Otome Road, or “Maiden Road,” is the nickname of a street in Ikebukuro. The 200-meter-long street is filled with shops carrying merchandise targeted towards women, hence the word “otome.” The name was first used in the May 2004 edition of “Puff” magazine. Otome Road has also been called “Fujoshi Street” because most of the anime…

Did you know that there’s a particular cutting-edge museum hidden inside the KITTE Department Store in Tokyo? The small historical museum Intermediatheque, jointly run by the University of Tokyo and Japan Post, contains several antiquities and specimens that the university has accumulated since the 19th century. Due to its unusual location, it is often referred…

As Japan consists of groups of islands, there are a lot of unique marine species in its waters, contributing to the number of aquariums in the country. This is also the reason why seafood occupies a predominant part of Japanese cuisine. Japan is widely known to tourists as a costlier destination and likewise, the entry…

What’s great about most Japanese animations is that they are committed to the concept of heartwarming tales about typical middle-class families. This is especially true with the world’s longest-running animated series, Sazae-san. From its first broadcast up to this day, it continues to entertain with its stories on how small things can bring happiness to…

Disneyland Tokyo is not actually located in Japan’s capital city. It is in Chiba, around an hour’s train ride from Tokyo Station. A rather famous entertainment park in the area that actually is in Tokyo is Tokyo Dome City. It includes several attractions including the ever-popular Big-O, which is considered to be one of the…

As you may have already known, Japan has a lot of active and dormant volcanoes scattered all across its islands. But did you know that Japan is one of those countries that keep increasing its area due to volcanic activity? The Pacific Ring of Fire is a dangerous place in the world with many underwater…

Yurakucho is a popular place in Tokyo with reasonably-priced eateries and a laid-back atmosphere. People generally come to its tiny alleys to socialize and drink after dark. However, its image is changing slightly with the newly opened Alternative Theater on the seventh floor of the Yurakucho Center Building. This theater aims to offer a variety…

The legend of the 47 Ronin (warriors without a lord) has been ingrained into Japanese folklore through books, films, and other forms of art. Known in Japan as the “Ako Roshi,” the story has even made it to Hollywood. With its tale of honor and sacrifice, it captures the essence of Bushido – the samurai…

The Yamanote train line (山手線) has been very popular among tourists for it has stops in the most popular tourist destinations in Tokyo (東京) such as Shibuya (渋谷), Shinjuku (新宿), Ueno (上野), Harajuku (原宿), Yoyogi (代々木), and Ikebukuro (池袋). However, people often ignore the fact that there is much to see in each station within…

Japan is one of those countries which never ceases to showcase its talent in any major sports event. The Japanese are keen on sports such as judo, gymnastics, athletics, wrestling, ski jumping, speed skating, and others. Tokyo hosted the 1964 summer Olympics and it is all ready to host it for the second time in…