Jul 7, 2026
Do you mark Tanabata? If so, on July 7th or August 7th? Do you do something at home to mark the occasion, be it special food, crafts, storytelling etc? Or maybe you go to a Tanabata Festival at some point during the summer?
Former nickname was "Saitama". Changed it to save confusion on place review posts! Irish, 20+ years in Japan! I also write on my personal website: insaitama.com
0 Answers
Do you mark Tanabata? If so, on July 7th or August 7th? Do you do something at home to mark the occasion, be it special food, crafts, storytelling etc? Or maybe you go to a Tanabata Festival at some point during the summer?
1 hour ago
10 Answers
Cooling towels and / or gel sheets, ice-gel technology, portable mist fans, wearable air conditioners... the list goes on and on. But which of Japan's cooling items actually work? What have you tried and tested and give a seal of approval?
on Jul 4
6 Answers
Are there any foods you only eat in the summer in Japan? Or, if you prefer, foods that you associate with summer? One that comes to mind for my family is somen - we usually only eat somen in summer, with the very odd exception. One of my kids sometimes craves somen when she's feeling poorly! 'Goya' is another. Do you eat somen and goya only in summer or would you eat it at other times of the year too?
on Jun 24
4 Answers
Yesterday I wrote about "Baby Shower Day". But now I am curious - have you ever been to a Baby Shower in Japan? And if so, was it for and / or organized by a Japanese person or a foreigner? And FYI, in case you haven't noticed it yet, we can now see how many views our posts are getting again! Baby shower post: https://www.city-cost.com/blogs/BigfamJapan/weBpJ-living_saitama_tokyo
on Jun 7
2 Answers
Today is "Goya Day" and as I wrote in my post about it, my MIL is growing some this year so no doubt we'll be given some to cook. I am not a big fan, because I find it unpleasantly bitter. So, following in the same vein as tonetoedo's mentaiko / karako question - what way do you serve goya? Have you any tips for taking the bitterness out of it?
on May 8
5 Answers
I know this question has probably been asked several times in the past, but it is also the kind of question to which the answer changes frequently! So, I am curious - what are your top food souvenir picks for 2026? I am going home again soon, and I want to get food omiyage for several people, including the school where my son is about to finish a one-year exchange. I would love to hear your thoughts on the BEST Japanese food omiyage around this year! And / or the food omiyage you buy each and every time you are going home because it's always a big hit? I just had the photo in this post to hand, and it is not a recommendation per se, it's not bad and fits well into a suitcase, but it's not the best strawberry daifuku I ever had.
on Apr 24
5 Answers
Just for fun; what type of skewered food do you like best in Japan? Or, if you feel like sharing, what are your top 3?
on Apr 11
2 Answers
The live action version of テルマエ・ロマエ Thermae Romae (2012) was shot at Nokogiriyama, Kyonan Town, Chiba Prefecture. It's one of my favourite getaways for hiking, the temple complex, and catching sea breezes. The movie is hilarious and heartwarming. Which Japanese live-action movies do you recommend, and are the filming locations worth a visit? Tell us the original title, English title, the year, and the location.
on Mar 23
4 Answers
I always get a little kick out of finding a vending machine that dispenses something other than drinks or ice-cream. I have been seeing an increase in vending machines that sell religious items lately. I also like finding vending machines with unusual or attractive wrapping. Have you come across any unusual vending machines lately? Either vending machines that sell something other than the norm or a vending machine with eye-catching wrapping?
on Mar 21
5 Answers
Do you know your consumer rights in Japan? And if so, would you be willing to share anything about them? For example, what is the policy on returns? I am very familiar with my consumer rights in my home country, and they are very widely publicized back home, but information doesn't seem to be as transparent or readily available here. Or is that just me?
on Mar 15
18 Answers
Today, February 20th, is Ehime Prefecture Day. What do you most associate with Ehime Prefecture, what is the very first thing that comes to mind when I say "Ehime Prefecture"!?
on Feb 20
8 Answers
The other day, on "Strawberry Day" I wrote about "Yoshimin", the strawberry mascot of Yoshimi. I thought it might be fun to introduce a few others, so I've just written about "Tokimo" the mascot of Kawagoe. And I plan to introduce a couple of my favorites. It begs the question, do you have a favorite mascot? And how about writing a post on City-cost about your favorite or a local mascot? Pictured "Umerin" who I plan to write about next!
on Jan 17
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