Japan it UP!
The adventures of an American living in Japan.



Hiking in Fukuoka Japan (Oct 18)
I went hiking with a friend of mine recently. We rode our bikes about an hour to the east side of Fukuoka and hiked to the top of a mountain. I took just a few pictures, but recorded a lot more (which I don’t have online). It’s called Tachibanaiyama or Touchybunny or something, I don’t [...]


It is a friend… (Oct 15)
Took a picture of this bag at a department store. An animal and relations will become good. Animals are alive with nature. It is a friend wholly. Add a “Booyah!” and you’ve got an awesome bag!


Some Good Lunch (Oct 12)
Fish, chicken, eggs, salad, rice, miso soup, delicious, healthy, variety, bright, perfect.


Tony Tanaka (Oct 9)
Sounds like a name from the Sopranos! I don’t know who Tony Tanaka is, but he looks serious and I’m assuming his beauty school kicks major ass. It has to, he’s right there in your face saying he’s Tony Tanaka and this is his school! I pass by this sign every day so it deserves [...]


Cold Noodles (Oct 6)
Cold noodles are awesome. You take them out of the cold water, dip it in the sauce, and enjoy. Add  perfectly boiled egg, fruit, and vegetables, and you’ve got an energizing meal! I’d say cold noodles are in the top 10 of my favorite Japanese foods.


Foot Park (Oct 3)
I thought this was funny name for a convenience store. It makes me picture a really large area with green grass instead of this really tiny shop.


Fish at the Grocery Store (Sep 30)
It feels like half the grocery store is dedicated to fish. And the price is always right in Japan! Now let’s work on getting some Chicago style pizza cookin’ in the bakery Mr. Grocery Store! If they had a suggestion box I’d be dropping notes every day. Non-seafood-non-mayo pizza, big steak, some Diet Dr. Pepper please [...]


A Nice Surprise (Sep 27)
After a late night of working, just a few hours of a sleep, waking up to a clean desk with cute love notes is great. Walking into the kitchen with a few things of iced coffee ready to go and more notes is even better! I love waking up to things like this.


What is considered? (Sep 24)
What is considered? I want to understand you. Please be together all the time. I want to know what you consider. This bag can be yours for only 600 yen! Get it now at your local Daily Yamazaki!


Sushi Lunch For 1000 Yen (Sep 21)
We found a sushi restaurant that serves fresh fish daily. Dinner costs a person no less than 3000 Yen and can easily run 5000. But lunch is a steal! For 1000 Yen you get this tray of fresh sushi, soup, green tea, and a fruit desert that feels like you’re eating clouds of happiness. This [...]


Shopping for some fruit (Sep 18)
I went undercover at the local grocery store (as that really tall white guy) and snapped these pictures with my phone (with a really loud CLICK CLICK!). Sometimes the price of fruit can get crazy. Famous this, famous that, from a famous place, etc etc. I’ve eaten some of these grapes and they are THE [...]


Camping out at Best Denki (Sep 15)
Camping in Japan starts on the streets! Best Denki had deals all summer long. Really extreme deals. For example a PC that’s usually $1000 runs $300 for the first 5 people that buy it. My wife and her friend went camping around 8pm one night in June to get a good deal, and they were [...]


Bento Lunch (Sep 12)
Here’s a picture of a bento box lunch my wife made. Japanese bento is way better than the mystery brown paper bag special I grew up with!


Yoshinoya in 30 seconds! (Sep 9)
Yoshinoya is the bomb! The food is decent, and it’s really fast. We timed their service and all the people in the restaurant got their order within 25-45 seconds of ordering. The staff was loud, yelling things in Japanese, and preparing food swift like ninjas, it was incredible! Their most popular dish is Gyudon (beef [...]


Disturbing Shrimp (Sep 6)
I’ve never cooked full shrimp before and these suckers were HUGE! They were the size of brats, and it was pretty nasty cutting their heads off with a crunchy snap. They tasted good though.


Taco night! (Sep 3)
These tacos were inspired by the blog, All Things Japan. She made a post earlier this year about a Taco Bell care package her friend sent her. I was like “Whaaaaaaat!? No way!” So I had some friends send us some Taco Bell seasonings and supplies too! Sure you can get some Ortega seasoning here [...]


Mmmm Sea Snails (Aug 31)
Yeah, more like “Mmmm… naaaaaasty…” These sea snails were big, had a fishy taste, and a strange texture. They were cooked and came to the table warm. This was my first time eating them, so I thought “what the hell” and I ate them all. You have to dig them out of the shell with [...]


I’m bored, do you have questions? (Aug 30)
If you have any questions I’d love to try to tackle them. Maybe they’re about Japan, maybe about living in some other country other than your own. Whatever’s on your mind, feel free to send them my way through my contact form. Some questions people have asked include… how did I learn Hiragana? How do you [...]


Graffiti in Japan (Aug 28)
It’s strange to see so much graffiti everywhere. It doesn’t matter what kind of neighborhood I’m in, there’s graffiti somewhere. Who does this? Why? And when? Seeing it everywhere gets old. Maybe this picture I took will explain some things… Beware of the Yukata Yanki!


What’s for Lunch (Aug 25)
Here’s a picture of some bento my wife made for me. I love the variety of food and the presentation! I feel bad because her food is delicious, and that causes me to eat every meal pretty quickly instead of taking my time to enjoy every bite.


Aeon Mall (Aug 23)
I took this picture with my phone. The mall is pretty big! This is where I found the awkward egg rolls.


Really long egg rolls (Aug 22)
We were doing some traveling so I we hit up a mall for some shopping and some food. That’s when I ran across this beast! For ¥390 I could have eaten two feet of egg rolls! These are the most awkward egg rolls I’ve ever seen, somebody could use them as weapons.


Final Bargain! (Aug 19)
I thought this sign was funny. Because It was in front of a chain restaurant entrance trying to get me to enter It sounds like I was bartering with them for a while 5% is a discount, not a bargain, and no where close to a final bargain Now here’s what a Final Bargain should look like, up [...]


2008 Olympics - Team Japan (Aug 19)
I haven’t been able to find the official site for the Japan Olympics team, but here’s what I have found which is packed full of info. Japan Today has an Olympics section in English. Reporting news daily on what’s going on. It helps keep me updated on what’s going on. Wikipedia has an updated page about Japan [...]


How much money do Olympic athletes make? (Aug 18)
I’ve been watching the 2008 Beijing Olympics here in Japan. It’s interesting because I’m hooked on sports I didn’t watch in the past like ping pong, badminton, and judo along with my regular favorites. Of course everything is from the view of the Japanese team which is a lot of fun since I haven’t watched [...]