Deep Japan

Roughly half of all international visitors to Japan make a stop in Tokyo. However, most nearby prefectures see only a fraction of those numbers.  For example, only 1.2% of inbound travelers stay in Saitama, despite the prefecture being located directly north of Tokyo, according to government statistics. Even fewer, a meager 0.4%, make a stop […]

A different side of Aichi When people think of Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya is usually the first place that comes to mind. The city is known for its energetic downtown atmosphere, famous local dishes like miso katsu (pork cutlet smothered in umami-rich miso sauce) and tebasaki (chicken wings), and the urban scenery of sleek bullet trains […]

The Edo-Tokyo Museum first opened in March 1993 and had been closed for renovation for the past five years. On March 31, 2026, it reopened as a slicker, slightly more twenty-first-century version. The scope of this museum is in its name. It contains information and exhibits on the centuries when the city was known as […]

There are bakeries, and then there are missions disguised as bakeries. MO’PRECIOUS, tucked away in the leafy residential neighbourhood of Togoshi in Tokyo’s Shinagawa ward, belongs firmly in the latter category. Founded by Kanako Matsumoto, known affectionately to her community as “Kana Banana”, the shop operates under the disarmingly simple philosophy that a single, exqu...

No one knows exactly when it was decided, or who first taught it.But it exists. In Japan, there are many understandings shared without being explained. They are often described as unspoken rules or implicit agreements, but they are not limited to special situations.They are part of everyday life. Whether they come from common sense or […]