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…
Heya ice cream lovers! Today, we’ll talk about Japan’s version of the ice cream sandwich: Monaka ice cream. Never heard of it? Good, I’m here to give you the scoop (pun totally intended 😉). What is monaka even? First things…
If you get a chance to walk around the area in the middle of Tokyo’s Nakano ward, there’s a distinct triangular building that stands out from the buildings around it. It’s a former hotel and concert venue that’s been an…
When it comes to unique trends and quirky phenomena, nothing hits quite like the phrase “oh Japan”. If you’re familiar with the unusual trends and customs that we routinely discover from the eastern kingdom, you’ll love how silly this wall…
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…
Though the lemon sour isn’t originally or uniquely Japanese, its citrus refreshment with a kick of whiskey or shōchū is an iconic staple in Japanese Izakayas and pubs across the country. So much so that you’d be hard pressed to…
If everybody you knew broke in spontaneous dance at Disneyland, would you join them? Welcome to a classic segment of “oh Japan!”. Assuming you don’t know much about Japanese people, you might not have known that Japanese people are obsessed…
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,…
