Last weekend, we drove an hour from Tokyo to Chiba near Narita Airport for some Texan barbecue restaurant that we found on instagram called T's BBQ. When I sent the photo of the interior of this container restaurant to my friend living in Texas, he was surprised with all the Texan stickers! No wonder it's … Continue reading From Texas to traditional Japan in 10 minutes in Narita
At the start of the week, cherry blossoms started to bloom with lots of buds still on the trees. Towards mid-week, there were cherry blossoms bit by bit around Tokyo: I thought cherry blossoms are blossoming earlier due to global warming but apparently cherry blossoms are blooming later than usual..or something not at all. I … Continue reading Japanese icons that may become a mere symbol
Last weekend was warm and sunny all around with plum blossoming, early cherry blossoms blooming. It was a perfect time to go for drive to visit a museum. You'd think that visiting a museum is a rainy day activity but I specifically wanted to visit Ichihara Lakeside Museum on a sunny day as it's located … Continue reading Art in Japan – Ichihara Lakeside Museum in Chiba
Last Tuesday, Feb 11 was National Foundation Day - 建国記念の日 (Kenkoku kinen no hi) and a public holiday in Japan so we ventured out to 志賀高原 (Shiga Kogen) for some skiing. More about the public holiday in my previous blog: https://nativeexpat.home.blog/2020/02/15/3-days-skiing-in-tsugaike-hakuba-japan/ About Shiga Kogen Shiga Kogen is located in Nagano prefecture and is Japan’s largest … Continue reading Skiing in one of Japan’s largest ski area: Shiga Kogen
As the temperature plummets, being inside our home and being cozy becomes more and more tempting. One of the best Japanese way to enjoy your home is to light an incense. Just with what we have now, we have a range of incense and as you can see, we quite like incense. We love using … Continue reading How to make Japanese natural incense
One of the great things about living in Tokyo is that there are many suburbs, each with distinct flavor and in each area, there are so much to do. So in the series, Tokyo suburb highlight, I'd like to feature 神楽坂 (Kagurazaka). It feels so Japanese yet as it's called "Little Paris of Tokyo", there … Continue reading Tokyo suburb highlight: Kagurazaka
The unseasonably warm autumn ended last week and just as autumn ended, we finally we spent a little bit of autumn activity in Tokyo - the classic walk along gingko tree lines of Meiji Jingu in Aoyama. About Gingko tree lines of Meiji Jingu Tree lines of Meiji Jingu is located in the heart of … Continue reading Autumn walk along the historic gingko tree lines of Meiji Jingu
Last weekend, we had family over from overseas. With a dog, a baby and a group of adults, we were searching for a handy getaway with things to do that'll interest many parties. We found an Airbnb with an ocean view, onsen and garden that's accessible from Tokyo in 伊東 （Ito) in Shizuoka prefecture. About … Continue reading Weekend away in Ito
Last weekend, we headed to a remote onsen area called 万座温泉 (Manza Onsen) in Gunma prefecture. Where is Manza Onsen? Manza Onsen is located in Gunma prefecture and is around 4 1/2hours drive from Tokyo. There is also a 4 1/2 hour bus ride from Shinjuku station or a Shinkansen to Karuizawa then a bus … Continue reading Manza Onsen: highest onsen in Japan
Having visitors in Tokyo is a way for a native expat like me who have been living again in Tokyo for the last 5 and a half years to discover new things in Tokyo. This week, I had a couple of vegetarian friends visit us from Australia. Although they said they aren't very strict, they … Continue reading Exploring Vegan Eateries in Tokyo
Native Expat 