Author: Japanfromwithin
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Haneda Airport to The Hotel: Taxi vs. Limousine Bus vs. Train
Haneda Airport to Your Hotel: Taxi vs. Limousine Bus vs. Train Compared: Haneda’s proximity to central Tokyo means every option on this list is genuinely fast, but the right choice still depends on your luggage, budget, and how much you want to avoid a transfer after landing. This guide compares the three main ways to…
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Narita Airport to the Hotel: Taxi vs. Limousine Bus vs. Train
Narita Airport to Your Hotel: Taxi vs. Limousine Bus vs. Train Compared: Once you land at Narita, deciding how to get into central Tokyo comes down to a trade-off between cost, speed, and convenience. This guide compares the three main options side by side so you can pick the one that fits your priorities. Quick…
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Fruits Unique to Japan
Japanese Fruits Worth Trying: Wa-Nashi, Kaki, Mikan, and Dekopon: Japan’s fruit culture goes well beyond the famously expensive melons and strawberries covered elsewhere on this blog. A handful of everyday fruits, sold at supermarkets and fruit stands throughout the country, are genuinely worth trying specifically because they’re distinct from what you’ll find back home, or,…
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Japanese Roasted Sweet Potato
Yaki-imo: The Japanese Roasted Sweet Potato Winning Over Foreign Visitors: Yaki-imo, slow-roasted Japanese sweet potato, might be the most unassuming food on this entire blog, and also one of the most quietly beloved. It’s simple, inexpensive, and sold on street corners and in convenience stores throughout the country, yet it’s become a genuine favorite among…
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Why Foreign Visitors Love Japanese Umeshu
Umeshu: Japan’s Classic Plum Wine Has Way More Variety Than You’d Expect: Umeshu, Japan’s sweet, tangy plum liqueur, has been a staple of home and restaurant drinking culture for generations, traditionally the kind of thing grandparents brewed in a jar at home with green ume plums, sugar, and shochu. But the umeshu you’ll find on…
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Eating Raw Eggs in Japan
Raw Eggs in Japan Are Genuinely Safe to Eat, Here’s How to Try Them: In a lot of countries, eating a raw egg sounds like a risk not worth taking. In Japan, it’s a completely normal, everyday part of the food culture, and there’s a real reason it’s considered safe here. If you’ve never tried…
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Real Wasabi and Fresh Seafood
For Anyone Who Thinks They Dislike Wasabi or Seafood, Give Japan One More Chance: A lot of travelers arrive in Japan already convinced they don’t like wasabi, or that seafood just isn’t for them. If that’s you, it’s genuinely worth reconsidering once you’re here. What you’ve tried before and what Japan actually serves are, in…
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Japanese soft-serve ice cream
Japanese Soft Serve: Why Cremia, Matcha, and Beyond Have Visitors Hooked: Soft serve ice cream exists in plenty of countries, but Japan has turned it into something closer to a national obsession, with an enormous range of flavors, genuinely premium options, and a level of quality that regularly surprises first-time visitors. Here’s what to know,…
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Retro Vending Machine Paradise
Used Tire Market Sagamihara: Japan’s Legendary Retro Vending Machine Corner: Of all the unusual places a Japan trip can take you, few are as unexpectedly delightful as a used tire shop in the suburbs of Sagamihara, Kanagawa. Attached to Used Tire Market’s Sagamihara store is a sprawling collection of more than 100 working retro vending…
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Japan’s Kids Meals
Okosama Lunch: Japan’s Kids Meals That Impress Even the Adults: Kids meals exist everywhere in the world, but Japan’s version, okosama lunch (or okosama set), tends to leave a real impression on foreign visitors who try it or see one arrive at a nearby table. The presentation alone is often enough to make adults wish…
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Don Quijote: A Must-Visit Shop in Japan
Don Quijote: Why Foreign Visitors Can’t Stop Talking About This Store: If you’ve spent any time researching Japan travel online, you’ve probably come across someone raving about Don Quijote, often just called “Donki.” It’s part discount store, part souvenir shop, part chaotic treasure hunt, and it’s become one of the most talked-about shopping stops for…
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Standing Bars
Tachinomi: Why Standing Bars Have Become a Hit with Foreign Visitors: Tachinomi, literally “standing drinking,” has quietly become one of the more talked-about experiences for foreign visitors to Japan in recent years, and it’s easy to see why once you understand what makes it different from a typical bar. No tables, no long commitment, no…