As gambling for money is illegal in Japan, you’ll find none of the slot machines that are common in casinos in the West. To fill the gap, Japan has its own unique game: pachinko. The game resembles pinball (except vertical), and machines to play are found across the country in special pachinko parlors. Although it […]
Thanksgiving Dining in Kansai
October 15, 2018 by Justin HanusAlthough Japan has its own Thanksgiving Day in November, the holiday isn’t celebrated in quite the same style as in North America. However, with a growing American expat community in Japan, Thanksgiving on the third Thursday in November is beginning to take hold in the Japanese calendar. Outside of Tokyo, it is still quite hard […]
Day Trips: Miyama, Kyoto’s Mountain Retreat
October 15, 2018 by Mark GuthrieJust 30 kilometers from the hustle and bustle of the tourist mecca that is Kyoto city sits Miyata, a beautiful little hamlet that could have come straight out of Edo era Japan. Remote, rural and nestled into the mountains, Miyata is famous for its traditional, thatched roof (kayabuki) farmhouses of which over 200 can be seen […]
Nagoya’s Expat Bars
October 15, 2018 by Mark GuthrieWhile coming to Japan is all very exciting, and it’s interesting meeting new people and going on new adventures, sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name. Heck, sometimes you just wanna go where they know how to pronounce your name correctly. Hence the draw of the ex-pat bar. Whether living short-term in Nagoya, […]
Seeking Nagoya’s Sushi
October 15, 2018 by Mark GuthrieThink ‘Japanese food,’ and your mind automatically goes to sushi, doesn’t it? It is the food that typifies the nation, and it’s the first thing most people want to eat when they come to Japan. Nagoya isn’t known for sushi, but having the second largest fish market in Japan, it should come as no surprise […]
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