September 2019

Recommended Foodie Events in Tokyo – October 2019
September 28, 2019  By Norma 

Monthly Foodie Events! Check out our top three recommended food happenings in Tokyo this month.

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Top 10 Tokyo Souvenirs to Bring for Your Friends Back Home
September 24, 2019  By Rae DeFrane 

Tokyo is an amazing, busy, exciting and fun place to visit. Don’t forget to get your friends/family/significant other Something from your trip! Let’s go through the Top 10 suggestions I have after living in Tokyo for a year.

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Okiniawa’s Centuries Old Pottery Alley
September 23, 2019  By Rae DeFrane 

Shops are overflowing with hand-made treasures in a myriad of colours that encapsulate island life. Many of the pieces I saw were a blue that was reminiscent of the tropical seas of the region, and can only have taken inspiration from the surroundings.

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Traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony with a Belgian Tea Master in Kyoto
September 21, 2019  By Jessica Iragne 

Practicing the tea ceremony gave me the opportunity not only to deepen my understanding of the ritual, but simultaneously to expand my knowledge into other areas of Japanese culture because of its relation to the practice. In essence, I have come to feel that the tea ceremony is a microcosm of Japanese culture as a whole.

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OSUSUME Japan – Kyoto Brewing Company: When Worlds Collide
September 18, 2019  By Nick Colaccino 

Kyoto is a city that is famous for its rich and historic culture. But the beauty of culture is that it is never fixed. Innovation and exploration, defining qualities of Kyoto Brewing Company, are at the center of a cultural revolution maintaining Kyoto’s relevance in our modern world.

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Staff of the Month August 2019: Jenkie from Tokyo
September 11, 2019  By Jessica Iragne 

Today we’re more than happy to introduce you to Jenkie, from our Tokyo team. This month is a bit special because Jenkie is not a guide but she is very important to the whole company and our operations at Arigato Japan…

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Fake Food in Japan: The World’s Most Delicious Looking Plastic
September 7, 2019  By Rae DeFrane 

If you have ever been to Japan, you might have seen plastic models of food in the windows of restaurants, displaying the edible counterparts that lay within. These are called ‘sampuru’ or ‘sample’ and have been part of the Japanese economy and food culture for nearly one hundred years…

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Interview with Eka Wong, author of the “Hungry in Japan” books
September 4, 2019  By Jessica Iragne 

Today we are so happy to ask some questions to Eka Wong, author of the “Hungry in Tokyo”, “Hungry in Osaka” and “Hungry in Kyoto” books….

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The Saba Kaido: Kyoto’s Historic Mackerel Highway
September 2, 2019  By Nick Colaccino 

The peaks of northern Kyoto are crisscrossed with roads and trails that wind through valleys and over mountain passes to Fukui Prefecture and the Japan Sea. Since at least the Heian Period (794-1185), the mountain passes have connected the imperial capital to the port of Obama City, which was a hub for marine goods. The Saba Kaido (kaido 街道 usually translates to “old road”) that connected these ancient areas…

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