Sports & Events Japan’s Rugby Mecca Is Also a Great Escape From Summer Heat
Japan has a handful of places rugby fans consider sacred ground, and Sugadaira Kogen in Nagano Prefecture is one of the ...
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Sports & Events 
Shopping & Items The Rugby Specialty Store Near Tokyo Station Most Tourists Miss
Rugby fans visiting Japan are often surprised at how hard it is to find Japan National Team merchandise, or gear for the...
Local Life & Culture Japan Has 1,500 Earthquakes a Year — What “Normal” Looks Like, and What Doesn’t
Our deepest condolences go out to everyone affected by the recent earthquake in the Kumamoto region, and our thoughts ar...
Shopping & Items Why You’ll Be Asked “Do You Need a Bag?” at Almost Every Checkout in Japan
If you're shopping in Japan — konbini, supermarket, or increasingly clothing and sporting goods stores too — expect to b...
Local Life & Culture The Messaging App Almost Every Japanese Person Uses (That Barely Exists Outside Japan)
If you're used to WhatsApp, Messenger, or another globally dominant messaging app, Japan is a genuine exception. The ove...
Food & Dining Izakaya 101: Japan’s Bar-Restaurant Hybrid and the Snack Charge Nobody Warns You About
Izakaya are Japan's version of a pub-meets-restaurant — places built around the idea of eating and drinking together rat...
Food & Dining The Japanese Dish Locals Save Up For (That Most Tourists Skip)
While sushi and ramen dominate the international idea of Japanese food, unagi (grilled eel) is quietly one of the dishes...
Getting Around Everyone Pays Japan’s Hotel Tax — Not Just Tourists*
There's a common assumption that Japan's accommodation tax (宿泊税) is a surcharge specifically aimed at foreign visitors —...
Local Life & Culture Skip Tokyo and Kyoto for a Few Days — Here’s Where Japanese People Actually Vacation
If you've built your itinerary entirely around Tokyo and Kyoto, you're seeing the two places that dominate international...
Local Life & Culture “But I Didn’t Know” — The New Etiquette Mistakes Tourists in Japan Are Actually Making
Most visitors to Japan already know the classics: shoes off indoors, wash before the onsen, don't talk loudly on the tra...