Anime and cosplay was the name of the game this Sunday at Taku Taku Matsuri, a new mini-convention geared towards otaku culture. Otaku is the term for fans who are very passionate about anime, manga, and video games. The event…
I rarely take tours, but I have to admit, there are definite advantages. Although your time is your own when you’re an independent traveler, the chances of you getting lost are high, and you do have to do a lot…
Since H.I.S. provided us with a two-day train pass as part of the tour package, we had to decide where to go. So many choices! If you’re looking for an easy day trip from Osaka, however, Kyoto is always the…
On our first free day with the train pass from H.I.S., Scott Suzui of Ultimate Japan decided that we should do something easy. Nara is about 30 to 40 minutes away, with one transfer. So, off we went. You probably…
As you may have noticed, I’m a week behind in posting my blogs. Every day, as you will see in the coming blog posts, was a packed schedule of activities. Osaka is a city that is a feast for the…
You may have seen a lot of buzz in social media about how travel agency H.I.S. ran some crazy cheap round trip fares from Honolulu to Osaka for the summer, starting at $300. Although summers are notoriously hot in Asia,…
As you know, Hawaii-based pancakes are a big fad in Japan and several local restaurants have opened branches there — to crowds that stand in line for two to three hours just for breakfast. In yesterday’s blog about my Top…
For some strange reason, Hawaii pancakes are the rage in Japan now. A few locally owned restaurants have opened branches in Japan, where customers happily endure a two-to-three-hour wait just to enjoy breakfast. Do they think our pancakes are higher…
The entertainment and art at last night’s ARTafterDARK at the Honolulu Museum of Art centered around the exhibit, Lethal Beauty: Samurai Weapons and Armor. DFS makeup artists were on hand to provide a fierce look for partygoers, while zen brush…
I had no idea that Sapporo — or Hokkaido, really — was such a destination. When you think of Japan, you usually think of Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, but Sapporo should be added to that list.We did a lot in…
Hawaiian Airlines’ flights from Sapporo to Honolulu are on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. (arrives in Honolulu at about 10 a.m.). We spent one last night in the city, but due to the late flight, were given the…
First rule of visiting Sapporo (or anyplace in Hokkaido): Don’t believe the reverse hype. We were told that there’s nothing in Sapporo and we should get out of town, but the city actually offers a lot. We went to Asahikawa…
Here's all you get to cover up at an onsen. Cel phone shows scale.Many Japanese people visit the spa town of Noboribetsu, Hokkaido’s most famous hot spring resort, so we thought we should do the same. Noboribetsu is a haven…
Okay, so Sapporo is not all about eating and drinking, although we’d like to think it is. There’s culture and sightseeing, as well. We had a whirlwind tour of Sapporo’s highlights with some Japanese bloggers, who took us to a…
As mentioned in yesterday’s blog, we were kind of on an eating rampage and ended up eating several meals in one day. To spare you from the photos of everything we ate (and saw), I broke it up into two…
I’ll confess, we ate about eight times today. If you follow me on Instagram and Twitter, you have already seen a good chunk of what we ate, but for those who haven’t, I don’t want to alarm you by showing…
It’s been quite a long day, with 10 hours of flying, a long bus ride in, then a two-hour party followed by ramen. But we made it to Sapporo, located on Japan’s northernmost island, to see what Hawaiian Airlines’ newest…
As you read this, I’ll be on my way to Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, as Hawaiian Airlines (@HawaiianAir) launches its direct flights to Sapporo. As with previous inaugural flights, they’re taking travel industry executives, employees, musicians, and media, and I’ll…
When people head to Japan, most times they think of going to Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka — but many don’t realize that there’s a strong Hawaii tie to Fukuoka. Gov. George Ariyoshi, one of many local residents whose family is…
Those Japanese. The people who invented scallop-flavored potato chips and chicken wing ice cream are still at it, churning out snackage the world is trying to wrap its brain around. Or not.Fresh off the plane from her trip to Fukuoka,…
Performers emulating Naruto at Canal City's Anime/Manga FestivalI apologize for being so late with my Fukuoka blogs — since I got home, it’s been nonstop for Nonstop, but there’s still so much more to show!When you get to Japan, there…
I love traveling with Val. She and I go at the same pace, and eat the same way. Leave it to Val to find out that Fukuoka is known for serving up fugu — also known as puffer fish —…
Note: This event is a little out of order due to Wi-Fi connectivity challenges.When you go to Paris, you should see the Eiffel Tower. When you visit Kuala Lumpur, you have to visit the Petronas Tower. And when you fly…
Yes, it’s true. We stopped at McDonald’s to eat. Before you close that browser button, hear me out! We weren’t eating at McDonald’s because we wanted to eat something familiar and American; we wanted to see what they had on…
