Eating & Drinking
When I landed at a Japanese university I had one mission for my first day: to sit next to the window, that crucial spot in which main anime characters usually sit in class. I was even joined by a green-haired stranger and we became friends. There are so many ways to take things out of…
Experience
Even before I moved to Japan, there were a few things that I had always been curious about this country, thanks to having read about them a lot online, seen them in movies or in magazines and news. I have always been fascinated about the astounding geisha world. So when Tokyo Survival Channel challenged me…
Eating & Drinking
Weâve all been spending a lot more time at home recently and redefining our relationship with our immediate four walls, getting intimately acquainted with our surroundings and probably that ceiling crack that you never noticed before. I have learned to love my tiny Tokyo apartment, especially since I have become a Marie Konvert during…
Experience
We always complain about having not enough time, and now for many of us, this COVID situation (not to diminish its tragedy) has gifted us an absolute ambiance of that time we’re always asking for. With the modern obsessions with self-optimization and existential crises about feeling unproductive, we’re seeing sourdough loaves showcased across social media…
Living
You say âend game,â and my imagination runs wild picturing brutalist architecture, grey bare concrete towers, sirens, chaos and flying cars in a futuristic world. Apocalypse can mean many things: robot overlords, Ultraman and Super Sentai (Power Rangers) uniting to save our earth from giant aliens, zombies, conspiracy theories, and of course Godzilla cutting to…
Living
– a 14 day social experiment – They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. So, I went to the same convenience store, at the same time of day, every day, ordered the same thing and expected different results. Am I insane? Not…
Eating & Drinking
What if you could live a happier and healthier life just by spending some time indoors? Watch the video or read on… Spending a lot of time indoors can easily lead to cabin fever. The four walls seem to press in a little closer, the outside world and the passage of time seem disconnected, and…
Traveling
A sociable soul tries (socially) distancing like a pro, taking pages from vampires, introverts, hikikomori, fugitives and other people-avoiders. I sit in a snug little spot in the middle of the introvert-extrovert dichotomy. I’m a cafe half-full half-empty kindaâ gal. I love concerts, but I hate the morning trains. I like people, I don’t like…
Experience
Outsiders to the world of surfing can think weâre a crazy bunch. If there are waves, youâll find us even on the coldest of days, out in the water, looking for our next fix like a bunch of drug addicts. While the mythology of the brave and crazy surfer continues, there is one trick that…
Living
Uhh⌠what are gashapon? Gashapon are vending machine-dispensed toys, popular in Japan, that can be found both inside and outside shops all around Akihabara. Many people like to use their extra change and try their luck to see what kind of prize they can get by turning the hand-crank and opening up a small colored…
Experience
COVID-19: Due to the current outbreak of COVID-19, visiting crowded public spaces is not recommended. Post-apocalyptic movies have it all wrong. Sure, their characters are often desperately running around and searching for food. But when it comes to the getaway, theyâre often driving around or hunting for fuel. Where is the gasoline still coming from?…
Eating & Drinking
An event that unfolded in chaos, injury, camaraderie, a surprise entrance, and attempted food. You come to Japan for the cherry blossoms and the anime, but you stay for the conbinis. These shrines to convenience are an endless source of fascination â they have virtually everything and are available round the clock. Think of an…
Living
A Tokyoite finds out to what degree one can spend a human-free robot-filled day. These are the androids I was looking for! In a country where driverless trains, robotic pet seals, fax machines, and obligatory handwritten job applications coexist in the same time-space continuum, anything is possible no matter how improbable. Automation is where you…