Japan Eat Play Sleep

Previously, I already introduced two conveyor belt sushi places to you, Genki Sushi and Uobei , and today, I discovered another one, Kura sushi . All plates of sushi (mostly there are two pieces of sushi on one plate and for some of the more expensive kinds, you get one piece) are just 100 yen. They have special high-tech plates, so you can just grab the plate through the hole in the front and the plastic, transparent, dome-shaped lid will open by itself. You can also order sushi through the touch screen (in English) and it will arrive in the high-speed track located above the regular conveyor belt. I am not sure if this is the case for all of the Kura sushi shops, but on tv, I saw that you can also play a game on the touch screen after you insert 5 empty plates in the slot located at your table. By winning it, you can get a small trinket/toy in a plastic ball. You can find the menu with clear pictures and prices  here . Warm dishes, such as bowls of rice, noodles, and udon wi...

I have always visited cities in Japan with the shinkansen, but I have seen signs of long distance buses around touristy areas before. For instance, when I was in Hakone, I saw a bus that could take me directly to Shinjuku. That is very impressive as it takes about an hour with a high-speed train. Because I easily get carsick, I never considered this option. But recently, I discovered that the buses can have more comfort than I could ever imagine. Take for instance, the seats in the buses from Willer Express, they have fully reclining chairs (up to 142°!) with a cocoon like partition, special ladies-only seats with leg rests that have a built in foot massager and heating + a Sharp Plasma cluster air purifier on board, a hood attached to the top of the seat that gives you privacy, while you sleep, and a personal monitor for entertainment and games at the back of the seat in front of you. It has started to become comparable to an airplane without the discomfort that you might get from ...

Sleeping in one of the hotels of First Cabin is as luxurious as you can get, at least in the capsule hotel category. If you are not familiar with capsule hotels; those are hotels, where you can get a small sleeping space (capsule) that is just about enough to fit your body. Capsule hotels are great for budget travelers in Japan, as you can find them in many places and the rates are about 3,000-5,000 yen per night. You do have to deal with a lack of privacy (as the capsules cannot be locked), use a communal bath room, and to be able to fall asleep in tight spaces. If you are slightly claustrophobic like me, you might want to consider the First Cabin hotels. They have larger sleeping spaces decorated in the same style as the cabin of an airplane, hence the name First Cabin. You can choose between two kinds of cabins: First Class cabin (4.4 m²) and Business Class cabin (2.5 m²). Everyone sleeps in their own individual cabin and men and women are divided in two separate sleeping areas, ...

I had written a " Discover Narita airport " article before, but nowadays, there is a lot more to discover. Check out the following 4 tips to get the most out of your time on Narita airport. 1. What's new page of the Narita airport website On the What's new page of the Narita airport website, you can find the latest news about the airport. From there, I have found out that they regularly have "Introducing Japanese Culture" events. Some examples are: a koto (traditional Japanese musical instrument) concert making origami and kokeshi (handmade, wooden Japanese doll). Bonsai exhibition Samurai armor and Maiwai robe wearing Ukiyoe printing  They sound very interesting and whatever you make, you are allowed to take home as a souvenir.  2. TABIMORI app The TABIMORI app is the hospitality app from Narita airport. It provides you with all kinds of useful information, which can be handy during your trip in Japan. Some of the information can also be...

One of the problems that I encountered in Japan was how to get access to the Internet, when you don't get it for free with your hotel room. I think I had to pay about €14 for the use of Internet in my hotel room for just one day. It started counting, right when I logged in to my Internet account for the first time. But since I was away during the most of the day for sightseeing, I basically paid that high price for 2 hours of Internet. So, here are some tips to get the precious Internet access that you need to look up information and to keep in touch with your friends and family. Narita airport The first place, where you can get free Wi-Fi is directly on Narita airport. You can connect to the network "FreeWiFi-NARITA". Afterwards, open your Internet browser and follow the instructions given. You can also go to the free Wi-Fi desks with LAN sheets, the free computer desk corners with AC100V power points and desk lamps, the coin-operated Internet terminals (100 yen per ...

As you could have read here , I had went to Japan in the July-August period and I could find the most delicious Japanese peaches and grapes in the supermarkets. Even though they are really pricey, you should try them at least once. The fruit are so full of flavor that it is worth every penny. I didn't realize until after I went to Japan a few more times, that these fruit are seasonal and only available for a limited time period. I am not really accustomed to that, as most fruit in the Netherlands are available year-round. Of course, we don't have the most exotic fruit available here, but fruit such as grapes and strawberries can be bought any day of the year. You can read more about when it is the best time to buy the special Japanese strawberries, melons, cherries, peaches, watermelons, pears, persimmons, apples, and mandarin oranges over here . Fruit picking is also a great activity to do during your vacation in Japan. Many fruit orchards provide these activities and...

After introducing Uobei (魚べい) to you, I cannot leave out Genki Sushi. Unlike Uobei, it doesn't work with a one price concept, but with different looking plates. The variety is a lot larger, but you are also more likely to walk out with a higher bill than what you first intended to spend than at Uobei or Sushi Ondo that has a similar Genki sushi logo. The plates with a yellow/orange rim: 108 yen The plates with a red rim: 183 yen The plates with a beige rim: 237 yen The checkered plates: 345 yen The rectangular plates with swirls print: 486 yen. You can find the standard menu here and underneath you can find the seasonal, summer 2014 offering. There are many Genki Sushi stores in Japan, but this store in Shibuya should be the easiest to find for tourists. Address: 24-8, Udagawa machi (宇田川町24-8), Leisure Plaza Building, Shibuya, Tokyo. Directions: Leave Shibuya station from exit 6 (top center on map). Locate the famous Starbucks store that overlooks the Shibuya ...

Uobei is one of the sister companies of Genki Sushi, which you may be more familiar with. This conveyor belt sushi chain store offers more than 80 kinds of sushi to choose from and they are all 108 yen a plate. Every now and then, there will also be some seasonal items that are more special and a few items among those may cost a bit more. You can click here to see the standard menu and underneath, you can see the seasonal offering for 7 July - 8 August 2014. The store that is the easiest to find for tourists is the  Uobei (魚べい) Shibuya Dogenzaka store.  Address: Dogenzaka 2-29-11, sixth Central Building, Shibuya, Tokyo. Directions: leave Shibuya station from exit 1 West Gate (on map: top left side).When you are outside, locate the Mark City sign and when you standing right in front of it, go to the left, keep walking until you see a Lotteria store in your right. Then, go left. On your right, you will very soon see a large building with a lot of restaurants, su...

Previously, I have written about the Cupnoodles museum , but there is another ramen themed attraction in Yokohama, the Shin-Yokohama Raumen museum . Although it is also called a museum, the main selling point is that ramen from stores across Japan can be ordered in one place (it saves you travel time).  They have also created an ambiance of old times - 1958 Japan -, in which you can enjoy your noodles. These are the 9 stores that currently have a temporary store there: Ryu Shanghai, Ganja, Men no Bo-Toride, Zweite Ramen, Kamome Shokudo, Komurasaki, Sumire, Shina Soba-ya, and Nidai-me Genkotsu-ya. It is quite unique that they have invited a German ramen store (Zweite Ramen) to open a shop in their museum. What makes this store special is that they make the noodles from durum flour, which is usually used in pasta and pizza. If even Japanese people like their noodles, I might have to go pay a visit to their store in Germany as that is a lot closer to where I live than Japan. A...

I enjoy visiting museums in my own country and those abroad, but the Cupnoodles museum in Yokohama, Japan is unique in its kind. I can't believe that there is actually a whole museum dedicated to the history of cup noodles. The most fun part is that you can actually hands-on create your own instant noodles starting from flour in the Chicken Ramen factory. The participation fee of this activity is 500 yen (300 yen for young children), which isn't included in the entrance fee. In the My Cupnoodles factory, you can also create your own customized cup noodles with your own design on the packaging and with the soup flavor (4 kinds) and the toppings (4 out of 12 ingredients) of your choice. It costs 300 yen to make one cup noodle that you can take back home in a travel-proof air package. There is also a Noodles Bazaar, which is decorated to mimic an Asian night market. You can order noodles from 8 different countries (Italy, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Thailand, China, Malaysia, Korea, and...

Since I did an " Eating at 7-Eleven Hong Kong " for my Hong Kong travel blog, I thought I might as well do one for Japan. ^_^ Most of the times, as a tourist, you can get very tired from all the sightseeing and from trying to speak and understand the local language. Eating at 7-Eleven is then the easiest option. I don't encourage you to eat there every day, but a trip to 7-Eleven once in a while, can really make your life a lot more convenient. That is why they are called convenience stores. ^_^ During my last two stays in Japan, I had went there for an easy breakfast (an onigiri or a pastry) and I had also bought dinner (cold noodles) a couple of times. Food from 7-Eleven Japan that you must try - Pastry. The first thing that wanted to try the most was the melon scented butter bread (aka Melon pan). I had always seen it in manga and anime and it looked quite delicious. The top sugary coated part that is supposed to look like the exterior of a melon has a litt...