The summer has been ruling Tokyo for awhile and along with it all the summer festivals! Usually, other bloggers write about all the major festivals, so sometimes it’s easy to forget the not-so-major-yet-unique local summer festivals. There is this cool place located in Shinagawa, called Shinagawa Shrine, though not so widely known, it boasts a few unique features, including the Shinagawa Mt. Fuji, an artificial mountain built to imitate Mt. Fuji! The view from the top of the shrine is truly breathtaking! (Check out my video blog Part 2 for the walkthrough the festival.) Of course, summer festivals in Japan are associated with colorful traditional yukatas, really, you shouldn’t attend…
Intro to Japanese Sake: The Basics
I think it’s about time that we talked about Japanese sake! Since there are so many varieties in Japan and most of them are written completely in Japanese, it might get overwhelming when we try to decide which one would suit our palate. Let me introduce you to a few basic sake readily available at convenience stores and liquor stores here in Japan! Liquor Store Sake ■Jozen Mizunogotoshi An ideal introduction sake. Smoot, light and fruity with a pleasant aftertaste. Alcohol content 14% ■Sawanoi Daikaraikuchi A true dry sake(+10 dryness). Super dry and light. Alcohol content 15% ■Urakasumi Junmai A smooth and fruity sake with a hint of roasted nuts.…
Summer Products of Japan
Though summers are usually all about fun, vacations and hanging out with friends, we gotta be aware of the impending heat that comes along with the season of“fun in the sun”! The summers in Japan are pretty brutal, ruled by high humidity and heat, especially in Tokyo. However, have no fear because Japan has some awesome products to help you deal with the heat! I would like to introduce some of those products to you! I, myself being from South Florida, do understand what real heat and UV damage is all about, so I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered all the amazing summer products that Japan has to…