Articles

Fukuoka’s Fresh Fish Marke

Something Smells Fishy Here! From ramen to shochu and the hearty fare of its sidewalk stalls, Hakata is a gourmand’s delight, but a listing of the local menu is incomplete wi...

My Top Ten Misconceptions Japanese People Make About Gaijin

by Satoshi Kawase When I am around Japanese people there is a odd thing I like to tell them. “The weird thing about Japan is that it’s filled with Japanese people.̶...

Beppu, Oita

Warm Winter Getaway – Beppu and Oita With winter vacation over and spring vacation not even on the radar, thoughts naturally turn to taking a weekend day trip to a warm and r...

Haleakala

Island Style Named after a volcano on the Hawaiian island of Maui, Haleakala translates into “house of the sun”. Like the lava in its namesake, Haleakala, with its glas...

Body Singer KOKO

It was at an after-party for the legendary African percussionist, Mamady Keita, at the Sea Hawk Hotel in 1999 that I first saw Koko. I was surprised to see her and the other young ...

Mogura

Cafe & Shochu – Showa-style “In an old wooden home in the back streets of Shirogane that was previously used as a pottery gallery, graphic designer by day, shochu ...

Actor & Actress TOMATO

Many foreigners find it difficult to understand the popularity of Japanese “okama entertainment”. It has less to do with sex than the performers’ ability to take ...

Mizukami-mura, Kumamoto

Phantom Fish and Nature School Ahh, March! When the sun regains its power and the feeling in your limbs returns. After spending all winter under the kotatsu trying to figure out Ja...