Tokyo is a massive sprawling city that's hard to see everything in a short period of time even if the great public transport; Tokyo city is 622km 2. To make the best living out of Tokyo, we decided to enjoy a bit of staycation in お台場(Odaiba). Odaiba will be a quite well-known area in 2020 … Continue reading Affordable staycation in Tokyo: Odaiba
For a couple of years, my husband has been dying to go to 🔥hell🔥; that is 地獄谷, Jigokudani or Hell Valley in Noboribetsu, Hokkaido (the northern island of Japan) famous for 温泉 (onsen, hot spring)♨. Japan has many famous onsen destinations but Noboribetsu is the most famous area in Hokkaido and is often highly ranked … Continue reading Noboribetsu, Hokkaido: A weekend in a steamy onsen demon town
Tokyo is packed with great restaurants, bars, shops, museums - a city for an all-day and all-night entertainment. Sometimes, the concrete jungle and the neon lights get a bit too much and you want to get back to nature to decompress. ⛰Mount Takao⛰ is the answer for Tokyoites like us: quick and easy access to … Continue reading A quick autumnal nature getaway from Tokyo
Mentioned in the last week's post, we had a public holiday to celebrate Culture Day and that free entries were offered at some of the major museums around the country. Here's how we spent our first Culture Day since we moved to Japan at the start of the year. What's Ueno like? 上野 (うえの, Ueno) … Continue reading Tokyo local’s way to enjoy art and food in Ueno
🍂Autumn in Japan is known for many things in Japan🍂 - スポーツの秋、読書の秋、芸術の秋、 食欲の秋－ Autumn for Sports, Reading, Arts, and Appetite. Basically, the survivors of Japan's stifling heat and humidity in summer remember that life is actually good (or that you can be alive) and are reborn with excitement and energy (plus autumn is a great … Continue reading Japan autumn wrap up -Rugby World Cup, ancient dress up festival and yet another public holiday
Tuesday, October 22, 2019, was the 即位礼正殿の儀 (Sokuirei Seiden no Gi or the Enthronement Ceremony) where our new emperor officially became Reiwa Emperor in front of over 190 countries royals and leaders 🎌. The enthronement day started with a cold and rainy day. A lot of people mentioned on twitter that it may be because … Continue reading Japanese emperor and the story of #EmperorWeather
Japan will be grabbing the world's attention next week again, not for the fear of what damage typhoon Hagibis will cause but to celebrate our Emperor's Naruhito's 即位礼正殿の儀 (Sokuirei Seiden no Gi or the Enthronement Ceremony) 🙌. The centuries-old traditional ceremony passed down through the world's oldest continuing hereditary monarch will be attended by Prince … Continue reading What happens during the Japanese Enthronement Ceremony?
Yet another long weekend in Japan this weekend started a bit tense compared to the other long weekends I have experienced in Japan this year (and we have had so many!) as Japan embraces for the strongest typhoon yet this year, Typhoon Hagibis. Hagibis is coming... First, the public holiday This long weekend is “Health-Sports … Continue reading Can the Health-Sports Day run away from the super Typhoon Hagibis?
Just as Japan started to host the 6 weeks long Rugby World Cup 🏉 on September 20, Japan’s complicated tax increase was introduced from October 1 where some items’ tax has increased from 8% to 10% 💹. First the bad news...tax increase Unlike Australia, the prices are generally listed before tax in Japan and the … Continue reading Rising tax and the rising Rugby fever in the Land of the Rising Sun
Thanks to Respect for the Aged Day and Autumnal Equinox Day celebrated in Japan, I went back to Sydney, Australia for the first time since I moved to Tokyo 7 months ago 🛫. With the flight booked on the day I flew out of Tokyo (!) and being such a last-minute decision to visit Sydney … Continue reading 6 things I discovered when I went back home (Sydney) from home (Tokyo)
Native Expat 