Mar 17, 2022

Hope everyone's doing OK after the quake last night.

Had a pretty good shake here in the Tokyo area but no damage or things falling over in the apartment. Power went out for a couple of hours and I had trouble getting online via my phone to keep up with the latest developments. The earthquake warning did sound on my phone this time though. (It seems to be quite random.) As usual, this was a reminder to check-up on the location of the torch and the status of the batteries in it. We have a grab bag ready to go, too, but it needs an up date. Sounds like it was a scary experience further north. Hoping everyone is well.

0 6

SalarymanJim

A foreign salaryman in Japan, documenting life from somewhere near 'salaryman town' Shimbashi, Tokyo. Way out of my depth!

6 Answers

genkidesu

on Mar 17

Felt it here, but no major damage. Kids slept through! I know that Jessica (one of the regular contributors on here) is based in Miyagi, so just hoping she and her family are all okay!

1
JapanRamen

on Mar 18

It was quite a big shake and I was standing at the door with my wallet, phone and passport in hand getting ready to run out. No one else in the apartment were prepared like that, which I think it is better to be safe than not. Thankfully things are okay in my area!

1
genkidesu

on Mar 18

@JapanRamen 100% better to be safe and ready! These things are always my reminder to check our earthquake backpack and make sure everything still works!

0
JapanRamen

on Mar 18

@genkidesu Smart! I should actually open the backpack and take a look lol!

0
genkidesu

on Mar 25

@JapanRamen definitely recommend checking to see if everything works! We had some corrosion on our torch battery ports, so replaced those and added extra "fresh" batteries to our stash.

1
SalarymanJim

on Mar 25

@JapanRamen I need to do likewise! And get some new batteries.

0

Awaiting More Answers

0 Answers

Your best dupes for popular places

I saw on a recent review of Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, fellow blogger ToneToEdo had suggested Hokokuji in Kamakura as a nice alternative. It got me thinking if anyone has any good dupes for other places. One I liked was Motonosumi Inari Shrine in Yamaguchi, which was a nice "stacked torii" alternative for Fushimi Inari. Any other good ones you can think of?

genkidesu

about an hour ago

2 Answers

Golden Week 2026 plans?

Are you venturing beyond your prefecture this time? Or sticking close to home? I'm planning on some day trips in my region, Kanto, as I'm committed to work on the Thursdays and Fridays that some people can take off.

TonetoEdo

19 hours ago

5 Answers

Your 2026 food omiyage / souvenir picks?

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.

BigfamJapan

on Apr 24

5 Answers

What's your favorite 'kushiyaki'?

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?

BigfamJapan

on Apr 11

2 Answers

Movie locations near you worth visiting?

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.

TonetoEdo

on Mar 23

4 Answers

Recent vending machine discoveries?

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?

BigfamJapan

on Mar 21

5 Answers

What are our consumer rights in Japan?

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?

BigfamJapan

on Mar 15

16 Answers

What do you most associate with Ehime Prefecture?

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"!?

BigfamJapan

on Feb 20

8 Answers

Do you have a favorite mascot?

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!

BigfamJapan

on Jan 17

7 Answers

Growing Mushrooms

Here's for a weird hobby. I just saw a video by an American Youtuber that I plan to watch about growing shiitake mushrooms. From what I've seen, it probably needs a bit of space. There was a local market in Fukuoka Prefecture that had a "mushroom room" where they grew and sold mushrooms like maitake and eringi. I also saw a video of a couple in Paris that built a mushroom growing shower room! The local hardware store sells "seeded" logs and shiitake mushroom growing kits. I have seen the logs around people's homes on occasion. It seems like a very odd, but sustainable hobby. Has anyone tried it, or is anyone interested to try this? I wonder how involved or beginner friendly it is.

helloalissa

on Dec 29

6 Answers

Hair Color Treatments for Greying Hair

For those of you who have colored grey hair, I'm curious about the hair color treatments available in most drugstores. They seem simpler to use than box dyes. It's been many years since I've colored my hair. It's a chestnut brown and my grey is more silver. I don't hate it but the grey is dry and making me feel like I look older than I am. I'm especially interested in the natural brands that are non-permanent. For example Rishiri Kombu sounds like a decent option. Looking forward to your recommendations and experience.

helloalissa

on Aug 3

7 Answers

Entrance ceremony clothes

Soon my kid will have his entrance ceremony at school, and I'm looking for those typical Japanese style ceremony clothes for myself. I'm 1.80m, not so skinny woman, which has huge problems to even find normal clothes in Japan. Does anybody have the same problem and might have any advice, where to get those ceremony clothes in a taller size?

BlueButterfly

on Feb 17

Hope everyone's doing OK after the quake last night.

6 Answers

Awaiting More Answers

Share Your Experience