Kashiya Yokocho: Penny Candy Lane

Back in Japanese history, there were concentrated areas where candy was produced. For a while, this humble street in Kawagoe produced all the candy for Japan. Nowadays, it holds onto the traditional candy-making ways and acts more as a tourist attraction than a functional factory of confections.

Warm Biz

With every Yin, there is a Yang. When I first got here, I found out about Cool Biz, the incredibly hot trend of keeping your office cooled to a balmy 83 degrees in order to reduce energy consumption and help keep emissions under control. But did you know there is a winter equivalent? Well, there […]

Yabusame (Horseback Archery)

Horseback archery has an interesting place in Japanese culture. It is now a purely ceremonial event that can be seen across the country. I was fortunate enough to discover that a small Yabusame association chapter held a competition just up the street from a local station, so I went with some friend to see this […]

Sayama Tea Festival 2019

Out in Saitama Prefecture is Sayama City, a proud producer of tea for Japan. They’re pretty niche, though, producing less than 1% of all tea for the nation. Regardless, they have a strong tea tradition which is on display during the annual Sayama Tea Festival, which we were fortunate enough to take part in this […]

Kawasaki Warehouse and Arcade Culture in Japan

One of the legendary amusement parks has closed in Japan: Kawasaki Warehouse. It’s not like a Six Flags, but rather, a large entertainment complex with its main focus on electronic games. Walking through the warehouse before it closed gave me a peek into its past and also serves as a window into Japanese arcade culture […]

Gatchapon and My Quest for Glory

There are so many things in Japan that it can be a bit of a sensory overload. You have neon lights, seasonal good flying off of shelves, and so many pieces of clothing and merchandise that it seems like you’re drowning in options. One small corner of the Japanese toy market is Gatchapon, or capsules […]

The Tapioca Craze in Japan, Summarized

Boba Tea / Bubble Tea / Tapioca Tea has gripped Japan and it seems to be reaching its peak. You can hardly walk a few meters without running into a new tapioca tea shop, or seeing signs from a well-established chain advertising their new tapioca tea offerings. Even some restaurants are getting in on the […]

Lake Yamanaka

The area surrounding Mt. Fuji is known as the five lakes region, mainly because of the five lakes that surround the base of Fuji. One of these lakes is Yamanakako, and we went there for a brief weekend trip towards the end of summer to enjoy some relaxing nature and steamy hot springs bathing.

Ramune

So, you think you know soda? Think again! Ramune is the summer soda of choice and is the defacto soda flavor in the country of Japan. It’s not the taste of Pepsi or Coke, oh no! Those are cola flavors, not soda! The fun drink gained popularity overseas for its novel marble seal and the […]

Coedo Beer Festival 2019

Every year, local brewery Coedo throws a little shindig to celebrate the joys of craft brewing. They invite tons of local vendors, do some interesting collaborative brews, and offer all sorts of entertainment for the fine people of Kawagoe.