's Advice List - DeepJapan

Perfect Homemade Ramen at Kita Kamakura

I am actually trying to avoid meat, but I just cant avoid this Ramen.When you step outside the Kita Kamakura station (Yokosuka Line one stop before Kamakura Station) you will see the Red Awning just down the road to your right. If you had your back to Yokohama with Kamakura ahead, you would exi…(150 words)

Ramen noodles Kamakura Yokohama Dinner Lunch Yokosuka kita kamakura Yokosuka Line

Have you Heard of Water Shield? It's a Vegetable and No, I haven’t Heard of it Either.

In Japan, this vegetable is called “Junsai” and I remember seeing it in my local supermarket, wondering what it was, and then moving on to the more familiar Nori or seaweed area as usual. This is something I do often, and learn to regret when a new menu translation comes down the pipeline to my des…(541 words)

Tokyo Japan Restaurant Food Summer Ginza Japanese Cuisine Chinese Restaurant Tokyo Crab

Menu Translation in Japan, What a Great Job!

I feel very lucky that part of my job is Japanese to English menu translation. Do you know how many little jewels lie silent on that Japanese menu in front of you every time you enter a soba, tempura or tonkatsu restaurant in Japan? Ahhh! Yes, that is right, most people visiting Japan have heard of…(969 words)

Japan Tokyo Restaurant Food Summer Sushi Ginza Tempura Soba noodles Chinese Restaurant Tokyo

Japan offers you a "Retreat of the Heart"

I read recently about how it is very important to be able to retreat within yourself. Are you able to do that? Do you find peace and calm for retrospection as you walk around, take care of daily tasks or ride a bus?If you are like me, I bet a lot of the time, you are kind of on alert. One of my…(637 words)

Japan Japanese cuisine Shinkansen Bullet Train Tokyo Train History Walk Bus Onsen Cuisine

Do You Know "Hidari Gawa Tsuko?" Pass on the left in Japan

"To the Left, To the Left" is one of my favorite songs and it well applies to some parts of my life....okay, yes you're right, Ill avoid that topic for today :) But, "To the Left" is an important concept in Japan. When you walk around, basically anywhere in Japan, you'll see the cool everyone k…(435 words)

Japan Walk Japanese Airport Police Work Rainy Day Commuting Umbrella Etiquette

"Little Forest" Shows you the Japan Heartland

Thats right! I am not 12 years old. I actually have lived half a century as of this year.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_CUp9suEeoMaybe that is exactly why I love Pixar films that show the funny side of nature and also carry a deeper meaning.I am a huge movie fan and I try to see a fi…(659 words)

Japan Nature Japanese Okinawa City Summer Yamagata Mountain Film Fishing and angling

Aomori Japan: Vibrant and Productive with Rich History and Strong Tradition

"Get the latest updates here on Deep Japan as we collaborate with Tokyo Broadcasting System(TBS) Television, JNN(Japan News Network/TBS nation wide affiliates)'s seven-station network across Japan and Vietnam's VTV station to bring the people in Vietnam informative and fun reports from the fantasti…(784 words)

Japan Nebuta Matsuri Festival Aomori History tradition Summer Drink Spring Vietnam Apple

Know your Receipts in Japan!

Are you in Japan on business and working with a Japanese firm? Will you be taking your clients out for a meal?Recently I have been doing some consulting work for one of Japan’s eminent Chinese cuisine restaurants, Ginza Aster, and I learned that many of the international clients are confused by t…(1173 words)

Japan Restaurant Etiquette Ginza Coffee Cuisine Business Japanese Culture and Style Japanese Traditions Chinese Restaurant Tokyo

Dont Forget to Manga-fy Yourself at Purikura! (part 2)

What would it be like to be a fairy princess? What would it be like to have that little pointy chin, big eyes and pouty mouth? Ever since my PuriKura “print club” experience in Kumamoto, I now know exactly how, at least, I would look.Found in almost any game center or resort (ski, hot spring, e…(607 words)

Manga Photo booth Tokyo Japan Music Japanese Kids Stay Souvenir Amusement arcade

What about Trying Japanese “PuriKura” (Part 1)

Want to look like an Anime character? Actually change your face, i.e., enlarge your eyes, point your chin, make your hair shiny and sleek, add thick eye-liner and get stars in your bright pupils? I’ve seen countless you-tubers teaching us how to do Japanese Anime type make-up, and I’d always wanted…(642 words)

Japanese Photo booth Japan Japan Travel Anime Manga Yen Amusement arcade

My Career Began in Ginza, but I’m Only Just Discovered this Historic Locale

I’m good at making faux pas! You might add it as a “forte” on my resume of life. I’m also particularly adept at weight gain, but we will save that story for another story.“Not Shinbashi!” he insisted, “Its Ginza, Ginza, Ginza!” Hiromasa Ezoe, my mentor since entering Recruit Company Limited in …(891 words)

Ginza Tokyo Restaurant Hotel Shopping Art Sushi Japan Chinese Restaurant Tokyo

Today I went to Tokushima on Shikoku Island Japan

This place was the Awa Han (Awa Clan), across the mountains from Kochi, where Ryoma Sakamoto began his effort to forge a new future for Japan.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv3hU-oBTT8I spotted the dancers as soon as the escalator neared the first floor of the newly opened airport terminal…(737 words)

Japan Shikoku Tokushima Art Event Tera (Temple) Walk Awa Odori Festival Bon Festival

Why Are All the Dogs I See in Japan So Small?

“That looks like a Rat!” exclaimed my English friend when he saw my tiny Kaninchen Dachshund named Cloudy skirting, bouncing and happily flitting around his legs one day in the park.At over six feet tall, I don't think he could really see clearly what critter was attached to the end of the leas…(982 words)

Japan Park Business Kids koban Japanese pets dacshund Japan Japanese Real Estate City Food

Today I am in Tomakomai, Hokkaido Japan

I flew into Chitose Airport in Hokkaido and was awed by the expanse of Fall color I witnessed below. Tomakomai city (population about 170,000) is a coastal town featuring beautiful golf courses, ice hockey rinks, no-nonsense buildings and lots of great food!Being here reminds me a bit of w…(297 words)

Japan Hokkaido Visit Tomakomai City Ainu Culture

Today, in Japan, I Fell in Love With Kyogen

My friend invited me to watch him perform “Kyogen” in Shibuya Today. It was my first experience, seated in a perfectly constructed Nogakudo deep in Cerulean Tower’s basement (B-2, five minutes walk from Shibuya Station), to spend an extended time in awe of the art form known as Noh.Here is the …(802 words)

Japan Kyogen Art Kyoto Shibuya Walk view Noh Japanese Theatre

What to do with Garbage While Travellng in Japan? Where are all the Trash Cans?!!!

Are you used to having plenty of garbage cans everywhere?When I go home to the US, I am pleasantly surprised with the availability of garbage cans and how we can always find a place to dispose of paper waste, plastic bottles, candy wrappers and lunch leftovers that build up during the day.Hav…(669 words)

Train Hotel Convenience store Ticket Train station Lunch Vending Machines Snacks Japan Travel

Koiwai, the Disneyland of Dairy Farms in Japan

Running across the open and perfectly manicured grass field, I was delighted that Koiwai Farms is not just about cows. We were there on a business trip trying to help the town of Shizukuishi uncover jewels of interest for visiting international guests. Let me tell you, there were plenty.My …(1121 words)

Japan Food History Spring Koiwai Farm Mount Iwate Japanese inn Sake (Rice wine) Sake Japan Iwate

Ready to Take a Three-Day Trip From Tokyo, Japan?

Are you going somewhere in Japan?Planning to adventure anywhere outside of Tokyo? If so, you need the low-down on how to master Shinkansen Bullet Train Travel!Well, here I would like to use my recent trip to Shizukuishi in Iwate, Prefecture as a perfect example of the process on how to fi…(1015 words)

Tokyo Japan Trip English Ticket Sake (Rice wine) Iwate Shinkansen Bullet Train Green Car JR Trains Train

Untouched, Friendly and Awaiting your Arrival; Shizukuishi, Iwate Japan.

I planned to arrive in Shizukuishi, Iwate Prefecture while the sun was still shining, but a speech in Chiba City delayed my arrival until long after the moon rose on this village of just over 17,000 residents in Northeast Japan. It was a sweltering day with temperatures around 36 degrees Celsiu…(1112 words)

Japan Iwate Jinjya (Shrine) Walk Shinkansen Bullet Train Japanese Culture and Style Tokyo Tanuki

Let’s get it Straight. Kelp “Kombucha” is a Must-Try During Your Time in Japan.

Walking around Denver and Colorado Springs on my recent trip, I was flabbergasted to see little cafes and shops listing “Kombucha” as one of their special offerings. Well, after a bit of research, I have come to understand that the “Kombucha” enjoying great popularity in the US is actually a bl…(690 words)

Japan Train Restaurant Sea Tea Japanese cuisine Japanese inn Visit

Tenkara Fishing – From Ancient Japan to A Popular Sport With 80 Outlets in the United States

On a summer hike with a family friend in Winter Park, Colorado, we meandered into a conversation about Japan, my home for 29 years. Wow, Japan! That is so great! Tenkara is one of my favorite fishing styles! I love it!” My Cousin’s best friend’s husband from Boulder Colorado lit up with excitement …(953 words)

Japan City Park Food Trip Winter Nature Fishing and angling

Much Ado About and Much Surprise From Japan's Jungle Crows (Karasu)

To me, the end of “Black Swan” with the maniacal red eyes and aggressive spins, did not remotely conjure an image of “swan”. After 29 years in Japan, that spinning, velvety spray of feather was nothing other than the huge black crows I see pondering my neighborhood garbage collection area each Satu…(1247 words)

Japan Tokyo City Restaurant Yokohama Food Hotel Building Trip

One of the Most Ancient and Interesting Bridges in Japan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeL_cyyKVeMThis is a place steeped in history, pulsing with riveting stories of banished Samurai, castles and the Iwakuni Han. Home to Japan’s naval air force and the US Marines, Iwakuni is where the US and Japan work together to try and keep this part of the wor…(599 words)

River Yamaguchi Japan Building Art History view Beauty Mountain Samurai

LiveYell Wedding Hall and My Experience in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture in Japan

In Yamaguchi Prefecture for the first time, I arrived by Bullet Train for to speak to local business, military and government leaders about my book “33 More Reasons to be Proud”. My speech was held at a Wedding Hall called “LiveYell”. While I sipped hot coffee in the waiting room, I chuckled to…(355 words)

Yamaguchi Japan Train English History Airport Business love

While in Japan Enjoy the Planet's Healthiest Drink, Green Tea

Yes, I love green tea too! I remember working in my Japanese firm and there was always a green tea machine on the floor. Just like we have water stations in offices overseas, Japanese companies have hot or cold green tea dispensers for your health and happiness 24/7.There are many reasons why peo…(564 words)

Tea Green tea green Summer Winter Kanagawa Wagashi Sweets Hotel

5 Tips On How to Eat Sushi in Japan

As we sat at the Sushi Bar in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Station we were so excited about what would emerge over the glass separation from the Sushi Shokunin (Chef). We watched as he deftly clumped slightly sweetened and vinegar-kissed white rice into little Nigiri Gunkans (literally translated at “Pressed …(1182 words)

Sushi Chopstick Etiquette Green tea Horse radish Restaurant Sashimi (Raw fish) Soy sauce Tea Tokyo

Why Do Japanese People Call Mt. Fuji, Mr. Fuji?

If you wondered why Japanese people refer to Mt. Fuji as Mr. Fuji, you are not alone.When I first came to Japan, and actually until about two years ago, well okay, actually it still happens a lot, I was confused and continue to get confused by place names.In Japanese, Mt. Fuji is called Fuj…(604 words)

Mount Fuji Tokyo History Nature Play Flower Mountain view Castle Lake

Japan's Sengakuji and the 47 Famous Samurai (Part 4)

One figure stands out among the line of Samurai statues standing quietly behind protective glass in the Sengakuji Temple Museum. It was chilly in the stark room but the items behind the glass caught my heart and instilled a warmth of pride even though I am not Japanese and I don't really know the f…(995 words)

Ronin 47 Ronin Tokyo Event Asakusa Tera (Temple) Museum History Samurai Sengakuji Temple

Japan's Sengakuji and the 47 Famous Samurai (Part 3)

A quick read-up on the story of the 47 Ronin who avenged their Lord will give the pertinent details on how the plan was executed and how the Ronin successfully found and exacted revenge on Kira Yoshinaka one snowy morning in Tokyo. He desperately begged for mercy from the Ako Clan members and was u…(1225 words)

Ronin 47 Ronin Japan Tokyo Event Etiquette Kyoto Tera (Temple) Samurai Sengakuji Temple

Japan's Sengakuji and the 47 Famous Samurai (Part 2)

December 14 marks the day 46 Samurai (not 47 and I will explain why later) brought the head of Kira and submitted themselves to justice at Sengakuji Temple.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBngXIDIiWEThis is a video showing a re-enactment of the Samurai leaving Ako (performed in Ako City in Hy…(538 words)

47 Ronin City Yokohama Food Event Tera (Temple) Ticket Museum History Sengakuji Temple

Japan's Sengakuji Temple and the 47 Famous Samurai (Part 1)

Have you heard of “Chushingura” or the legacy of the Forty-Seven Ronin?The image of elegant Samurai, a picture of honor and integrity; this is the path of the “Bushi” or warrior. “Bushi-do” literally means “Warrior-path” with “do” the Chinese Character for “Path”.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v…(387 words)

Tera (Temple) Ronin Tokyo Art Samurai Kids Sengakuji Temple 47 Ronin Visit

Kanagawa Government Office: “King” a Great National Historical Building to See

One of my absolute favorite places in Yokohama is the Kanagawa Prefecture Headquarters, called “Kanagawa Ken Hon-cho”. Until air travel allowed visitors to come via airports, Yokohama was Japan’s front door to the world. Officials wanted this building to have a view of the ocean and to showcase Jap…(822 words)

Building Kanagawa City Visit Yokohama Hotel Beer Tera (Temple) Spring Play

Japanese Chrysanthemums, A Wonderful Sight To See During Your Visit in Japan

"Kiku" is the Japanese word for Chrysanthemum. After residing in Japan for some 28 years, I understand that the Japanese relationship with this beautiful flower is deep, intricate and somewhat mysterious especially when you are a newbie visitor.I happen to live next to Japan’s second larges…(798 words)

Chrysanthemum Yokohama Summer Convenience store Art Jinjya (Shrine) Tea Yahiko Niigata Niigata Kiku Matsuri

10 Helpful Tips For When You Go Into a Japanese Onsen

Are you getting ready to take a trip to an Onsen Hot Spring in Japan?As an onsen-loving Senpai, allow me to provide you a few tips on how to be absolutely prepared before braving the nakedness and initial awkwardness of your first Onsen adventure. Trust me, all of this knowledge has been gained…(1064 words)

Onsen Convenience store Spring Walk Kimono Business Japanese inn Yukata (Light kimono) Visit Food

Anime Genius in Japan: Sin-San

We call him “Master” and that honorific describes him to a “T”. The owner at a restaurant in Japan is often referred to as “Master” or in Japanese pronunciation “Masuta—“. Senpai Hint! When you are at a loss for how to address the guy in charge at a restaurant or bar in Japan, feel free to use …(803 words)

Shibuya Manga Tokyo Restaurant Shopping Building English Walk Japanese festivals Udon noodles

Heart Shape Tangerine Treasures on Shikoku Island, Japan

As my train lumbered through the towering mountains of Shikoku and I caught a quick glimpse of glistening sea beyond, I realized exactly why the Mikan (tangerines) of this area are so delicious. Makes perfect sense to me as I watch the mountainside drinking in the salt-tinged air and the bright Set…(236 words)

Shikoku Mandarin orange Train Visit Sea Movie Salt Technology Ehime

Salt is Sacred in Japan; You will see it often

Have you noticed a little mound of salt at the entrance of a restaurant during your visits to Japan?Salt was always a very important part of the Japanese diet and the ancient salt fields you see across Japan will attest to its importance in keeping Japanese people strong and healthy. Salt from …(277 words)

Salt Restaurant Asakusa Business Funeral

Be A Princess at the ACCJ Annual Charity Ball

Stately men in tuxedos escort elegant ladies into a brightly lit ballroom. Each holds a tall glass of tasty champagne and as they seek out their place at the decorative reception tables, they greet friends and colleagues with a smile. The Ball has a theme like “New York, New York” or “Saturday Nigh…(303 words)

annual Tokyo Hotel History Business Holidays elegance Event

Tamagawa Izakaya Sushi in Shibuya, Japan: There is a spirit in every grain of rice

As we sat on the one-piece blonde wood counter in the 20-something seat sushi restaurant just past the Hyakkendana red arch on Dogenzaka in one of Shibuya’s most Shibuya-like neighborhoods, the Ita-mae Sushi Taisho Mr. Yamaga speaks of eating Sushi in one piece, the intricacies of inter-customer tr…(531 words)

Sushi Shibuya Izakaya Sake (Rice wine) Wine Eel Tama River

Viron is a Patisserie French Jewel in Shibuya, Japan

You know a Patisserie is good when you stumble upon an elegant French couple staring intently at their handheld GPS trying to make out how to get there for breakfast. Viron in the upper reaches of Shibuya just in front of the Tokyu Department Store Honten and Bunkamura is my favorite haunt for …(609 words)

Shibuya Tokyo Restaurant Food Tea Coffee Department store Walk Cuisine Japan Travel