Japan is in the middle of its spring matsuri – festival – season, and the summer fireworks (hanabi) are soon to come. All over the country people flock to the shrines to pay homage and watch the spectacle as the portable shrines – mikoshi – are paraded through the streets by colorfully dressed and shouting […]

Parking is a rather precarious pastime in any country, but in Japan it seems to take on mythic proportions. There are as many types of parking lots as there are types of cars, and each one varies with location, price and method of holding the car. The Slide-Out Parking One of the best car parks […]

It’s spring and Tokyo-ites from across the city turn their thoughts to eating…outside.  Places everywhere make their restaurants into outdoor venues even if they were not meant to be.  Windows come off of storefronts or fold back into the wall.  Some places put tables right out on the street in front of the eatery. A […]