In the latest survey, Japan has the strongest passport! No need for a visa for their nationals to visit 190 countries — the most globally. Like my students, many Japanese enjoy traveling abroad. Great to hear their stories and how …
In my travels around the world, only in Japan (OIJ) that I was exposed to communal bathing in “birthday suit.” As I was onboard a ship for more than 2 years, I’ve visited & swum in various beaches. What a …
Freebies nature healing, anyone? Just about 5 minutes on foot from Tamagawajosui Station along Seibu Shinjuku/Haijima Line is a free hot foot bath. Komorebi no Ashiyu is in the middle of a mini-forest so you can also enjoy fresh air with a …
Just got out of the movie theater and still digesting what I watched. I heard a lot about it from my students especially the band’s first tour in Japan. As I prefer live performances like Broadway, concerts, stage plays, and …
Today marks my 27th year in Japan and 1st month anniversary as a blogger. As I thought about something new to do, I planned to showcase my residence city which I hope the articles will be helpful for people looking …
When food is the much-needed stress-reliever, I rush to an eatery serving familiar ingredients and tastes! Kamayan’s Tachikawa was first recommended to me by a Black American servicewoman working at the Yokota Airbase in the northern part of Tokyo. She came here …
The more I read about the train & bus station just a minute walk away from my schoolhouse, the deeper I dig into the Edo (now called Tokyo) era. I more than realized that I live and work very near …
Looking for freshly-made buckwheat noodles for lunch or just observe how to make Japanese “soba” (noodles from buckwheat flour)? Go to Ogawa Family Restaurant located at 6-9-1 Saiwaicho, Tachikawa City (Phone #: 042-535-5025). It’s within my block — about 3 minutes walk …
Yesterday’s featured “soba” local family restaurant serves only lunch but has meal delivery service. Today join me in exploring a neighborhood “izakaya” where they serve lunch & dinner and customers can sit on tatami mats or by the counter table. “Izakaya” is an informal …
Today is my adult student’s birthday but she’ll celebrate it at an Indian restaurant this weekend. As we talk about Indian restaurants, we realized that there are so many of them in Tachikawa City. I readily shared my favorite Hira Indian …