Green tea, so central to Japanese daily life, actually originated in Northern Kyushu! Below, I present a brief guide to three of Kyushu’s main tea producing regions and their particular types of Japanese green tea.

If you grew up in the West, you’ve probably heard about Haiku. This poetic form is inseparable from the image of Japanese culture, but writing a haiku is not too common.

In this piece, I shine a light on a neighborhood which is rarely mentioned in tourist guidebooks–Asakusabashi, located conveniently only one stop from electronics and otaku mecca, Akihabara, on the JR Sobu line with a subway stop on the Toei Asakusa Line as well for easy access to the Asakusa/Sensoji area and Tokyo Sky Tree.

Here are a few things I hope you get to partake in as other ALTs have.

When learning Japanese and languages in general at the beginning you probably will need a textbook or similar material but after you mastered the basics there are a lot of ways you can continue your Japanese studies that are more entertaining than a textbook dialogue between Mr. Tanaka and Ms. Suzuki.

As a Pokémon fan, there are many ways you can enjoy this franchise. In this article, I will introduce 5 Pokémon-themed foods you can get in Japan.

For days when you’re in the area and in the mood for something different, Akiba is also home to many low-key spaces where you can enjoy the other parts of Tokyo’s consumption landscape, such as clothes and accessory shopping, fancy restaurants, and bookstores. In this article, I suggest five spaces to head to when searching for a different vibe in Akihabara.

This Koka Ninja House, located in the suburb of Koka City in Shiga prefecture, once a residence of The Koka Ninja clan, is currently the only real Japanese ninja house in the country.

Makeup trends from other Asian nations have been gradually growing popular among young women in Japan. The other Asian country with similar popular makeup trends are within close proximity of Japan: Korea.

Quite a lot of people ask me about how to get into the Japanese manga industry, since I’m the only British professional manga creator in Japan.

In this article I would like to introduce you to four Insta-worthy sweets in Asakusa which you can enjoy during your next visit there. Take care that some things are changing seasonally and new ideas are always coming up by the shops. So check out their websites to find out their latest information.

For me, finding out about a second “hidden” language was like unearthing a hidden shrine in my backyard, and I spent many hours in old libraries and online trying to learn about Akita-ben, the Akita dialect. One thing I learned on my study was that the vocab of Akita is not unified: people use different words in the south and north, but the grammar has consistent traits.