Weddings in Japan are for close relatives and good friends only, so it is not like Korea where practically anyone shows up. Living in Japan I have had the chance to attend a few, and this time I got to go to a…
I tend to end up with regular reasons to go to Shizuoka, and this time it was for fireworks. The Bentenjima fireworks in Shizuoka were said to be held for the last time this year, and I was asked to be sure to…
I ended up going to Gotemba Premium Outlets twice this year alone. Strange, isn’t it. Anyway, I was driving along the expressway and thought I would just pop into the outlet on the way, but I ended up sp…
I was out in Hamamatsu for the day, and while wondering where to have lunch, I ended up at a Chinese restaurant I had heard was famous. The building entrance A very modern-looking building. The restaurant i…
The biggest specialty of the Hamamatsu area is unagi pie, a pastry with eel powder kneaded into it, and it sells well all over Japan. It is a bit too sweet for my taste, so I prefer other local specialties, bu…
I arrived in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka over the New Year holidays, and it was already almost dinner time. So I decided to have ramen at an old ramen shop nearby. The front entrance The place has been in business …
Over the New Year holidays I had a chance to go to the Gotemba Premium Outlets. While wondering where to have lunch, I went with the safe bet, Uogashi Sushi. It is a popular place – or rather, there are …
After arriving in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, I dropped into a Russian restaurant for lunch. It seems to be a pretty old establishment in this neighbourhood. Borscht soup It was closer to a stew than a soup. Plent…
Somehow I ended up on a trip around the Hamamatsu area of Shizuoka. Here are a few photos I took while wandering around. Manneken of Ginza at a highway rest area It looked like it had only just opened, and …
A long weekend for the first time in a while – although Japan has plenty of long weekends. Feels like there’s one almost every month.. Anyway, with the holiday here, I’m off to Shizuoka becau…
Even on a tight travel schedule I still fit in an onsen ryokan. What a busy life this is.. Hamamatsu is about two hours away by Shinkansen. We stayed at an old hotel called Kaishunro, said to be the most famou…