The Ultimate Guide To Tokyo
This is how every week/weekend should be - four days on, four days off, four days on. Sadly this kind of work life combo is all too rare. Although Cinco de Mayo (link in Japanese) is a Mexican celebration, this event to be held in the event …
To celebrate the launch of lots of expensive new shops at Tokyo Midtown and the 'opening' of the grass square area in Midtown Park, there will be free concerts from 3pm to 6pm from Saturday, April 27th through Monday, April 29th as part of …
Cona (previously Voco) Pizza is yet another pizzeria in Tokyo targeting the 500yen price point. While the pizza is good, the thing that sets Cona apart from the others is the huge range of pizzas on the menu and the casual bar style. The week …
While traditional horseback archery is rather a rare sight in these modern times, this weekend you will have the choice of two different locations at which to admire the amazing skill of these archers as they fire off their arrows while riding …
If you're a freelancer, a location independent entrepreneur or you just need a space where you can concentrate and get some work done, then the Open Source Cafe in Shimokitazawa is worth a look. While not as cheap as a coffee at Starbucks, the …
The Ozeki Supermarket branch in Shimokitazawa is not huge, but unlike the Peacock Supermarket on the other side of the station, it's always teeming with housewives and keen locals picking up their groceries. That's because it's simply cheaper …
Flower festivals are more or less continuous in Japan, so as soon as Hanami ends, another one comes along to take its place. The Bunkyo Azalea festival starts today (as I write this) and will likely be in full swing this weekend. The festival is …
One of the surprises when I first arrived in Tokyo was discovering the alternative universe of snacks, chocolate and sweets. In Japan, Mars is simply the fourth planet from the sun and Cadbury and Hersheys are considered to be exotic import …
If you've ever mistaken the Japanese terms for cherry blossom viewing (hanami) with fireworks (hanabi) then Adachi Ward in Tokyo's east has the event for you. While enjoying the remnants of the cherry blossoms at Toneri Koen, you can also see …
Please note: This was an April Fool's Post, Don't look for the sushi vending machine! Japan is deservedly well known for its vending machines. Along with the ubiquitous soft drink machines there are machines that vend everything from noodles, …
Right now, the Tokyo Spring Festival - a collection of opera and classical music concerts - is on at venues throughout Tokyo. While some tickets might run you up to 9,000yen each, there is a free opera mini-concert on at the otherworldly …
Yoshi Soba is a standing soba noodle bar which also sometimes has seats. While they're not as ubiquitous as some of the other bigger noodle chains, their stores seem to be located in places where you can't help but stumble across them - which is …
UR Housing is a public corporation that offers rental housing and accommodation in Tokyo and in cities all over Japan. The 'UR' stands for 'Urban Renaissance'. While the cartel of real estate agents and property owners in Japan typically extort …
In our last podcast on Cheapo Hanami, recorded on the 9th of March, we predicted the weekends of the 30/31 of March and April 6/7 as the peak hanami weekend. Alas, the warm weather has made liars of us. This weekend and next look to be the …
Latest forecasts have the cherry blossoms starting this Sunday, but it won't really kick-off properly until the weekend of March 23/24. Meanwhile, save that hanami anticipation and enjoy some of what's on offer around Tokyo. The best free events …
You can see and perhaps even participate in fire walking at the Mt Takao Hiwatari Festival (link in Japanese) near Takaosan Yakuouin Temple this Sunday, March the 10th from 1pm. The sacred act of walking on hot coals and embers is regarded as …
March 3rd is Hina Matsuri or Girls' Day. Hina Matsuri is a festival in which girls display their traditional Hina ningyo (dolls) on a platform draped with red fabric within their homes. The dolls represent the emperor and empress with their …
Thali-ya is difficult to categorise. They serve mostly authentic Indian food, but is it a bento shop? A cafe? A Shokudo? It's definitely a twist on the typical Indian eatery in Tokyo - sitting somewhere between CoCo Ichibanya and "normal' Indian …
Sushi Misakimaru is yet another one of the big sushi chains that proliferate in Tokyo, with 45 branches in the Kanto region. Not all stores are the same - some are 'kaiten' sushi (pre-made sushi on a conveyor belt) while others are more like …
Most of Tokyo's main arterial routes will be clogged with runners this Sunday morning for the 2013 Tokyo Marathon. The event is incredibly popular with those wishing to participate having to win a lottery before they can enter. This year will …
For the second to last Cheapo weekend of February we feature two events that couldn't be more different. As usual, both offer plenty of entertainment at a very low price. The Japan Media Arts Festival is on again this year at the National Art …
Komoro Soba is one of those places that after you've been there once, you suddenly notice that they have stores absolutely everywhere you look. 81 of their 84 stores are within the 23 wards of Tokyo with 50 of those located in Chuo and Chiyoda …
On January 30th, 1703, a cold, still winter night with snow fluttering over Edo, forty seven ronin - samurai without a master - crept into the house of their dead master's arch enemy and exacted a brutal revenge, so creating one of the greatest …
This is the time of year when everyone pretends that it's getting warmer even though it isn't. So if you'd like to join in with the mass delusions of spring, here are some ideas for the weekend. Around about the time that 'hanami' (cherry …