On the JR Yamanote Line, alight at Nippori Station to see a slice of Old-style Tokyo, a rare find in a city that’s constantly renovating and renewing everything. You can easily spend half a day here, as the area is teaming with preserved temples and shrines and pre-war buildings. It’s also a reasonable walk from …
Japan, or maybe Tokyo in particular, has a reputation among Americans as being one of the most expensive cities in the world. With the caveat that I’m from Los Angeles (another rather expensive city), I will heartily disagree and say that Tokyo can be quite affordable. Let’s run down the list of basics: 1. Housing/Apartments …
I was originally drawn into this Korean Samgyupsal BBQ spot by the 180 yen beer sign. That is one of the best deals on beer in Tokyo, but it was just a random promotion, so don’t count it on being that cheap all the time. This spot, seemingly named “SEOUL”(?) is just a short walk … Continue reading
I had the fortune to spend New Years Eve with two friends from high school who visited me in Tokyo all the way from Korea and California! 🙂 We had hilarious and fun filled night at Club Feria. Feria is located in Roppongi (aka America, jk, sort of), one of two major party districts in Tokyo — … Continue reading
First off, I will say I love glasses made in Japan or Korea because they actually fit my face! For those lucky enough to be unaware, Asian faces face a couple of problems when confronted with American or European frames—(1) they slide down our noses constantly, and (2) big frames sit on our big (mothefucking) … Continue reading
At the end of Takeshita Street in Harajuku is the 500-yen bliss that is “Kebab Box.” Kebab Box sells the bombiest Turkish kebabs in Tokyo — grilled pita, stuffed to the gills (seam splittingly, I swear) with meat, gloooorious sauce (I get ‘mixed’ – garlic + hot), tomato chunks, and shredded cabbage. #sweetbabyjesusthatsgoodPrice. 500-yen is all … Continue reading
One of the things I think is MOST fantastic about Tokyo (and that’s saying a lot already because I love SO.MANY.THINGS about Tokyo) is their commitment to maintaining large beautiful parks throughout the city. Los Angeles is gorgeous and amazing, but one of its (few, I swear!) failings is a lack of LARGE and/or well-maintained … Continue reading
I ate a lot of my meals around Waseda and Takadanobaba. None of these places except Ippudo really make the highlight reel, but for those curious what Waseda students eat, here are a few spots I frequented: Ippudo. My favorite ramen place (locations throughout Japan and in NYC) and open until 5am. The broth, noodles (choose … Continue reading
Ears galore! Reindeer ears and cat ears were from the 100-yen store, Minnie Mouse ears were about 700-yen from Takeshita street in Harajuku You’d think in the country that coined “cosplay” (costume play), there’d be an over-abundance of costumes available for purchase. Didn’t really seem to be the case. Crappy (polyester) costumes (the usual slutty … Continue reading
My understanding of Halloween in Tokyo (or Japan generally) is that it’s a holiday adopted by Japan for adults to enjoy. There’s no trick-or-treating or even really children in costumes — rather, it’s an excuse for young adults to drink their faces off in lingerie and animal ears (I’m a mouse, duh!)(just like we do … Continue reading
Tori-no-ichi is a rooster festival (cock festival, LOLOL, #supermature) held every 12 days in November (so 2-3 times, depending on the year) in Japan. The focus of the festival is praying for prosperity in business, so, as you can imagine, particularly in the current economic climate, this festival was POPPIN’. I attended the festival twice this … Continue reading
It started with an ad on the subway. We were chillin on the metro and noticed an advertisement for Suntory Whiskey, which featured highballs and these beautiful, delicately fried chunks of fish. We committed it to memory and decided we had to find a spot to eat that exact meal. Weeks went by and while I’m … Continue reading
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