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.