When it comes to dollar stores, Americans know about Dollar Tree and Dollar General, they’re everywhere. But in Japan, a giant called Daiso stands above the others. It’s Japanese billionaire founder, Hirotake Yano, a man famous for bringing affordable products…
Sake too generic for you? Let’s delve into a spirit that’s more generic yet lesser known by most outsiders. Today we’ll talk about shochu (stylized shōchū), the spirit that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. If you’re unfamiliar with…
Have you ever heard of an izakaya before? If not, you’re about to find your new favorite hangout spot in Japan. Although Japan is an introvert’s heaven, there are places for people to hang out and socialize. I mean there…
Scrolling through IG, I came across a post by livinginjapan mentioning that up in Hokkaido, there’s a traditional six-story Japanese castle you can buy for 10M yen or $64k USD at the current exchange rate. That’s a hair above 10k…
Shizo Kanakuri (sometimes stylized Kanaguri) is a man whose name isn’t known much outside of Japan and obscure Swedish Olympic Games enthusiasts. Yet he’s the world record holder for the longest marathon spanning 54 years in which he’d gotten married,…
Towering over Ushiku city in the middle of Ibaraki prefecture, is a 120 meter (390ft) tall statue of a buddha made of bronze. You can’t drive through Ibaraki and not stop to visit if you’re on a trip. After all,…
It’s funny how Japan’s world famous for various landmarks and world heritage sites but for us westerners, the list doesn’t usually go beyond Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Okinawa. We’re vaguely aware that there’s more to the country but we don’t…
