Japan Photo Guide

Going back to food, two of my favorite dishes in Japan are shabu shabu and sukiyaki, both of which are kinds of “nabe.” I like to describe this as Japanese fondue, except there isn’t cheese or chocolate (which is a too bad).  Nabe dishes are ones where the ingredients come raw and you cook them in some kind of soup stock at your table (hence the Japanese fondue comparison).  One major difference with this is that the beef (or sometimes pork) comes sliced very thin so the cooking time is just a few seconds, depending on how you like you meat cooked of course. After cooking, usually there is something to dip your food in. For example, for shabu shabu there are two sauces, a ponzu sauce and a sesame sauce and for sukiyaki it is common to dip your beef in raw egg (I am not a fan of this one to be honest). Of the photos below, the one of the left is sukiyaki and the one on the right is shabu shabu.

In addition to being very tasty, eating these nabe dishes are a good and fun experience and a must while visiting Japan, especially if you like beef. You can find places all over Japan, both local shops and chains; however, there are two that I want to recommend (both of which are “all you can eat”)! See more photos and read the rest of this entry »

This post has information and photos mainly about the consumer fish market at Tsukiji. If you are interested, there is also a post more specifically on the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market at Tsukiji.

Tsukiji Fish Market (築地市場) is a large wholesale and consumer market in Tokyo. In fact, it is the largest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world. In recent years it has become a popular tourist attraction for foreigners. Tsukiji is in Tokyo close to Ginza. The best time to go is early in the morning when most of the action is going on in the wholesale market, from around 5-9am. This works out nicely for those that have just arrived and are still jet lagged or for the more adventurous souls that stay out all night and then catch the first train.

These photos were taken at the consumer market next to the wholesale one. The wholesale market is where they have the huge tuna and auctions. Be aware, while it has become a popular place for tourists, people are working here, so if you go try not to get in their way (especially the ones with sharp tools or driving mini forklift looking machines). See more photos and read the rest of this entry »

Ginza is an upscale shopping district in Tokyo that also has it’s fair share of nightlife and restaurants, most of which are fairly (by fairly I actually mean very) expensive. There are many famous designer shops, department stores and even a theater to see Kabuki (traditional Japanese theater) all year long. If you go on the weekend the roads are blocked off to traffic and you can freely walk around.

Below you can see people waiting for the Gucci store to open and also a melon from a department store. The sign with the melon says you can buy two of those bad boys for about 200 USD. Yes that is 200 not 2.00.

For more information about Ginza, see the Japan-Guide.com.

Tokyo has pretty much everything you can imagine, including beautiful temples, shrines, museums, gardens, parks, sky scrappers, and much more. For a city as dense and urban as Tokyo there is a fair amount of nature and parks, such as Ueno Park and Yoyogi Park. There is so much to see and do and even if you live there for a year you will not be able to see and do it all.

Here is a short list of places you shouldn’t miss (in no order):

• Roppongi Hills–modern shopping and business district, the tower has a great 360 degree view and art musem at the top. I reccomend going just before sunset.
• Yoyogi and Ueno Park–Both really nice parks on opposite sides of Tokyo.
• Harajuku on a Sunday–This is when and where all the goth and cosplay people gather.
• Shinjuku and Shibuya–Two of the very urban areas of Tokyo. Great for neon lights, buildings, and people photographs.
• Ginza–This is the expensive shopping district
• Asakusa–This is where the famous big latern is you have seen in photographs.
• Akihabara–Electric Town but is kind of turning into Anime/Cosplay Town.
• Tsukiji–The largest fish markets in the world, go early and don’t dress up!