Japan travel guide
Travel guides for Japan — what to see, what to eat, and how to get through immigration. Written and photographed on the ground.
- From Akihabara's Chuo-dori to the Kanda River: A Record of Tokyo's Electronics District Revisited Multiple Times
Tokyo's Akihabara is a neighborhood where it's hard to say you've seen everything in a single visit. I've come multiple times across different seasons, and each time the signs chan…
Tokyo · Akihabara - Buying a Single ¥300 Year-End Jumbo Lottery Ticket at Nishi-Ginza Chance Center in Tokyo
Exit from the Hibiya exit of Tokyo's Shimbashi Station, walk toward the elevated highway for about three minutes, and suddenly you'll see a line of people stretching along the side…
Tokyo · Nishi-Ginza Chance Center - Ueno Ameyoko, the real magic starts after sunset — an evening walk from the Okachimachi Gate to Ueno Station
Every time I come to Tokyo, my feet find their way to Ueno Ameyoko (アメ横) without fail. This time I entered from the Okachimachi side and worked my way toward Ueno Station. I've met…
Tokyo · Ameya Yokocho Market - A Day at Kura Sushi in Asakusa, Tokyo: Three Tuna Plates and Ending with Castella Cake
Once you exit Nakamise-dori at Senso-ji in Asakusa, there's a stretch where tourist density drops noticeably. That's where I wandered into Kura Sushi Asakusa—purely because the wai…
Tokyo · Kura Sushi Asakusa - A Day at Asakusa Senso-ji, Starting from the Crosswalk Across Kaminari-mon
Asakusa in Tokyo's Taito Ward. The moment I emerged from the subway exit, what caught my eye wasn't the temple—it was a delivery truck. A SAGAWA truck was parked right at the inter…
Tokyo · Sensoji - Hanayashiki in Asakusa, Tokyo — Japan's First Amusement Park Opened in 1853, Where a Roller Coaster Brushes Past Someone Else's Window
When you emerge from the alley behind Sensoji Temple, the sound suddenly changes. Instead of the murmur of worshippers, you hear the clank of metal and screams, along with musty ba…
Tokyo · Asakusa Hanayashiki - Late Afternoon at Asakusa's Azumabashi Intersection — A Rickshaw Ride and Golden Flame
If someone asks me where I spend the most time in Asakusa, Tokyo, I say Azumabashi Intersection—not inside Senso-ji Temple. It's right where Exit 4 of Asakusa Station on the Ginza…
Tokyo · Asakusa Azumabashi Intersection - Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo - Making of Harry Potter: A 6-Hour Walk from 9 AM
I'd heard that the studio sets were built on the grounds of what used to be Toshimaen amusement park, but I didn't realize the experience started the moment we arrived at Ikebukuro…
Tokyo · Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo - The Making of Harry Potter - Tokyo Komichiya Pinocchio—Two-Stack Pancakes for 700 Yen, Baked by an Elderly Couple
Komichiya Pinocchio (小道屋 ピノキオ) is tucked down a side street off a main road in Kita Ward, Tokyo. The signage is small and the glass door is frosted, so even with my map open, I wal…
Tokyo · Komichaya Pinocchio - Yakiniku Hormon Bonzu Main Branch in Ikebukuro's West Alley — An Evening That Ended with a Glass of Melon Soda
Exit Ikebukuro Station in Tokyo and cross the flow of people just once, and you'll find the main branch of Yakiniku Hormon Bonzu (焼肉・ホルモン ぼんず). Every time I'd come to Tokyo, I'd dr…
Tokyo · Yakiniku Hormon Bonzu Ikebukuro Honkan - Akihabara Back Alley Kyushu Jangara Ramen Main Branch — A Bowl of Tonkotsu with Mentaiko Under the Blue Signboard
In Akihabara, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, down a narrow alley one block off the main electronics district road, there's a brilliantly blue glowing signboard. Kyushu Jangara. You can tell…
Chiyoda · Kyushu Jangara Ramen Akihabara Branch - Late November at Tokyo University's Hongo Campus, when ginkgo trees turned the entire street golden
Tokyo University's Hongo Campus in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward isn't a tourist destination. But come late November and it becomes one of Tokyo's most celebrated autumn foliage spots. There…
Tokyo · University of Tokyo