Monthly okozukai "pocket money" down among Japan's company workers

City-Cost

on Aug 20

Authorities eye taking back control of Mt. Fuji, from top to bottom

City-Cost

on Jul 3

Foreign ministry survey finds 45% of Japanese expats feeling lonely

City-Cost

on Jun 5

Gov’t selected clean-up initiatives take aim at littering tourists

City-Cost

on Jun 3

Yen Surges on Suspected Government Intervention

BigfamJapan

1 hour ago

Driving trips getting more expensive, but families still hitting the road

genkidesu

1 hour ago

Another Reason to Use a Folding Fan

helloalissa

16 hours ago

Less summer holiday homework this year?!

Lyssays

on Jul 26

Aoba No Mori Water Square

Chuo-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba

Still a great source of fun in 2026!

Lyssays

21 hours ago

Rakuga Kids (Ario Soga)

Chuo-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba

Fun and gamified indoor playground

Lyssays

on Jul 27

Peach Village Kariwa

Kariwa-mura, Niigata

Inexpensive peaches

genkidesu

on Jul 27

Narita Airport Terminal 1

Narita-shi, Chiba

soothing garden atmosphere

TonetoEdo

on Jul 25

Favorite Noodles

Chilled noodles because it's summer, hot noodles are also accepted. Is it somen or chukasoba or zarusoba? Reimyun or pasta salad? Chanpon or udon or ramen? Pad Thai or Pho?! This year I made somen for the first time! I'm a soba fan. I used to love ramen and tsukemen but for some reason I'm not as into the rich and oily noodles anymore.

helloalissa

14 hours ago

What are the pros and cons of Japanese Citizenship for you?

Most of the people I know here are foreign residents, have foreign family members, or have foreign coworkers, friends or employees. A handful of those have become Japanese citizens. We've been chatting about things like ethnic identity and Japanese citizenship. I don't plan to become a citizen, but it made me wonder, what are the pros and cons for changing your citizenship? Is it something you've given any thought to? (What might make you consider it?)

helloalissa

14 hours ago

Which movie will you see this summer?

I am not a movie-goer at all, but every year I bring the kids to see a film (and they often go with their friends too) during the summer holidays. There seems to be a good choice this year, including Toy Story 5, the Chiikawa movie, the real live action adaption of Moana and the usual annual Crayon Shinchan movie among others. Which movie are you planning to see this summer? Or have you already been to see one (or more)? If so, which one?

BigfamJapan

23 hours ago

Stressful cities in Japan?

Today I blogged about a ranking I found online about the world's "most stressful" cities. Tokyo and Kyoto tied for 5th place, which to me was a bit of a surprise. For the most part I find those places to be pretty chill (especially on a world scale), even with tourists aplenty. Are there any cities or locations here you've found to be stressful in any way? Is it crowds, the vibe, the transport, or something else entirely?

genkidesu

on Jul 21