Tokyo and Surroundings

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Daiso 100 Yen Haul: Top 5 Crazy Quality Japanese Stationery on a Budget!

Tokyo's Surrounding Areas 100 Yen Shops

Daiso is a world-famous Japanese 100-yen store. It’s like a dollar store, but way cooler! There are 3,367 stores nationwide, with a whopping 5,542 in total around the globe. That means that no matter where in Japan you go, you’ll never be too far from exciting finds at great prices! Daiso have been providing the world with top-notch shopping on a budget since 1977, so they’ve had plenty of time to perfect their stationery game. New stationery always makes you feel like you’re starting fresh, with a new opportunity to learn and create something cool and unique. Even if you somehow haven’t hopped on the stationery bandwagon like the rest of us, you can’t deny that you still need it in your life; we all at least write lists, Christmas cards, or post-it notes. Why settle for bland, unexciting erasers and labels, when you could cheer up your drab notebooks and have the most fabulous desk in your office? Swing by and deck out your desk or sort out your souvenirs!

Breakfast in Tokyo: 6 Tasty Spots in Okubo and Shinjuku to Start Your Day

Shinjuku Western-style Food
Tokyo Budget Feast: Top 4 Super-Sized Food Spots to Recharge in Tokyo

Tokyo Station All You Can Eat
'Soak' in 1.2 Million Sakura Petals?! Top 3 Gourmet Events to Enjoy During Tokyo 2020 Cherry Blossom Season

Shibuya
Tokyu Hands Shibuya: 10 Weirdly Useful Japanese Kitchen Goods You'll Wish You Had Sooner

Shibuya Household Goods Stores
Ueno Tokyo: Top 7 Recommended Spots In Tokyo's Souvenir Shopping and Sightseeing Paradise!

Ueno
Scenic, Fun, Historical: 4 Incredibly Satisfying Day Trips From Tokyo!

Narita Old Towns (Shitamachi)

What Japanese Really Get At The Supermarket: Japan’s Top 10 Quirky Local Drinks!

Shibuya Grocery Stores

Keio Store, a supermarket chain operated by Keio Group (the same company which operates Keio Railways and Keio Department Store), are a familiar sight across Japan. As Keio Stores are commonly found in the suburbs and next to train stations, they are an accurate reflection of what the average Japanese person really buys at the supermarket. Let’s take a look at their 2017 sales data to find out Japan’s top 10 drinks! Overall, the most popular beverage among Japanese consumers was tea: green tea, matcha, barley tea, and oolong tea are just some of the varieties of tea that make up a special part of Japanese culture. The remaining entries on the list, like tomato juice and sports drinks, and unsweetened carbonated drinks. As the only sugary beverage on this list is Coca Cola, you can see that a majority of Japan opts for relatively healthy drinks to quench their thirst.

So Fluffy! Japan’s Best Pancakes at the Top 3 Cafés in Harajuku and Omotesando!

Harajuku Other Cafes and Sweets
Dine With Rabbits! 9 Cute and Cuddly Animal Cafes in Tokyo

Shibuya Other Cafes and Sweets
Shimokitazawa Guide: Fashion Walk Around Tokyo’s Artsy Neighborhood!

Shimokitazawa Old Towns (Shitamachi)
'MEAT&WINE': Fantastic Eats at Crazy Cheap Prices in Tokyo’s Shinjuku!

Shinjuku Other Restaurants
What Do Japanese Buy at the Supermarket? Top 10 Quirky Japanese Drinks!

Tokyo Station Grocery Stores
Famous 100-Yen Store: Top 5 Weirdly Useful Kitchen Goods at Daiso!

Tokyo's Surrounding Areas 100 Yen Shops

Say Hello to Kitty and Friends at Tokyo’s Cutest Train Station!

Tokyo's Surrounding Areas Pop Culture

You won’t find a train station more adorable than this one! The Keio railway company recently unveiled a new look for their Tama-Center Station, featuring some of Sanrio’s most popular characters, including none other than Hello Kitty. From the ticket gates to the station platform, and even a special limited train, I found some of Japan’s cutest characters in the most unexpected places!

Learn the Art of Flower Arrangement at Ohara School of Ikebana

Harajuku Other Traditional Arts
[MOVIE] A Japanese Drum Experience at TAIKO-LAB

Shibuya Other Sightseeing
Stringraphy at Studio EVE: A Striking and Unique Musical Experience

Shibuya Other Contemporary Arts
[MOVIE] Navigating Virtual Airspace with Skyart JAPAN

Shinagawa Adventure Activities
[MOVIE] Achieve Your Cosplay Dreams at Cosplay Studio Crown!

Akihabara Culture Experience
[MOVIE] DRUM TAO’S MANGEKYO – a Kaleidoscope of Taiko Drums

Shinagawa Shows

Solo Traveling: Enjoying a Tasty Night Out in Tokyo!

Shinjuku Other Japanese Food

Sometimes, there’s nothing better than setting off on your own for a solo travel adventure. Tokyo is a perfect choice for solo travelers, offering plenty of sightseeing spots and things to do. On top of that, the city is known as a treasure trove of amazing restaurant and gourmet hot spots, so you might spend a big portion of your time just hopping from one café to the next charming little restaurant, trying local specialties and Japanese classics! Because the choice is so huge, we’re here to showcase Tokyo’s top recommendations for solo travelers, from Japanese-style barbecue to hotpot and sake specialties!

JR Edition: Visit all of Tokyo in one Day with the Tokyo Metropolitan District Pass!

Shinjuku Downtown
Day Trip Around Nikko! Get the Most out of Nikko's Famous Sightseeing Spots and World Heritage Site on the Hato Bus!

Nikko Cultural Heritage Sites
Tokyo’s Top Spot for Beautiful Souvenirs: 2k540 Aki-Oka Artisan

Akihabara Department Stores
How to Choose Your 2020 Tokyo Hotel: Top 5 Neighborhoods Recommended by International Residents

Shimokitazawa Other Townscapes
Tokyo Hotels Guide: 4 Hotels With Easy Access to Tokyo Disney Resort

Ningyocho / Monzen-Nakacho / Kasai Hotels
Tips & Advice for Planning a Trip to Tokyo in Autumn

Tokyo Station Autumn

Filipinos Recommend: 4 Best spots around Tokyo for shopping!

Shibuya Department Stores

Whenever you visit Japan, especially if it’s your first time, one of the top five things you’ll want to do is: shopping! And why wouldn’t you: very few cities in the world offer the same kind of shopping experience and opportunities you can find in Tokyo. One thing to remember, though, is that Tokyo is a colossal metropolis. The largest in the world, in fact. You could certainly use one of the many guides available online to find some shopping areas, but wouldn’t it be much better if you could listen to some recommendations coming directly from people who live here, and also who are from the same country as you are? Many people from the Philippines visit Japan, and Tokyo in particular, every year. Not only that: the Filipino community in Japan counts more than 260,000 people currently residing in the Land of the Rising Sun. If you’re visiting from the Philippines, why not ask those with the same background as yours what areas would be the best to go do some shopping? We asked a few of the attendees of the recent Philippine Festival what shopping areas in Tokyo they would suggest other Filipinos visiting the city shouldn’t miss. See what they think and get yourself a nice head start on your planning!

Tokyo Outdoors: Relax at Todoroki Keikoku Ravine, a Nature-Lover's Paradise

Jiyugaoka Rivers, Lakes & Canyons
Visiting a Japanese Shinto Shrine – Everything You Need to Know, Step by Step! (Video)

Ueno Shrines
Tokyo Trouble: What to Do When You Miss the Last Train

Shibuya
10 Awesome Japanese Sweets You Didn't Know Existed!

Tokyo Station Other Shopping
'It Might Look Tasty But...' The Weird Ways Japanese Sweets Surprised Foreigners

Tokyo Station
'Japanese Drivers...' 5 Weird Things That Shocked a Veteran Taiwanese Traveler About Japan!

Tokyo Station

4 Easy Steps: Complete Guide to Ordering Ramen Using a Ticket Vending Machine (Video)

Asakusa Ramen

Eating ramen is an absolute must when coming to Japan! However, as you enter one of Tokyo’s many delicious ramen shops, you are very likely to find yourself standing in front of a vending machine – what? This “food ticket system” is a curious, convenient way to order your food, commonly found at ramen shops all throughout the country. Japanese people are used to this easy, speedy way of ordering food, but first-timers tend to be confused, especially if everything is written in Japanese. Worry not, however, as these food ticket vending machines are easy to master, and we’ll show you how!