It’s almost the end of the summer and what’s a better way to say good bye than by watching the fireworks light up the last of the summer night sky? One of the most popular firework events is Yokohama Sparkling Twilight, so that’s where we headed out. Though our main reason for coming to Yokohama was watching fireworks, we couldn’t miss the chance to explore this picturesque city, so we got there a bit early to look around. We started out with a walk across the boardwalk and the pier so we could enjoy the view of the famous Yokohama cityline that featured the half-moon shaped hotel, Yokohama Grand Intercontinental,…
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…
Exploring Japan: FUJI-Q HIGHLAND
The summer is finally here! The season of fun in the sun, at the beach, in the mountains, at the theme parks, beneath the night skies lit up by fireworks and pretty much anything and everything that Japan has to offer. This summer we decided to start out with the theme parks! Due to the high popularity of the large theme parks like Universal Studios and Disney Land, the local parks are often forgotten or even unknown to many visitors of Japan. We thought it would be great to introduce you to some of the local theme parks of Japan, starting with Fuji Q Highland, located at the famous Japanese…
Tokyo Train Station Ekiben
What is ekiben? Ekiben comes from two Japanese words “eki” which means “train station” and “bentou” which means “boxed lunch”. Ekiben is an essential item during travel by bullet trains in Japan. They were born in the late 1800s when the first slow coal-powered trains started running in Japan, taking hours to reach their destinations and their restaurant carts being too expensive for common folk to afford. At first ekiben consisted of the simple two sesame rice balls meal but eventually the shops selling ekibens opened at the train stations providing a wider variety of lunches. Of course now, there are thousands of types of ekibens to choose from and…
Traditional Japanese Crafts of NIPPON-ICHI
As the summer in Tokyo starts heating up the streets, we decided to introduce you to more cool things inside the JR Tokyo train station, a perfect place to pass through or just enjoy on the hot summer day. Tokyo train station is the busiest train station in eastern Japan and boasts an amazing architectural design and the greatest history. When you pass through the magnificent dome gates, you can find a large shopping area where you can discover a ton of fun things and delicious foods. This time we would like to introduce you to the souvenir shop inside the Tokyo station’s Southern Terrace, called NIPPON-ICHI. Originally based in…