Being a Picky Eater in Japan

This is a topic that gets very popular when talking about going to any country that's different from what you're so used to. Food is one of the greatest things we enjoy in life (at least I do), and when you throw yourself into a new environment that is not your own the biggest question you have for yourself is"how will I survive?" (a.k.a "what will I eat?"). In regards to traveling to Japan and living in America, it may seem like a necessary concern. What will you be able to eat in Japan? They seem to like their food raw and fresh, like just jumped out the water "fresh."

I'm here to reassure you that you will be just fine in Japan when it comes to food. There is something for everyone.

How To Speak Japanese When You Don’t Live In Japan

This article is by That Japan Girl. She's very knowledgeable about Japan and the Japanese language. Find her links at the bottom of this article! Enjoy!

                    

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When it comes to speaking Japanese, what makes the situation difficult is exactly the thing that makes it so exciting. Another person is there, listening to you speak, and responding to what you’re saying to them. They can interrupt you whenever they want, cut you off and talk over you. They can ask you to clarify something, to repeat what you just said or to start all over from the beginning. They can talk fast or slow, shout or whisper, speak in standard Japanese or hit you with that Kansai-ben.

Bottom line is: you’ll never know what flow a conversation takes.

And that’s what makes it so exciting to speak Japanese!

Is Japan Really the Land of Anime?

Many foreign countries have had the pleasure of being introduced to Japanese culture whether it be through food, art and, of course, anime. Anime is the Japanese word for animation (any kind of animation), but to the world outside of Japan it is distinctly referenced to animation from Japan. With that said, would would think something like anime would be all over the place in Japan. The reality of it is that it can actually be pretty had to come by.

Desserts and Sweets in Japan

One of the many things people like to talk about when it comes to Japan is the food. Japanese food is simple yet precise, and aims for the best quality. The same goes for its dessert and sweets. Whether it be traditional Japanese sweets or their rendition of other countries' sweets, Japan aims for quality no matter how simple or complex it may look. I'm going to go over a few sweets that are definitely worth a try when in Japan.

Omiyage Culture in Japan

It's an exciting time when you get to go on vacation. In Japan, it's no different. You finally get a break from school and/or work in order to enjoy some time away from everything. But in Japan they have one thing to worry about when on vacation, and that's what to bring back as a souvenir for people. Let's talk about the souvenirs in Japan.

Stories From Japan: Stop Giving me Stuff

Hello! Welcome to another story time! "Stories from Japan" is a little series on my blog where I tell stories from my personal experiences in Japan. In this story, I'll be talking about my time in Japan as a student where I really needed to learn a phrase to use in order to stop receiving street advertisements.

Why People Stop Learning Japanese

When you first start learning Japanese it can be fun and exciting. You're on your way to learning a new language! First you learn the alphabet, then start learning useful words and phrases. There's a lot of progress in the beginning and learning Japanese looks very promising. But then you hit a wall in your learning Japanese. Whether it's conscious or not, you start to find a reason to stop learning. If you find a good enough reason, it won't look like you failed in learning Japanese.

I'm going to go through these "reasons" why people stop learning Japanese and give you realizations that it can still be done. There is sadly no good excuse for not learning Japanese. If you just want to stop that is acceptable, but don't try to use one of these excuses because it will just make you look bad in the long run.

Taste of Japan: Vancouver, Canada

I was looking for a place to go over the summer. In my search for vacation spots I had some requirements: good weather (where I'm from it's deathly hot), good food (I love to eat) and it had to have some kind of Japanese presence. A few places in the US was mentioned but in the long run my friends and I decided to go out of the country, but not too far out the country. This meant staying in North America. So we chose Canada, specifically Vancouver because it was cheaper than Toronto.

I did some research online before going to Vancouver. My goal was to see as much "Japan stuff" as possible. It looked really promising online. They have a consulate in Vancouver for Japan and there's also a Japan social group, almost like a society for Japan enthusiasts. A lot of people kept mentioning a bunch a Japanese stores, especially south of Vancouver in the city of Richmond.

Overall, here is what I got from my experience in Vancouver Canada.

The Joys of Exploring Japanese Neighborhoods

It's common for people who live in Japan to tell you not to plan out your trip to Japan, to just explore and find new things. I agree with that to an extant. It's easy for them to say that because they live there and have a lot of time to explore. For visitors, your time in Japan is limited. It's natural for you to want to fit in as much as possible. I plan out all of my trips when I go to Japan. But what I do is when I find a break in my already planned schedule, I try to explore the neighborhood I'm staying in just to see if I find something interesting.

Let's talk about the discoveries you'll come across during your travels in Japan.

Japanese Bathrooms in Japan

When looking for accommodations for your stay in Japan you may look at the size of the place, how big the beds are, if there's free WiFi or even how big the bathroom is. You won't be spending too much time in your hotel or other accommodation but it can still be a game changer on how big that bathroom is. The size of the bathroom can be a game changer for your trip to Japan. That may sound weird but it could possibly make things relaxing for you or super difficult. Let's explore Japanese bathrooms.

Two Uses for your Passport in Japan

This is not going to be a blog about how to get a passport. That is for another day. This blog post is about the two uses for your passport when you are in Japan as a visitor or tourist. Your passport has more functions than you know about. The main use of a passport is to get you into Japan when traveling, but did you know it still has purpose once in Japan? Let's talk about it some more.

Tokyo is not Japan

Now, before you decide this is a hate post on Tokyo I'm going to tell you right now it's not. There is a reason why Tokyo gets so much praise, and it deserves that praise. Tokyo is a place where everybody can find something they will be happy with. So then what's going on with title? Well, it's exactly what it says, "Tokyo is not Japan." Let me start explaining.

What to do at Night in Japan

While you're planning your trip to Japan there will most likely be many things on your to-do list. Sometimes it can look really scary because you may be thinking how am I going to get all of this done during my trip to Japan? There is a simple solution, and not many people think about it. On your list of things to see and do in Japan is probably some stuff that can be done during the night hours. This can save you a lot of time for activities during the day.

A Day at Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

I did a blog on things to do in Osaka, and one of those things was the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan. The aquarium is a great place to escape to from the busy city or the weather, if it's really hot. Osaka is famous for a lot of things and this aquarium is one of them.

Let's review what you will discover and experience at the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan.

My Top 5 Japanese Drama Recommendations on Netflix

Netflix is starting to see the value in Japanese entertainment. They have a selection of anime, some anime live action adaptions (good and bad) and now starting to dive into the Japanese drama department. Japanese dramas are pretty hard to find on the internet, especially if you don't know what you're looking for. Not only that, but when you do find Japanese dramas online some of them are in such horrible quality that they're not worth watching. I have to say that Netflix is doing a great job with creating their own original Japanese drama series. I'd like to give my top 5 recommendations when it comes to Netflix original Japanese drama series.

Seeing Cherry Blossoms in Japan

My first and only time so far to see cherry blossoms in Japan was back in spring of 2014 for my honeymoon. I always heard it was a great time to go to Japan and that it was beautiful. Now that I went for myself (and I'm going again in 2019) I can truly say it is an amazing sight to see but no amount of pictures or stories will do the cherry blossom season justice. You really do have to go see it for yourself in order to really understand the beauty of spring time in Japan.

Why You Should Study Abroad in Japan

There are many ways to travel to Japan. You can go for vacation, a job or on a guided tour, but one of the best ways to experience Japan is through studying abroad. Whether you choose a program at a school in your own country or applying to a Japanese school, studying abroad has many benefits that other traveling methods don't offer. I'm going to be talking about why you should be studying abroad in Japan.

How to Behave with the Deer in Japan

Again, there are news articles online of people acting up in Japan. This time it's with the deer that can be found in Nara, Japan. These deer are free-roaming in the streets of Japan's old capital. Another popular tourist destination with free-roaming deer is in Miyajima, in Hiroshima Prefecture. Even though these deer are used to tourists and being around people they are still wild animals, and if you do something that bothers them you need to be prepared for the consequences. In these news articles, many have said that the deer have been lashing back at tourists. The deer are usually peaceful but no one should be surprised if they get attacked, especially when not handling the deer appropriately.

How to Blow All Your Money in Japan

There are many blogs out there that share how to save your money and budget in Japan. Even I've done that kind of blog before. This time, I'm going to talk about the total opposite. I want to share with all of you the many different ways you can drain your wallet while in Japan. If you like spending money, this is the blog post for you!

Top 5 Romance Anime

I've already done a favorite anime and favorite shojo manga list, so I'm going to try and make this list as different as possible. What I consider to be good romance anime is something that makes me really feel the emotions of love. This is a hard list to make because a lot of romance anime are fused with other genres such as fantasy, slice of life, comedy and drama. You may not see your favorite romance anime in this list because I'm only mentioning my favorites that are really hardcore romance (like I wouldn't suggest these to my guy friends because they'd totally not enjoy these). Let's get this started!

If You Like New Orleans, You'll like Japan Pt.3

And we're back with another segment of "If you like New Orleans, you'll like Japan" blog. I've done two of these so far, a Part 1 and Part 2. I didn't think I'd come up with more ideas but I've got four more similarities for you all that New Orleans and Japan shares.

Let's get started!

7 Places You Need to Go in Osaka

Osaka is the second largest city in Japan. It is known as the food capital of Japan, but Osaka has a lot more to offer visitors. Osaka is a very lively city with something for everybody to enjoy. Let's explore Osaka while I recommend these 7 places to check out.

If you are interested, I also did a post on places to go in Kyoto.

Things I Can't Get Used to in Japan

I can study and practice as much of the culture as possible but there will always be things that I just will never get used to in Japan. My visits to Japan have been pretty frequent, probably more than the average person. I'm very lucky to visit as often as I have. But there are things that will always trip me up when over there. And I don't think I'll ever get used to honestly. Let's take a look at those things!

My Life Adjustments in Japan

Before, I wrote a blog post on what I would miss if I moved to Japan. My friend was genuinely curious, but what he didn't think about was all the changes people have to go through when you get to Japan. My situation wouldn't be as bad as others because I'm already very familiar with the culture and way of life over there. Most of my concerns would be more personal, with the exception of two that would probably apply to many people. I'm going to share with you the things that I would have to adjust to if I moved to Japan.

How to Behave in Japan

This may seem like an obvious topic but I'm realizing that its actually not. When people travel abroad leisurely, like for vacations, they only think they are on vacation. They don't think about the bigger meaning behind visiting a different country such as Japan. I'm going to share with you how you should behave in Japan and why it's so important.

Buying a Kitchen Knife in Japan

In my household, my husband is the cook. It works perfectly because he actually likes cooking and I'm pretty bad at it. So we have this agreement in our house that he does the cooking and I do the clean-up after. Work for me! So when we went to Japan in November of 2016, he knew he wanted to leave the country with a Japanese chef knife. Yes, I'm talking about one of those huge, sharp knives that I'm terrified of chopping my finger off with.