Posted by Craig at Jun 12th, 2007 in travel japan
One of the first things I had trouble with when I moved to Japan was riding the trains. The train system is efficient and complicated, but there is also etiquette to riding the train. This involves things nobody will ever tell you you’re doing wrong. So here’s a quick primer on riding [...]
Posted by Craig at May 23rd, 2007 in travel japan
I love Japanese food, but sometimes I get cravings for good, authentic ethnic food. I grew up in the US where we had food from all over the world on every street corner. Sometimes I need a burrito or some good old Indian curry.
I live in Chiba, which is a medium-sized city, but [...]
Posted by Craig at May 6th, 2007 in travel japan
What’s the most popular sport in Japan? Without a doubt, I would say baseball. Ever time I turn on my TV, there’s news about the latest games. Baseball is everywhere, especially in Chiba, where we have the Lotte Marines.
One of the first celebrities you get to know in Japan is Ichiro Suzuki, [...]
Posted by Craig at Apr 3rd, 2007 in travel japan
The image of the Sakura, or cherry blossom, is one of Japan’s most beloved symbols. The flower is Japan’s unofficial national flower, and has adorned countless pieces of artwork and architecture over the centuries. They are used in Japanese artwork, textiles and pottery to symbolize the ephemeral nature of life. Sakura has also become a [...]
Posted by Craig at Mar 26th, 2007 in travel japan
If you’ve ever been to Japan, you know it is one of the skinniest countries in the world. The diet is so healthy over here, you have to almost TRY to put on weight. People mostly eat fish and vegetables over rice. It’s great if you could stand to lose a little [...]
Posted by Craig at Mar 22nd, 2007 in travel japan
When most people think of Japan, they think of the largest metropolitan area in the nation: Tokyo. The city is the seat of the Japanese government, the Imperial Palace and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family. Tokyo is also home to 35 million Japanese people. The greater Tokyo area comprises the surrounding towns and [...]
Posted by Craig at Mar 18th, 2007 in travel japan
If you’ve never been to Japan but plan to go in the future, you must try Japanese beer. That is if you happen to like beer in general.
Western beer has been called watered down Japanese beer here in Japan however, you’ll need to be the judge.
Japanese beer is one of the most embraced beverages in [...]
Posted by Craig at Mar 6th, 2007 in travel japan
Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan that is composed of nearly 150 individual islands. These islands are scattered in a wide area encompassing over 350 miles of ocean. The region is in a very important geographical and strategic position between Japan, China, Korea and Southeast Asia. This location has made it a point of interest [...]
Posted by Craig at Feb 5th, 2007 in travel japan
Near my station is a giant pachinko parlor. It’s huge and you can see it everywhere. I know I’m getting close to my station when I look out the window of the train and see it towering over everything. It has a giant sign that lights up at night.
Every weekend morning [...]
Posted by Craig at Jan 9th, 2007 in travel japan
Sometimes, I lie and tell people I live in Tokyo, but the truth is, I’m across the bay. I live in Chiba city, which is right across the bay from Tokyo. If you look at a map, the little peninsula that hangs off the big island to the east of Tokyo, that’s Chiba.
It [...]
