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Go to Hotel New Otani for a quick session images

Go to Hotel New Otani for a quick session

Seisei-an Tea room in Hotel New Otani offers a quick an casual tea ceremony experience program. It is nothing too strict or stiff. The tea master is very frank and talkative. Since it is organized per request, usually very small group, maybe just for yourselves. It costs only 1000 yen plus tax and …(69 words)

taro image

taro

Tokyo Hotel Tea New Otani
Great Tip to Avoid the Rush Hour in Japan images

Great Tip to Avoid the Rush Hour in Japan

On a longer (30 minute plus) train ride, I will often splurge on a Green car ticket. These temperate cars have a nice train attendant who comes by to sell snacks and drinks and when it is not rush hour you can get a window seat with a table to tap on your computer while enjoying the sites. During r…(279 words)

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Japan Rush hour Train Etiquette Ticket Shoes Computer Business
Eating at a Japanese restaurant images

Eating at a Japanese restaurant

Before entering, understand if non-smoking seats are available and credit cards can be used. When eating, do not pour soy sauce on white rice! When paying, no tip is required; just say "Gochiso Sama!"(34 words)

Shoken image

Shoken

Restaurant Etiquette Soy sauce
ABC Cooking Studio images

ABC Cooking Studio

ABC Cooking Studio is a place where people come to cook a variety of foods in a casual manner. There are 124 studios currently operating in Japan, and as a member, you will be allowed to take classes at any studio of your choice. The classes are done in a small group, ensuring you maximum suppo…(121 words)

EmiOnishi image

EmiOnishi

Tokyo Etiquette Computer
No Tipping images

No Tipping

There is no tipping practice in Japan, which is rooted in the concept of full dedication to the work assigned. The waiter at your table is expected and inspired to anyway do his/her best. Secondly there is a strong sense of collective responsibility towards the whole establishment with very little …(60 words)

Sanjeev Sinha image

Sanjeev Sinha

 
Here's a tip images

Here's a tip

Actually, here's not a tip. Japan is not a tipping society so you don't need to tip in restaurants, taxis, etc. In fact, my daughter actually had the waitress chasing them down the street once when she left a tip on the table. The waitress thought she had forgotten to take her money. Some highe…(219 words)

Joe Peters image

Joe Peters

Hotel Japanese inn
Tipping versus Service Charge images

Tipping versus Service Charge

Tipping - not normally done, don't think you have to, although if you want to, it's fine. Service Charge - Often restaurants will include this in the bill (by way of tip). Now, if for example, the restaurant's service was sub-standard, you are within your rights to ask for this to removed.(52 words)

Steve image

Steve

Restaurant
You really need an invite from the Stable. images

You really need an invite from the Stable.

Sumo stables are certainly an experience. One stable, which has now closed down, used to have chanko events around the time of the tournaments, where the wrestlers in the evening after fighting would serve chanko to the guests. In addition, it is permissible for men to view the training area. Women…(54 words)

Steve image

Steve

Tokyo Sumo
Keep to the left when standing on the escalators images

Keep to the left when standing on the escalators

You're expected to keep to the left when you are standing on the escalators. And to the right when you are climbing.I say this because I am not good at it when I am in Osaka, where people do the opposite: to the right when standing, to the left when climbing. I end up finding myself standing on…(70 words)

ToshiA image

ToshiA

Tokyo Etiquette Osaka
Japanese People Love Hand-Made Gifts in Japan images

Japanese People Love Hand-Made Gifts in Japan

I have always appreciated the simple gift-giving culture in Japan. Some of my friends describe it as cumbersome since upon receiving something there is always some pressure to reciprocate. Yes, I agree, but at the same time, the reciprocal gift can take various forms and hand-made items that serve …(358 words)

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Japan love Iwate Japanese gift giving Gifts in Japan coffee gift beer gift Japan Holiday gifts Japan Food Beer
Suteki Jyoshi Kai, Tokyo's Women's Leaders Special Membership Club! images

Suteki Jyoshi Kai, Tokyo's Women's Leaders Special Membership Club!

You are warmly invited to join our 2nd Regular Meeting of Suteki Jyoshi Kai, Tokyo's Women's Leaders Special Membership Club!Saturday, February 22th, 201, from 13:00 pm~17:00pm at Yotsuya Club 東京ガス 四谷クラブ(6-1, Aizumi-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo)Fee 3,000yen(member)/ 4,000yen (non-m…(193 words)

Eriko image

Eriko

Tokyo Visit Women leaders Suteki-jyoshi Shinjuku
The "hot spring resort" has its roots in ancient Japan. images

The "hot spring resort" has its roots in ancient Japan.

The "hot spring resort" has its roots in ancient Japan.In areas with bountiful hot springs, people would come and stay up to 3 weeks to relieve pent up stress and pain from agricultural work and such.The flow of information was limited back then, so people who gathered from afar, as well as the…(88 words)

Eddie image

Eddie

Onsen Spring Tourism
Spring is Coming in Japan, Where to Find the Prettiest Cherry Blossoms images

Spring is Coming in Japan, Where to Find the Prettiest Cherry Blossoms

As I snuggle under my comforter, wallow in the warm rush of O-furo and deftly avoid cold rain drops as I walk to the station, it is hard to believe Japan will soon be alight with warmth and a blanket of pink. If you are a nature love like me, you will notice a difference in the hard brown of the Wi…(313 words)

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Cherry blossom Cherry Blossom Viewing Japan Sping Travel Japan Japan Travel Spring How to Enjoy Hanami Spring in Japan March and April in Japan Travel Japan Sakura Enjoying Japanese Parks Year Round Travel Japan
E-tegami (picture postcard) images

E-tegami (picture postcard)

Japan is a nation obsessed with seasonal activities of all sorts. After all, there are few other nations that I know that have national holidays for the Vernal (Spring) and Autumnal Equinox. This year (2014), the Vernal Equinox will fall on March 21, one day after the traditional date.But whi…(459 words)

mikekato image

mikekato

Spring Winter Holidays Flower Sumo Greeting painting Haiku Tulip
Don’t be fooled by appearances! images

Don’t be fooled by appearances!

Fashion and appearances are of vital importance in Japan. So why do Japanese businessmen all look similar?To start with the conclusion, if I may, unfashion is a kind of fashion. Let me explain it with the Japanese angle. Like anywhere else, fashion in Japan is a statement of belonging to a com…(359 words)

Claire image

Claire

Fashion Visit Business
The Musical Toilets of Japan images

The Musical Toilets of Japan

I have a friend who always used the euphemism, “going to the Toto,” whenever he was headed for the men’s room. He called it that because Toto is one of the most famous toilet and urinal makers in Japan. (Toto is the abbreviation of Tōyō Tōki which means oriental ceramics.)First time visitors to…(631 words)

Joe Peters image

Joe Peters

Toilet Washlet Toto
How long does it take to be accepted in a Japanese community? images

How long does it take to be accepted in a Japanese community?

Have you had the experience where you felt like you where not completely connected with a Japanese friend.I live near a port and every July the locals take their fishing boats out to Kanzanji park to watch fireworks from the sea.It's an experience that normally you wouldn't have.Lots of l…(293 words)

Yuuki I image

Yuuki I

Park Sea Live
I did it! I have found the proof of the existance of incivility in Japan! images

I did it! I have found the proof of the existance of incivility in Japan!

Have you ever wondered how they do it to keep their cities and public space so spic and span clean? I do. Every day I walk the streets of the city, and I am amazed by its welcoming cleanliness. - There is no paper, not gums littering the streets. No nothing. They even do not have rubbish bins! …(387 words)

Claire image

Claire

City Bicycle Train Etiquette
A Gentleman's Kimono Completes the Outfit in Japan images

A Gentleman's Kimono Completes the Outfit in Japan

Simple and clean, small Kobachi dishes contain lightly grilled fish, healthy Hijiki seaweed and a few other bites to complement an ochoko cup of dry rice wine. In the photo, the gentleman is taking his first sip of Sake after what may have been a long, stressful day. He may have come home around 8 …(281 words)

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men in kimono Sake (Rice wine) Yukata (Light kimono) Sake Japan Kimono Japan Japanese inn yukata banshaku evening drink denim kimono Japan Japanese futon Japan Travel food
~ Picasso and Henry Moore ~ Inside and Out ~ Outside In ~ images

~ Picasso and Henry Moore ~ Inside and Out ~ Outside In ~

Turn left when you get off the train and with a little walking you'll see the Ticket Office. Different priced tickets for the members of your family, depending on how many days and years you have been wandering around this planet where sometimes you can get a sense of normality. You're not going to…(561 words)

Andrew Grimes image

Andrew Grimes

Train Park Shinjuku Building Ticket Museum Art Souvenir Nature English
How to cook edamame at home images

How to cook edamame at home

Edamame is a delightful vegetable commonly served at Japanese Izakaya and sushi restaurants as a meal starter. Also, we can also cook them easily at home when you want some finger food to dinner during summer. Although it's very easy and simple, how to cook edamame is very important since it makes …(191 words)

EmiOnishi image

EmiOnishi

Edamame (Green soybeans) Summer Sushi Izakaya Salt Dinner Food summer food
Sushi Lesson with a professional Sushi Chef in his Sushi Restaurant ! images

Sushi Lesson with a professional Sushi Chef in his Sushi Restaurant !

Sushi Lessons with our Sushi Chef at Satsumaya Sushi Restaurant in Fujisawa, Japan.Satsumaya Sushi Restaurant is a well-established sushi restaurantthat has been in business since 1955.Sushi lessons are taught by our 30-year experiencedI tachō (Sushi Chef).Our lessons range from introductor…(262 words)

sushiyanotsuma image

sushiyanotsuma

Sushi Japanese Culture Japanese cuisine
Who'll Stop the Rain images

Who'll Stop the Rain

If you come to Japan during the rainy season (June / July) you'll likely see these little dolls hanging in the windows of homes, especially those homes where children are living.No, these are little ghost dolls to chase away the summer monsters, and they aren't angels to bring good luck, nor ar…(227 words)

Joe Peters image

Joe Peters

Teru Teru Bozu Summer Trip Outdoor recreation Children good luck Weather Dolls Rainy Day
Three Links to Yokohama images

Three Links to Yokohama

Once an insignificant fishing village, Yokohama has since become the international gateway to Japan with a staggering list of firsts to boast. Want to learn more about Japan's second largest city? Here are three links to get you started:City of Yokohama (Official): Everything you need to know a…(101 words)

Former Deep Japan Writer image

Former Deep Japan Writer

Yokohama Restaurant City Event Beer Bar Tourism
Hydrangea's in Japan - Ajisai images

Hydrangea's in Japan - Ajisai

Japan is a country of multiple seasons and for every season there are a different set of flowers that are blooming. At this very time of year, the Hydrangea's are blooming. In Japanese, hydrangea's are called Ajisai. You can go to virtually any park, temple or residential neighborhood and find h…(130 words)

Kevin image

Kevin

Hydrangea Park Tera (Temple) Flower Lavender Seasons flowers
Smart Cities Week 2014 images

Smart Cities Week 2014

The 4th Smart Cities Week 2014 (SCW 2014) will be held in Yokohama this coming October 29-31 at the Pacifico Yokohama Hotel and Convention Center in the Minato Mirai area of the city and, with it, will come a dizzying array of programs, conferences and exhibits designed to show how the application …(1368 words)

jdlawrence image

jdlawrence

Smart Cities Tokyo City Yokohama Hotel Event Kyoto Nagoya May SCW
Smart Cities, Expanded images

Smart Cities, Expanded

In our last installment, we discussed the upcoming Smart Cities Week 2014 (SCW 2014) which will be held in Yokohama, Japan this coming October 29-31 at the Pacifico Yokohama Hotel and Convention Center. While the event itself is looking to attract in the area of 50,000 attendees, the concept is ex…(1500 words)

jdlawrence image

jdlawrence

Smart Cities Tokyo Train Yokohama Hotel Event Osaka Hospital SCW Wearable Tech
Toilet Flush.... images

Toilet Flush....

Here are the "buttons" you see in the relatively modern buildings - rest rooms for the public.What is the difference?On the left - you have to "press" the button to flush.On the right - you just have to put your hand "close" to the panel.Right hand side is more common in the newer bui…(155 words)

KIH image

KIH

Toilet flush
Typhoons - wind, rain and lot more! images

Typhoons - wind, rain and lot more!

It would be fair to call Japan at once a country blessed by natural beauty and cursed by natural disasters. Sitting on the famed “Ring of Fire”, the country hosts some spectacular and dangerous volcanoes, as well as the all-too-infamous and frequent earthquakes, some of which can wreak unimaginabl…(1210 words)

jdlawrence image

jdlawrence

Rain Tokyo Sea Osaka Okinawa Kyushu Typhoon Weather Summer
Tourist Tip #6: Know Your Animal Sounds! images

Tourist Tip #6: Know Your Animal Sounds!

OK...so you don't REALLY need to know your animal sounds to help you enjoy your time in Japan, but knowing a few will certainly help you ice break or seriously spice up a conversation while you're here! You'd be surprised by the amount of fun and laughs that can be had (and friends that you'll make…(212 words)

Former Deep Japan Writer image

Former Deep Japan Writer

Onomatopoeia Tourist Tip Entertainment Animals Sounds
Helping the Children of Tohoku APRICOT News #2 images

Helping the Children of Tohoku APRICOT News #2

The rainy season it seems has done nothing to dampen the spirits of APRICOT’s supporters. Thanks to the growing number of Team APRICOT Children volunteers,we have been very productive and positive for APRICOT, one that has seen us take a major step towards official NPO status (as a registered NPO …(434 words)

Andrew Grimes image

Andrew Grimes

Children Tohoku Visit English Bank Region activities Work
Want to be a Hit in Japan? images

Want to be a Hit in Japan?

Ive been in the DJ business since the 70s and maybe because I was so active in Hawaii and Hawaii is one of Japan's favorite tourist destinations, I have ended up in this amazing and endlessly exciting metropolis, Tokyo. I DJ on several stations including InterFM, and I do podcasts about various…(394 words)

Kong image

Kong

Tokyo Music English Entertainment Business Market
Journey on the Tokaido Goju San Tsugi (53-station Highway) images

Journey on the Tokaido Goju San Tsugi (53-station Highway)

Recently, I took a casual walk to a very famous Tokyo locale known as “Nihonbashi”. It is to the North of JR Tokyo station. It was a nice 10-plus minute walk from the station and as I walked carefully with a sharp eye on my surroundings, I noticed the concentration of major businesses concentrated …(433 words)

AustinA image

AustinA

Highway Tokyo Kyoto History Ginza Department store River Walk Tokaido 53 Tsugi Nihonbashi
PechaKucha Night images

PechaKucha Night

If you're looking for a chance to meet interesting Tokyoites, I recommend you to head on down to PechaKucha Night.PechaKucha Nights are fun gatherings where creative people get together and share their ideas, works, thoughts or just about anything in the “PechaKucha 20x20 format.” Speakers show…(208 words)

Zucca image

Zucca

Tokyo Event speakers English Beauty architecture Aomori
APRICOT NPO Giving to the land that gives so much to guests from abroad. images

APRICOT NPO Giving to the land that gives so much to guests from abroad.

APRICOT is now officially APRICOT NPO!Let’s start the October newsletter with some good news. As of October 21st, the APRICOT is an officially registered NPO. We now have to pay a final visit to Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s legal section to sign (or rather “hanko”) a document, which will the…(819 words)

Andrew Grimes image

Andrew Grimes

Children charity health Tohoku Fukushima child childcare
Cultural experience walking tour in Nihonbashi, Tokyo images

Cultural experience walking tour in Nihonbashi, Tokyo

As depicted in some of Ukiyoe, former fish market of Tokyo had been situated in Nihonbashi. So in the area where the fish market had been, which is next to Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi department (the flagship store), we can see some clues of the history. Some shops, called “Shinise” (long-established sho…(500 words)

TomokoI image

TomokoI

Tokyo Nihonbashi Visit Drink Food Shopping History Jinjya (Shrine) English Sea
Make Bento & Visit Bonsai garden - Unique & Amazing experience images

Make Bento & Visit Bonsai garden - Unique & Amazing experience

Japan is a small island nation.Perhaps because of that, they have a gift for to make the original small world.Bento and Bonsai.This experience will be a good chance to know Japan.In the Bento making, You can learn tips of design Bento.Bonsai is a Japanese art form using miniature tree…(133 words)

nyaonyao image

nyaonyao

Bento (box meal) cooking bonsai Garden Japanese Culture Visit Art Lunch Japanese cuisine
How to become an APRICOT NPO Ambassador for the Children of Tohoku images

How to become an APRICOT NPO Ambassador for the Children of Tohoku

"At Apricot we often get emails asking about how people can get involved beyond donating. There are many ways, as this reply (below) I recently sent to a potential volunteer show..."Hi Laura*,Thank you for your kind wishes ~ responses like yours are both a little rare just now as we are in …(1308 words)

Andrew Grimes image

Andrew Grimes

Children Tohoku Donation
Work in Japan…I could live in Japan, Part 2. images

Work in Japan…I could live in Japan, Part 2.

In part 1 [http://www.deepjapan.org/a/3029], I set down some of the conditions that would be faced by those who are interested in working and living in Japan and also included information about obtaining a visa. In this section I discuss some common assumptions about working in Japan that may b…(1915 words)

GoodPeople image

GoodPeople

Work Tokyo Train English History Bus Business
“Do-tougeikan” Pottery School images

“Do-tougeikan” Pottery School

Take up the challenge of creating an original piece of artCeramics have a feeling of warmth to the touch, perhaps because their main material is earth. Especially with something you have made yourself, you can feel a deep significance in the piece even if it is a little misshapen. The authentic…(978 words)

Kanagawa P.G.T.D. image

Kanagawa P.G.T.D.

Pottery workshop Kanagawa Art design Lesson Ceramics