Arigato Travel has had the pleasure of interviewing Gianni Simone, a passionate writer and the author of Tokyo Geek’s Guide and Otaku Japan. His blog, Tokyo Calling, details all aspects of Japanese society while including recommendations on books, films, and music. When he is not working on literary ventures, he is exploring the cityscapes of Yokohama and Tokyo. Join us as we hear more about Gianni’s journey to Japan and his career as an author!
Hello! Can you please introduce yourself?
I’m Gianni Simone, an Italian writer and journalist who somehow ended up in Japan. If you want to read a passably detailed chronicle of my life so far, you can check out my biography here. In my teen years, I was deeply into Anglo-American culture and wanted to major in American History. You can imagine my horror when I went to college and found out that the American History professor was on a two-year academic leave.
At that time, I knew almost nothing about Japan. Then I started corresponding with a Japanese girl (do you remember pen pals?), met a charmingly weird professor at my university who had spent seven years in Tokyo, and ended up majoring in Japanese History. Call it fate or destiny or the music of chance, but instead of going West, I flew East. I’ve lived in Tokyo and Yokohama since 1992.
I’ve always loved writing, and for many years after moving to Tokyo, I made my own zines that I traded with fellow zinesters around the world. For one of those strange cases that make life often stranger than fiction, one of my zines ended up in the right hands, and I was given a chance to write professionally and contribute to English, Italian, and French media, including The Japan Times, Vogue Italia, The Monitor, and Zoom Japon. Still, I was missing zine-making’s more direct and unfiltered approach to sharing my ideas, so I launched Tokyo Calling.
In Tokyo, you never know what you find behind the corner – Photo Credit: Gianni Simone
Your blog posts on Tokyo Calling cover a wide array of topics, from Japanese culture to book recommendations. What is your creative process for coming up with fresh and engaging blog post ideas? Can you share any tips or strategies you use to keep your content interesting and relevant?
I’m afraid there are no clever strategies behind my online writing. Tokyo Calling potters along without a real sense of direction. The driver (i.e., me) is constantly distracted by what he finds along the way. In Tokyo Calling, you will find articles, essays, and interviews on culture, society, architecture, food, travel, music, sex, etc. The only thing those stories have in common is Japan. As long as I find them interesting, I present them to my readers, hoping they will share my interest.
A blog analyst – or whatever they are called – would probably criticize Tokyo Calling for lacking focus. But I believe that the most important thing is to write about topics you are really passionate about. That’s the only tip I would give an aspiring writer. My readers keep increasing in number, so I guess they both approve of my choices and sense my enthusiasm.
What kind of content can readers look forward to in your upcoming newsletter? Are there any special features or topics you plan to highlight?
As I mentioned above, anything’s fair game as long as it deals with Japan. In the past, for instance, I wrote a five-part story about the 1966 Beatles’ tour of Japan and (un)covered the country’s naughty bits. In Tokyo Calling, there is also a separate section devoted to all things otaku (manga, anime, games, etc.). Most importantly, whenever I manage to unchain myself from my work desk, I really love traveling and urban exploration. Therefore, a fair number of posts cover those subjects, and I’ll add more in the future. One thing I like to do is just walk around Tokyo, literally lose my way in the maze of backstreets (Google’s Street View be damned) and discover hidden corners and secret spots.
Niiharu Shimin no Mori is one of Yokohama’s 47 Citizens’ Forests – Photo Credit: Gianni Simone
How do you approach writing about the cultural nuances of Japan in a way that resonates with both local and international readers?
As I said, I majored in Japanese history, and even now, I read any Japan-related books and articles I can get my hands on. Even more importantly, I’ve lived in this country for the last 32 years; I’ve traveled extensively and interviewed many people. Being able to see things with your eyes and talk with the locals adds an invaluable element of truth and honesty to your reporting. Nothing can replace personal experience on the field. I should also add that while I love Japan, I’m not a cheerleader – one of those people who praise everything just because it’s Japanese. I give praise where praise is due, but also point out the less palatable side of life in Japan, be it xenophobia or the country’s dubious work culture (also, don’t believe YouTubers and other influencers: most convenience store food sucks). I guess my readers appreciate the fact that I strive to offer an unbiased view of Japan.
Can you tell us about your upcoming projects, and what aspects of Tokyo’s history are you most excited to explore and share?
I’ve already mentioned my love for Tokyo and urban exploration. I’m also a bit of a train otaku, and Tokyo has plenty of interesting railway and subway lines. Putting all those things together, I’m currently walking around the Yamanote Line – the train loop encircling central Tokyo – exploring the city on both sides of the tracks while keeping within its “acoustic footprints.” As each of the neighborhoods served by the Yamanote Line has its own distinct history and local flavor, a journey around the loop offers a unique opportunity to deep-dive into the life of one of the world’s most exciting cities. You can read about my Yamanote Line walks here.
Walking along the Yamanote Line, you may have a chance encounter with Jomyoin’s 14,000 jizo – Photo Credit: Gianni Simone
What are some of your favorite countryside spots in Tokyo and Yokohama that offer a unique escape from the busy city life?
In Tokyo and Yokohama, escaping the busy city life can be tricky because everywhere you go, chances are you are going to share the countryside with lots of other “escapees.” For example, Mount Takao in Tokyo and Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture are beautiful places, but they are often as crowded as Shinjuku Station, especially on a weekend. If you are into hiking, Mount Mitake in Tokyo is less than 1,000 meters tall and offers a good workout.
I confess that when I want to enjoy nature “far from the madding crowd,” I stay close to home. I live in the Yokohama suburbs, but my place looks almost like the countryside, with lots of rice paddies, walking paths, and a beautiful river running through it. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I rediscovered my surroundings, and now I’m trying to learn the names of all the plants and birds in my area.
The city of Yokohama also has an excellent network of 47 Citizens’ Forests (Shimin no Mori in Japanese). Ranging between one and 73 ha, they were created in 1971 with the cooperation of local owners to protect valuable green spaces and provide little-known oases of peace where people can relax.
As a fellow explorer of Japan, what are some of the coolest seasonal events or sights you’ve experienced that visitors shouldn’t miss?
In general, matsuri or religious festivals are always a great opportunity to experience a “rawer” and uninhibited side of Japan. Wherever you go, from big cities to small villages, they have their own seasonal events. My personal favorite is Tokyo’s Sanja Matsuri in Asakusa, where the din of the huge crowd compressed inside the Nakamise-dori shopping street will make your temples twang.
If you prefer somewhere off the beaten path, this February, I had a chance to visit Shodoshima, the second-largest island in the Inland Sea, where I took part in the Kioke Summit, an annual event celebrating wooden barrel-made shoyu (soy sauce). I spent three wonderful days with a group of people who are deeply committed to preserving traditional culture and food-making. You can read about it in Tokyo Calling.
Imoten at Kochi’s Sunday Market – Photo Credit: Gianni Simone
You explored numerous culinary destinations while researching for your books, Tokyo Geek’s Guide and Otaku Japan. Could you share some of your favorite places with our food enthusiasts?
First of all, I’m sorry to say that, more often than not, otaku culture does not translate into fine dining. Most of the otaku restaurants and cafes I covered in my guides are more famous for the way their dishes and drinks look than how they taste. This does not mean they taste bad. Just don’t expect anything special. That said, otaku fans are more interested in those places’ décor and overall atmosphere than just the food per se, so if you are into manga and anime, you should definitely try some of them.
I’m a big fan of street food, and during my recent travels, I was lucky enough to visit two great Sunday markets, one in Kochi City (Kochi Prefecture) and one in Hachinohe (Aomori Prefecture). The one in Kochi available here, takes up a 1.3-kilometer-long lane and offers such local traditional food as inaka-sushi (country-style vegetarian sushi where fish has been replaced with preserved and pickled vegetables and fried tofu) and imo-ten, freshly fried, bite-size sweet potato tempura that will likely become one of the best sweets you will ever eat in Japan.
The Hachinohe market is held from mid-March to the end of December and has everything, from fresh seafood and vegetables to bread, noodles, and sweets. When I went there last summer, I had aki kushiyaki (shellfish skewers), dengaku (tofu skewers heated on a grill and topped with miso seasoned with mirin and sugar), ôban’yaki (a kind of stuffed pancake filled with vanilla custard), and tonjiru (miso soup with pork and vegetables) for only 850 yen!
Thank you so much for taking the time to be interviewed! We truly appreciate you giving us the chance to introduce you on our blog, and we wish you the best in your future projects!
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Tokyo Calling: https://giannisimone.substack.com/
Personal Blog: https://giannisimone.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gianni.simone.71/
Featured Photo Credit: Gianni Simone
