One of Hayao Miyazaki’s most well known anime is his 1988 masterpiece “My Neighbor Totoro“. Without ruining too much of the story for you, two sisters (Satsuki and Mei) move into an old rural house with their dad, where something special and magical happens. As it turns out, this house was recreated in real life at the 2005 Expo (Aichi […]
My favorite place in Kyoto is the Fushimi Inari Shrine — the most popular shrine dedicated to Inari (Shinto god of rice). Stone fox status can be found everywhere as they are Inari’s messengers. But what stands out the most are the thousands of orange/black torii gates. These gates are funded by donations from […]
One of the most amazing meal I had in Japan was with our Tokyo experts Peter and Diana at Yoroniku, a yakinuku restaurant (grilled meats). Wow! I can confidently say that meal has surpassed everything I’ve ever experienced…and mind you, not the individual meats (which were very high grade), but the entire meal. It has been […]
Continuing our journey through Japan, Kenta’s dad generously treated us to one of his favorite meals at a local Izakaya. Izakaya literally translates to “i” (to stay) and “sakaya” (sake shop), which is a place to grab a light meal and drinks. Here are some of the highlights: Motsunabe (もつ鍋) – Intestine pot made from beef […]
Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savoury pancake. The name is derived from the word okonomi meaning “what you like” or “what you want”, and yaki meaning “grilled” or “cooked”. It is extremely popular in Osaka. I had the pleasure of trying Kuro-Chan’s okonomiyaki during my first trip. His shop is a hole in the wall in a residential […]