotesando.  Read the Maru review at The Japan Times.
If candy and sweet things are more your speed then read all about Japanese candy at NYMag.
Leah Dizon, a Gravure Idol (read bikini model and video star) in Japan, recently got married and W. David Marx talks about the Japanese entertainment industry in an interesting article at his blog, Neojaponisme.
The Jenss family blog about their visit to Tokyo at Intelligent Travel.
Image Credit:  Flickr, Candy Stand

Comments Off

A fun article by a fellow Japan blogger on the history behind why you have to remember to Keep to the Left! in Japan.
Check out some of the videos on the Japan National Tourist Organizations YouTube Channel.
Have you heard about the banana diet fad in Japan?
Allegations of fixed matches and more in the world of Sumo Wrestling.
Tokyo – Eat Like a Local is featured in the October issue of Budget Travel.
Lastly, read about the Jenns family travels in Japan at Intelligent Travel.
Image Credit:  Wikimedia, Iwasa Katsushige 001

Comments Off

If you want to learn more about the Japanese Language then take some time to read through the submissions for this months Japan Blog Matsuri.  Tae Kim at Guide to Japanese has pulled together an interesting series of posts on “The Language of Japan“.  Here are a couple of the submissions:
Liv wrote a piece about why sometimes it’s easier to pretend that you don’t understand Japanese in Someone’s Knocking at the Door.
Nick tell’s us about the struggles of having a foreign name in Japan in What’s my name?
Jaimapanese talks about his strategy to learn Japanese with a combination of …read more

2 Comments

As seen on CNN!  Check out this weeks Offbeat iReport images to see one of my shots from the Tokyo Cow Parade 2008.
What worries the Japanese?  Earthquakes and global warming top the list of worries.
Your favorite English language magazine in Tokyo may be hard to find due to the bankruptcy of a major distributor.
Baseball legend Sadaharu Oh has announced that her will retire at the end of the season.  Did you take advantage of the opportunity to see him manage a baseball game in Tokyo this summer?
Maison de la Bourgogne offers French food and fine wine in Kagurazaka.
A kamikaze …read more

2 Comments

A recent scandal rocked the Sumo world in Japan when three foreign born wrestlers were banned for life from the sport for smoking marijuana.  The chairman of of Japan’s Sumo Federation has resigned and The Mainichi Daily News reports on this and other recent scandals and provides some insight into the closed nature of the Sumo Association in Japan.
Japanese drink maker Yakult will begin selling Probiotic drinks in at Fry’s stores in Arizona following successful launches in central and southern California and the San Francisco Bay area.
Food scandals are making the news in Japan – Firms are being caught selling …read more

2 Comments

The Tokyo Traveler is the #2 blog at Japan Blogger for the month of August!   Japan Blogger offers a comprehensive list of blogs about various aspects of Japan and allows visitors to vote on and rate the various sites so it’s pretty cool to be included in the top five.

Japan Blogger – Top 5 Highest Rated Blogs in August

Raid my Mini Bar about Japanese Music and Pop Culture
The Tokyo Traveler
Japan Soc, a Digg-like social bookmarking site covering all things Japan.
7:10 to Tokyo covering news and commentary from Japan.
Japan or Die offers a variety of information about living in or …read more

Comments Off

Tattoos in Japan – not just for yakuza (gangsters) anymore.  While there are still social stigmas surrounding the tattooed, attitudes are changing…slowly.

10 things about Tokyo that will blow your mind by MatadorTrips.  Mind-blowing, maybe not, but still an interesting read.
Busses in Japan are a cost effective alternative to taking the famous bullet train, better know as the shinkansen, in Japan.
The Rough Guide to the Music of Japan offers 73 minutes of traditional music from the land of the rising sun.  Paul Fisher compiled the CD and was interviewed by The Japan Times.
Ageing gracefully in Japan? The myths surrounding the perfectly …read more

Comments Off

Last week I posted about Willow Trees and Ghosts and The Japan Time talks more about this eerie subject in their article “It’s ghost season in Japan — who you gonna call?“ 
The Mainichi Daily News has put together a photo special covering Tokyo’s Top Tourist Spots.
Matador Nights included 101 Tokyo Contemporary Art Fair on their list of the 10 Hottest Up and Coming Art Fairs Worldwide at the number two spot.
Economic worries in Japan have sparked new interest in a Marxist novel, “Kanikosen”, or “A Crab-Canning Boat”, written in 1929.  The book has been on the best seller …read more

1 Comment

What Tokyo’s Lolita scene is all about – it’s not what you might think. 
A great photo of a rainy Shibuya crossing was featured at Intelligent Travel.
Learn more than you ever wanted to know about Japanese socks including why they are good for the health of your feet.
Japan’s surf culture is alive and well in ancient Kamakura.
Innovation in Japan is being held back by an ageing population.
This week marked the anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki. 
Lastly, don’t forget to participate in the Japan Blog Matsuri by submitting your Impressions of Tokyo by August 20th. I …read more

Comments Off

Before we get to this week’s news, make sure to submit your Impressions of Tokyo to the Japan Blog Matsuri by August 20th. I am really looking forward to reading all of the great submissions to this recently revived blog carnival.  Now, on to the news…
An Evening with a Kyoto Maiko is Something Foreigners can Enjoy Too offers insight into a world that few get to witness in person.
A novel approach to matchmaking in Japan tries to engage cupid over a round of golf or while getting hot and steamy at a cooking class.  On the same subject, many parents …read more

Comments Off