Ordinarily cheap Matsuya opens a high-priced Matsuya inside another upscale Matsuya. Japanese department stores have food departments on their basement levels, and naturally the fancier department stores offer fancier foods. So it... Read more »

Casual mention elicits enthusiastic response from commonly overlooked tourist destination. Japan has become one of the world’s top tourist destinations, welcoming a record-breaking 42.7 million international visitors in 2025, a 15.8-percent increase... Read more »

End of an era is coming for ecological and economic reasons. Train travel in Japan is going to be looking a little different, as East Japan Railway Company, a.k.a. JR East, has... Read more »

Finding central Tokyo sounds easy, right? At first glance, finding a city’s center seems simple. London calls its center “central,” New York claims Manhattan, and Sydney points to Circular Quay. Most cities... Read more »

“So, when did you last ride a bike?”I was hopeful my self-deprecating friend was exaggerating when she told me it had been a while. “When I was 10,” she replied. The nervous... Read more »

Once a noble’s bathrobe and later a summer staple for city dwellers, the yukata has never been just a throw-on rental. With meaningful motifs, symbolic colors and time-honored styling tricks, it’s your... Read more »

Even with a shop name like Mayo x Mayo, we weren’t expecting this much mayo. The word “original” has a bit of a different nuance in Japanese. It’s not so much used... Read more »

Tokyo’s new video game/anime eatery has a lot to love (and eat). June 12 is the grand opening of the brand-new Square Enix Cafe in downtown Tokyo’s Shinjuku neighborhood, and the eatery... Read more »

Mr. Sato is filled with appreciation for the other Mr. Sato. Tokyo has a number of neighborhoods, such as Shibuya and Harajuku, that celebrate trendy, youthful fashions and culture. There’s also a... Read more »