When looking at our tours, you will notice that we often stay at ryokans, instead of a “western style hotel”. So what is a ryokan? Well first, so you know how to pronounce it, say it with me: ree-o-kahn. A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn. They are smaller, more quaint, and often more hospitable than your...Read More
I have heard Okonomiyaki called everything from Japanese pancakes to Japanese pizzas to savory pancakes. It is hard to describe exactly what okonomiyaki is since there is nothing else like it outside of Japan. If you break down the name, it might help. “Okonomi” means your choice or you choose, and yaki means grilled. There are...Read More
With exchange rates, international charge fees, and money conversion, it can be very confusing to know what the best way to pay for things in another country are. Japan is very much still a cash society and you are expected to pay in cash most of the time, but you still have options. Here are...Read More
If you’re looking for a quick, tasty and inexpensive meal in Japan, noodle shops are the places to look for. Although, you don’t have to look very hard because they are everywhere. Walking into a noodle shop in Japan and ordering noodles is like walking into a Starbucks and ordering a cup of coffee. There...Read More
Sumo is a traditional Japanese wrestling which dates back 1,000 years, and started as a performance dedicated to the emperors and Shinto deities. Sumo wrestlers still follow religious rituals which date back hundreds of years. The basic rules of sumo are simple: the wrestler loses if any part of his body except the soles of his...Read More
Osaka is said to be a ‘Gourmet Paradise’ for the Japanese and is famous for its specialties such as Okonomiyaki (savory pancakes) , Takoyaki (octopus dumplings) and noodles. Another specialty of Osaka, especially in winter is the poisonous fugu (pufferfish). Most of the fugu in Japan is caught in the Shimonoseki area (the water between...Read More
Tokyo retained its title as the Michelin guide’s world gourmet capital with the latest version of the Michelin guides published on Nov. 28, although the number of three-star restaurants fell slightly. This is the sixth consecutive year the capital of food-obsessed Japan has been awarded top honors by the publishers of a guidebook regarded by...Read More
Convenience stores have become a part of our daily lives. The convenience store concept was first born in Dallas, Texas in 1927. The Japanese borrowed the concept from America, but just as with everything the Japanese borrow, we made it our own. Today there are more than 40,000 convenience stores, and they can be found...Read More
Located in the city of Matsuyama on the island of Shikoku, Dogo Onsen is considered to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest onsen in Japan. There are references to Dogo Onsen in documents from the 8th century. It is reported Prince Shotoku (considered to be the father of Japanese Buddhism) enjoyed the...Read More
Tsutenkaku is a symbol of Osaka.It means ‘tower reaching heaven’. The first tower, built in 1912, lived up to its name and was the highest in the East at that time. The original tower had an eccentric design that combined influences from the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Unfortunately, it was...Read More
