Roppongi has grown to become the most diversified district for nightlife in all Tokyo. The mixture of all the luxury apartments surrounding the area, offices, shopping centers, boutiques, restaurants, bars, clubs, and a thriving expat community have shaped Roppongi’s character and largely influence how Tokyoites feel about this district. It’s elegant. It’s expensive. It’s entertaining.…

The extensive train and subway system in Japan is great, but also complicated. Cycling is a great way to commute to avoid the crowds. But of course, there are important rules that you should know before cycling in Japan. Basic Rules about Cycling in Japan jp.fotolia.com/ First of all, you should keep to the left…

When someone mentions Japan, what do you initially think of? Think about what first comes to mind when you think about this country. Most people’s reactions seem to be divided into four categories when they hear this word. The first category is “interesting, rich culture”, where people think about things like samurai and ninja culture,…

Tsunamis are fairly common in Japan, primarily because of major earthquakes that tend to hit the area every 100 to 150 years. Because of this, the country implemented advanced countermeasures against future tsunamis and education for disaster preparedness. As a reminder of the devastating impact of tsunamis, tsunami stones came into use. In Aneyoshi, Japan,…

For many people, Japan is the safest country in the world. In other words, the chances of getting your wallet or any valuable item stolen are quite low in Japan when compared to other countries. Although violent crimes are rare, pickpocketing and other stealth crimes are pretty common in urban areas, especially in Tokyo’s Akasaka…

If you’re thinking of moving to Japan, no doubt the capital city of Tokyo is a possibility on your list. Tokyo, meaning “east capital” in Japanese, was formerly known as Edo and became the official capital city of Japan in 1868. If you decide to move to Japan to teach, get married, or explore on…

Recently, various deaths and injuries in relation to reckless driving have been happening in Japan. Though most drivers in Japan are careful and polite, accidents can still happen, especially when drivers are careless. In line with this, a campaign in Okayama Prefecture (岡山県) has been started through a video which highlights the importance of road…

Japan has mascots everywhere, from organizations to different varieties of events. They’ve been created to promote places, regions, businesses and the like. Even the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (警視庁) has a mascot! His name is Pipo-kun (ピーポくん). Pipo-kun is a little guy who looks like a mixture of different animals. He likes hovering on police…

Hi, readers! This is the Japan Info staff. We wanted to say thank you for always reading our articles and we’ve got a way for you to enjoy them more! Out of all the posts that have been published over the last week (June 20-26) on Japan Info and/or on Facebook, we are happy to…

In a previous article I wrote about habits I accumulated while in Japan. This time, I want to write about habits that I lost while living there. This is written from the viewpoint of an American, but I think some of the following may strike a chord with expats of other Western countries. 1. Locking…