The five mistakes tourists make at Japanese onsen, the full eleven-step visit sequence, and what to do if you have tattoos — from someone who got it wrong the first three times.
How Tokyo izakayas actually work — the noren curtain, the otoshi charge, what to drink and eat, where to go, and what a night really costs.
The way to visit Yanaka is to walk from Nippori Station to Yanaka Ginza and then get lost for two hours — wooden shopfronts, 1819 mochi shop, cats, and a cemetery lined with cherry trees.
Roppongi has been rebuilt since the nightlife-only reputation of the 1990s. It is now the densest art district in Tokyo, home to Mori, the National Art Center, Suntory, and teamLab Borderless.
How to do Hakone as a one-day trip from Tokyo: Romancecar times, the Hakone Free Pass maths, the Round Course loop with black eggs at Owakudani, Heiwa-no-Torii photo tips, and when the overnight ryokan is worth it.
Most tourists only photograph Nijubashi from across the moat. The Imperial Palace East Gardens are actually open four days a week for free, there is a free Imperial Household Agency tour into the inner palace, and Chidorigafuchi beats Ueno for quiet cherry blossoms. Here is how to do it properly.
Nikko sits two hours north of Tokyo and feels like a different country — UNESCO-listed 17th-century shrines, a 97-metre waterfall, and a volcanic lake at 1,269 metres. Everything you need for a one-day trip, from train choice to the best order to walk the shrines.
The wholesale market moved to Toyosu in 2018, but the Tsukiji Outer Market stayed — 400 shops, sushi breakfasts, tamago-yaki skewers and the best kitchen knife shopping in Tokyo. Here is how to do it properly.
An opinionated guide to Tokyo Tower — the 1958 post-war symbol still standing 333 metres over Minato. History, observation decks, the best photo spots, and when to skip the Top Deck.
A 56-minute train from Tokyo Station puts you in a medieval capital with a 13-metre bronze Buddha, a hundred temples, and a single-track coastal tram. Here is exactly how to see it in one day.