Japan
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October 2020 Favorites: Books to discover Asian Culture
We aren’t (yet) confined to Italy but it is surely only a matter of weeks, considering the curve of positive coronavirus cases. I have a rather long list of books to read, but I will give you the books I have already read and loved, to accompany you during the evenings of confinement. This month, we will talk about books or films that help us better understand Asian (or Eastern) culture and beliefs. The list I give you isn’t mainstream. It’s not a list of Asian bestsellers, on the contrary. Journey to the East by Nguyên Phong (link): Since I am Vietnamese, I start with a Vietnamese author, whom I…
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Tax refund: How to get the VAT reduction (duty free) in Japan?
Good news: you don’t need to be at the airport to benefit from duty free. All stores with a “tax free” sticker will allow you to save the 8% tax. Be careful, you have to spend at least 5000yen/purchase to be eligible for tax free. For this, you just have to show your passport. Be aware that in Japan, prices are all displayed tax free (including in restaurants) so don’t be surprised if the displayed price of the product you buy is 10,000yen and after the tax reduction, you still pay 10,000yen. All purchases will be put in a sealed transparent bag (like at the airport – as you aren’t…
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Digital Nomad: Results after 1.5 months in Japan (Osaka, Kansai, Tokyo)
That’s it, we just spent 1 month and a half in Japan, 1 month in Osaka and 2 weeks in Tokyo. It’s time to take stock of this incredible experience. This is the very first time we come to Japan. The reason why we have never been there before is that we want our stay to be really special. So, when we were on a permanent contract, 2 weeks seemed too short; and when we were on an 11-month world tour, the budget for a stopover in Japan seemed too big. So coming here as digital nomads is really the best option for us. Japan allows us to make many…
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Travel diary Tokyo (Japan) #3: Tokyo DisneySea, the most beautiful Disney park in the world
The world tour is an excellent excuse to visit all the Disney parks in the world. We missed this opportunity in Hong Kong, but there is no question of missing this time in Tokyo. Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary After our round trip to Mount Fuji and long hours on the bus back to Tokyo in the middle of Golden Week, JB is less and less motivated to go to a crowded place, but I convince him to go there after Golden Week and more during the week. So it’s to please me that he buys the tickets online, has them printed in…
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Travel diary Tokyo (Japan) #2: Ueno, Akihabara, Tour of Tokyo, Shibuya and Shinjuku
Read our first travel diary in Tokyo here UENO Today, I visit alone the National Museum of Tokyo, where you can find a beautiful collection of swords, prints, paintings … Japanese from several centuries ago Indeed, for 600 yen, one can admire many priceless objects. For example these hair accessories of an unequalled finesse Samurai helmets, swords etc Kimonos of extreme beauty. To have patterns like this, the craftsmen had to spend an eternity on them I was expecting a richer collection (I didn’t see many prints, which is what I came for), but I was told afterwards that often in Japanese museums, the permanent collections weren’t that rich (you…
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How to get to Mount Fuji? and where to take beautiful pictures of Mount Fuji
You can also consult our Mount Fuji travel diary here. Nearest stations to Mount Fuji? The arrival point that I advise you is: KawaguchikoStation (to see Mount Fuji from close enough + the lake in front of it) or ShimoyoshidaStation if you want to visit Chureito Pagoda first like us. Some people prefer to go to Yoshidaguchi5th Station ( also known as Kawaguchiko 5th Station), which is the base of the hike to the top of Mount Fuji. There is a bus going there from Kawaguchiko Station, there is even a bus going there directly from Tokyo. But I advise you not to go there, because those who went there…
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A day at Mount Fuji (Japan): Travel diary
Our stay in Japan has two objectives: to look at the cherry blossoms, and to see Mount Fuji. The first being reached perfectly well in Kyoto, here we are in front of the picturesque, gigantic Mount Fuji We will first present the travel diary, then you will find all the practical information in our 2nd article here (how to get there, the best spots to take nice pictures) Travel Notebook The weather has not been good since our arrival in Tokyo, so we have to look carefully at the weather forecast before going to Mount Fuji. Because like Christ in Rio, the top of Mount Fuji is often in the…
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Which cosmetics to buy in Japan? Where to buy them? (2020)
After a month and a half in Japan, I must tell you one thing: Japanese women have really beautiful skin (even without makeup, their skin is flawless). It’s not only genetic, the many cosmetic stores and statistics prove that Japanese women spend a lot of money in facial care. And their products are really effective. Where to buy Japanese cosmetics in Japan? You can buy most cosmetic products at “drugstores” such as Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Seijo,K Port Drug Mart, Sundrug, Kokumin… You can also find them at Darty’s equivalents, such as Big Camera, Tokyu Hands… It is better to buy the most expensive brands like SK-II, Shiseido from “department stores” like…
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Travel diary Tokyo (Japan) #1: Nihonbashi, Ginza, Odaiba
Here we are, at last, in Tokyo! After a month spent in Osaka, we are relieved to finally change our airbnb because ours in Osaka starts to get drunk (it’s too small and badly arranged), very noisy because of the works and the bad insulation and even Internet doesn’t work anymore It is therefore with surprise and relief that we discover our superb Airbnb in Tokyo, a 15 minute walk from Tokyo train station Part 1: Travel Diary Note: Since Tokyo is very large and we frequently move from one neighborhood to another, we prefer to group places of interest by zone/neighborhood in our travel diaries, not in chronological order.…
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How to attend (for free?) a Sumo training in Tokyo (Japan)?
Sumo is an ancestral sport that appeared 1500 years ago. Visiting Japan is an opportunity to discover this little-known sport. There are only 6 Sumo tournaments per year in Japan and these last 2 weeks. The Osaka tournament ends the day after our arrival in Osaka. Not having thought to inform me in advance, we miss the opportunity to attend the tournament. It’s a pity. Outside of tournament periods, it is however possible to attend morning training sessions in a Heya (stable) of Rikishi (sumo wrestler). If you want to be sure you can attend a training session, you can book a tour on the Viator website (link Viator). How…