Cooking classes have been taking off recently as a must-do while traveling.  It makes sense.  You go to a foreign country, love the food, and want to take it home with you.  However, let’s be honest. Our foreign food back home is completely adopted by our pallets! What better way to get the real deal than to learn it in-country and recreate it yourself!? BentoYa Cooking took it one step farther with their Japanese cooking class in Tokyo on vegan sweets made with Mikawa mirin (三河みりん).  It included a special presentation that taught the specifics behind a very unique ingredient!

[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in December of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.]

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission from you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

Sumiya Bunjiro Brewery Presentation

The future owner of the Sumiya Bunjiro Brewery Co., Ltd. was present to give us the history and process of making their Sanshu Mikawa Mirin (三州三河みりん).  She also gave us background on the many various uses.

While the company was started in 1910, according to ancient Japanese text, mirin has been around for five hundred years. During the Edo period (same time as all of the castles), it was an expensive beverage.

What is Mirin?

Mirin, a sweet rice wine, is a versatile seasoning that can add sweetness and texture to Japanese dishes. Similar to sake but with slightly lower alcohol content and higher sweetness. That sweet flavor comes from how it’s made, not because there is sugar added to it.

Though originally it was used as a beverage, eventually it began being used as a seasoning in Japanese cooking. It can be cooked down to make a lovely sweetener (think honey but not as thick).  We sampled two types of mirin that the company produces and I must say, I’d drink them!

The real deal: Mikawa Mirin (三河みりん)

Mikawa is located in the eastern part of Aichi Prefecture. It has suitable conditions for brewing Mirin and has the largest number of brewers in Japan. Mikawa Mirin (三河みりん) is made from glutinous rice, rice malt, shochu and goes through a single distillation process. The Sumiya Bunjiro Brewery Co., Ltd. makes it with the traditional manufacturing method. This takes nearly two years to complete for the high-quality glutinous rice to be brewed and matured.

Sanshu Mikawa Mirin (三州三河みりん) has about 14% alcohol and is a deep amber color. The generic name for this “top-level” product is Hon-Mirin (本みりん). Hon means “true” or “origin”.

The impostors: Mirin and Mirin-like seasonings

The main difference between hon-mirin (which is what we used for this Japanese cooking class with the Sanshu Mikawa Mirin 三州三河みりん) and mirin, is that straight mirin uses sake instead of shochu in their ingredients. Because of this and other process differences (only a few months of processing), they tend to have a lighter coloring.

There are industrially made mirin on the market that has more additives and is not as “pure” as traditional methods. Industrial made is not as painstakingly made and is quickly brewed in a few months’ time. They still have similar alcohol levels but aren’t as high quality.

To make it even more complicated, during and after the war, liquor laws made it difficult for grocery stores to sell true mirin. Additionally, due to the high cost since rice was scarce. As such, “煮切り” (nikiri) came into existence, which is boiled down to reduce the alcohol content. There is also “塩みりん” or “salt mirin” that adds salt to bring down the alcohol content. These are referred to as “mirin like” products or みりん風調味料 (mirin fuchoumiryou) and are highly chemical seasonings with little (1%) or no alcohol.

If you are in the market for mirin, watch out to get the real deal! Check your ingredients -if there is added sugar, it’s not real mirin. If there isn’t alcohol, it isn’t real mirin.

How to use Mirin

There are many uses for mirin and it is a great condiment to have in any kitchen. Especially if you like to make japanese food.

1. Gives a gloss and luster to coatings better than that of sugar — think teriyaki sauces!
2. Draws out flavors of a dish
3. Can be used to tenderize meats (again, with your teriyaki)
4. Eliminates odors on smeller food items
5. Adds a mild sweetness
6. Is another way to add umami (miso can be used as a “secret” ingredient for that too.)

The company has a few different authentic mirin and the class used Sanshu Mikawa Mirin (三河みりん) as the sweetener in a few dessert items.

In dishes that call for honey, you can use mirin as sweetener instead, the class suggested.

BentoYa Online Japanese Cooking Classes

Since attending this Japanese cooking class, a lot has happened in the world. Including the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, like many others, BentoYa had to reevaluate its business model. Which included moving to online courses. And while it’s more fun to have the hands-on experience, now more people (i.e. those of you not in Tokyo!) can enjoy these vegan sweets (and their other vegan recipes) from the comfort of your home.

Their Japanese cooking class cost about 3300 yen. If you are looking for some quick and simple recipes, they also have a YouTube channel to check out.

BentoYa Japanese Cooking Class in Tokyo: Vegan Sweets made with Mirin

One nice thing about this Japanese cooking class in Tokyo? No prep work! I really love how there are community kitchens to use.  There are three cooking stations in this room similar to this one as well as the front display where the instructor normally is.

Making Mirin Pudding

This is a vegan class so we didn’t use any animal products.  It was interesting to learn about the different things you can use instead.  And the end product is so tasty.  This style of pudding is quite common as a dessert in Japan.  Simple and not too sweet.

Kanten (寒天) is a natural gelatinous product that comes from algae.  It is a great substitute for gelatin in the pudding.

Kudzuko (葛粉, sometimes Kuzu in English) starch comes from a root plant called Kuzu.  It’s an exceptional thickener.  I was surprised how fast it could take effect!  Sometimes brewed as a tea as it is actually very good for upset stomachs!

The sweetness comes from boiling down the Mirin.  You cook for a few minutes to evaporate the alcohol and turn it into more of a syrup consistency.  We also add it to the top to give it that sheen.  Presentation taught so much!

You cook the ingredients all together for a few minutes to thicken it up and you’re done! Chill it for a bit in the freezer if you want it right away, else in the fridge works too.

Don’t forget to add the bit of sweetness on top!

A quick and easy Japanese lunch

As every class with Bentoya Cooking ends with trying out your creations, we also made some onigiri with soy meat.  Can’t just eat sweets for lunch! Well, you could, but your waistline might not like it.  However, cooking with mirin, there is no added sugar for all the sweetness so it’s actually healthier!

This soy product starts out dried, you cook it in water to reconstitute it and then ring out the excess water before cooking up and adding flavoring.

Hint for making onigiri.  Use saran wrap. Keeps your hands less sticky with the rice.  I’m starting to get better at them if I do say so myself! Another pro tip: don’t put too much filling or rice, a smaller portion is much easier to deal with!

I love how easy a good miso soup is.  Some homemade dashi made with seaweed for umami instead of fish flakes, add some leak and onion to it, drop in some miso and you are good to go!

The finished product! いただきます! Itadakimasu!  Thank you for the food, let’s eat!

Looking for another Japanese cooking class in Tokyo?  Check out my other experience with BentoYa Cooking.

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As someone who never a day in her life in America rode a bus, they can be intimidating. Sure, I used the subway or metro in bigger cities, but let’s face it, America’s public transportation sucks. Generally speaking, if you are using buses in Japan, you aren’t going somewhere easy (otherwise you’d be on a train, but we’ll also touch on highway buses!).  If it’s a mile away, I’ll walk, but start getting farther out, you really do need a bus. Throw in a very complicated written language, like Japanese, it’s even scarier. So here are 5 tips for using the bus that I hope helps you on your way!

[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in October of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.]

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

5 tips for using buses in Japan

The key to remember is the more practice you have, the more comfortable you will become with using buses in Japan. While kanji can make it a bit more intimidating than other places, more and more buses in Japan are becoming more foreign-friendly with English (and normally Chinese) being used for the signs.

1) How to save money on buses in Japan

Remember when I talked about Pasmo and Suica pre-pay cards?  As long as you aren’t in the boonies, this is the easiest way to go.  You are receiving a small discount by using them, however, if you are somewhere that doesn’t do cards and you’re near the bus depot, pay for the roundtrip (if you are only going one place), you’ll save a few dollars depending on how far you’re going!  

When we took the 45–minute bus ride to Takayama Inari Shrine it was 900 yen one way.  Or 1500 yen round trip.  Something to check, because if you are going round trip anyway, you may as well save a bit!

In cities, often time there is flat rates or bus passes you can get.  Check at the bus station or tourist information center (my must when traveling in Japan) when you get there. A great way to get around Hirosaki and many other cities are the tourist “loop buses”.

2) How to navigate WHICH buses in Japan to use

This is the hard part.  Sometimes there is a whole army of buses at the depot heading off in different directions.  The best starting point is to look up where you are going.  If they have a website, they usually have an “access” page.  If they require a bus to get to them, you’ll be able to check which stop you are looking for, and hopefully, what bus line. 

As, like trains, there are multiple different options.  As far as knowing which stop it is, they are all actually named, and even farther out, they’ll have the name in English characters.  If you are worried about signaling to stop though (there are usually red buttons to press), it is helpful to know what the Kanji looks like as it will appear first.

Next, it’s just a matter to figure out what “platform” or bus name to look for.  Anywhere I’ve been that requires buses in Japan, I make sure to explain that in detail as I know I get stressed out by it so I want to make it as easy as possible for you! Getting to Ryusendo Caves coming to mind.

Lastly, where to get off the bus.  If there was a bus terminal, they should be able to provide you with a time schedule.  Though on roads, they are surprisingly close to the time expected. Yes, even the buses in Japan are punctual! If you have a phone with data (it would be nice if all transportation had WiFi!), you can also google map it to give you a better idea.

3) Reading bus schedules in Japan

There are apps for bus routes but best I’ve been able to find, they are all in Japanese.  Google-san (as it’s called in Japan) is your friend and is doing a better job with including bus routes as a direction option.

For routes, remember that they can differ between 休日 (kyuujitsu, “holidays”) and 平日 (heijitsu, weekdays). 休日 you will normally see listed as “休日 (土　日　祝日)” which means “Holiday (Saturday – Sunday – National Holiday)”. In this case, 土曜, Saturday, is shortened to 土, as 曜 (day) is understood.

If time tables between week days and week ends are different, you will see one of these characters at the top of the column. They normally change the color of the column as well to make it stand out.

This next graphic is a simplistic schedule. If weekday also included a 14:44 bus, for instance, there would be a “44” in the next column from the “24”. Note that not all areas will have English like this one, so it is helpful to learn the kanji or have screenshots of what you are looking for.

4) Getting on and off buses in Japan

Generally, you’ll get on from the back door of the bus but that’s not always the case. One hint, if both doors open, use the rear one.  Some queue lines are very exact and will give you an idea as well because the door will open right at the front of the line.  It’s Japan, we queue for everything.

If you are using a PASMO or other IC card (if that’s an option where you are), you’ll see a PASMO sensor to tap, just tap on and off the bus.  If you are somewhere that needs a ticket or to pay by cash, there will be a number dispenser.  This will be used to verify where you got on (though no one will actually check it). You will see a white piece of paper out of a machine, just grab one as you are getting onboard.

In this picture above, immediately next to the driver is where you pay.  Left of that is the dispenser for what stop you got on. They are in number order but don’t really refer to anything besides that. And in the overhead is the display board.

There will be a screen at the top of the buses in Japan, the price will change as you continue on the way.  Watch what it is for your number and you will drop your number and the exact amount of money in the machine when you step off the bus at your destination.  The machine in which you put your money also has the ability to change bills as necessary generally.  However, it’s a good idea to carry lots of change if you are somewhere that requires riding buses in Japan.

5) Getting back – not missing your bus

Assuming you are returning from where you departed the bus, it’s a good idea to double check the time table.  Even if you got one from the bus terminal.  I generally like to get back 5-10 minutes before the bus is expected in areas where they don’t run often.  They are punctual, but you never know if you might be the one running late!  If you’re getting on at a different location, definitely give yourself some time to locate the bus stop to save yourself some stress.

In this example, there are three bus routes that stop at this stand.  The hours are listed down the left-hand column and the minutes (in the corresponding hour) are listed in the columns per bus.

How to use Highway Buses in Japan

(At updating this article, the highway buses in Japan are currently suspended due to COVID-19 but hopefully, we can use them again soon!)

Highway buses (高速バス, kousoku bus) are often cheaper than taking the train (especially if you’d be taking the shinkansen) to your destination. They are good for medium and long distances. Many longer routes will run overnight, getting you to your destination first thing in the morning. Which works really well for getting to ski resorts, which is the instance I’ve used highway buses in Japan the most. They are also a good option if you tend to get train sick.

For long distance travel for the budget minded traveler in Japan, the overnight options can be great for you as you don’t have to worry about finding lodging – you just sleep on the bus.

You can use Kousoku Bus Net to search for highway bus routes in Japan. You can also save some money by getting one of the highway bus passes.

One of the nice things about highway buses in Japan is that there is room underneath for your luggage, but usually, you are limited to a few items. If there aren’t restrooms onboard, the bus driver will make stops along the way at the highway stations (more on those later).

To purchase your tickets, head to the bus station (normally co-located with train stations, but can have separate hubs like in Iwakuni). You can also purchase them from kiosks in convenience stores.

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Personally, I still don’t like buses.  I much prefer trains and walking (got to rank up my steps with my Garmin Fenix 6S after all!).  However, it’s a necessary evil sometimes. Hopefully, this helps put your mind at ease a bit while traveling around Japan.  There’s also this thing called highway buses in Japan, which I would liken to greyhound buses in the states, that will be a different topic.

What’s your experience with buses around the world?

If you are visiting Tokyo (come on, that’s a must-see!), you’ll likely find yourself at Tokyo Station. Servicing mostly JR East Rail lines with underground passages and quick walks to more, you may think of it as just a major transit hub but don’t let it fool you.

Located near the Imperial Palace and Ginza shopping districts, Tokyo Station boasts a beautiful architectural design that is a popular place for portraits and architectural photography.  But it is so much more!

[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in November of 2016 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.]

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

Tokyo Station Basics

There are 14 platforms with 28 track lines in Tokyo Station, add that with all the other goodies and you get an area of 182,000 square meters it’s easy to get lost! 4000 trains pass through Tokyo Station every day making it one of the busiest in the country. Many of the JR lines connecting to the rest of Japan “start” at Tokyo Station. How can you tell? The station numbering has them at Station 1! The two main gates are Marunouchi on the West and Yaesu to the East.

Tokyo Station originally opened in 1914 but WWII air raids damaged it and the post-war rebuild knocked off the top floor. It wasn’t until a recent reconstruction effort that it was brought back to its former glory, including the full third floor.

The domes on the Marunouchi North and South exits are 27 meters high and a must-see. Make sure to look out for the detailed zodiac features!

Yaesu Gate was renovated in 2013 and has a cool sail-like aesthetic. It is the closest to the Shinkansen terminal.

The station building is designated an important cultural property and it has something nothing else with that designation has.

What’s that? A hotel. A very, nice looking, I want to stay it, hotel. It’s called the Tokyo Station Hotel and it’s been part of the station since 1915. However, it’s so seamless that you won’t notice it if you aren’t looking for it.

The hotel restaurant and bar are open to the public. They have a signature drink that’s been made by the head bartender for 30 years called “Tokyo Station” that is on my list of things to try.

Train lines Serviced from Tokyo Station

If you are taking the train in Japan and around Tokyo, Tokyo Station has a plethora of options. Though not as well-trafficked as some of the Tokyo area stations, keep in mind though, this is a BIG station. The distance between two separate lines can push close to 1 km.

A good thing to note if you are heading to Tokyo Disney (the MiraCosta Hotel is well worth the splurge by the way!), the Keiyo Line is a long walk from the other lines!

Side Note: JR Passes

Before you come to Japan, you should check out the JR (Japan Railway) Rail passes and decide if it will be worth you to get one.  JR Lines expand to all reaches of Japan.  Though not the only transport you’ll need (think private lines and metros, for which I highly suggest a Pasmo or other IC card), the pass can save you money if you’re going to be doing a lot of train travel and makes getting around Japan easier.  

The biggest benefit is instant access to the 新幹線 (shinkansen, or bullet train). The pass (depending on length) normally pays for itself with just one trip on the shinkansen.  A more dedicated post to come in the future.

Things to do in Tokyo Station

Underground, the system of hallways boasts a large shopping area and food eateries. If the weather is bad, you can use this network to reach specific businesses in the area — without ever stepping a foot outdoor! Watch out for the signage everywhere and you’ll have no problem finding a different platform or area of interest inside or out! 

There are multiple different shopping areas inside Tokyo station. If you are here on a tourist visa, look out for the tax-free office that if you show your passport upfront you don’t have to worry about getting taxes reimbursed after the fact. If you are looking for any number of character souvenirs, like Studio Ghibli, there are tons on the first basement floor.

If you haven’t gotten enough ramen yet (I’m personally a huge fan of the spicy ramen options in Tokyo), there is a Tokyo Station Ramen Street within the station that has 8 shops including one that has vegan ramen and gluten-free options. While it doesn’t have the “Epcot-like” feel of the Ramen Museum in Yokohama, it still has 8 different ramens to check out all in one spot!

Tokyo Station surrounding Neighborhoods

The two closest neighborhoods to Tokyo Station with exits to match are the Marunouchi district to the West and the Yaesu district to the east.

Marunouchi is a bustling business district and the direction you will be heading for Edo Castle and the Imperial Palace. The name harkens to when this area was within the castle walls, which if you’ve read my post on everything Japanese castles, you’ll have a better idea about!

If you want a nice overhead view of the station head to the Kitte Department Store across the street. Kitte comes from the word for “postage stamp” and is fitting as this is the old post office building. On top, there is a free garden that you can see the station from!

The Yaesu side also has plenty of shops and dining and is closer to the shinkansen lines – not aforementioned mention to the size of the station! If you are leaving early on the Hayabusa Shinkansen heading to Aomori for a weekend trip from Tokyo, best to look for a hotel over on this side! And while Yaesu sounds like a Japanese word, it is actually named after a famous Dutchman for his service of the Tokugawa regime.

Close by, if you would prefer to get some exercise is the famous shopping district of Ginza to the south and just a bit north will take you to Kanda, one of my favorite areas for izakayas.

Tell me about your experiences

Have you been to Tokyo Station? Where’s your favorite station in the world? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below!

Pikachu Outbreak has been an August event in the Minato Mirai area of Yokohama since 2014.  What started as “1000” Pikachus (though I still haven’t quite figured out how they came to that figure) has escalated to a whopping 2000 Pikachu (and special events with Eevee since 2018) around Yokohama. With a week-long jam-packed list of events and hidden surprises, will you be able to catch them all?

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in November of 2016 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy and comprehensiveness.]

Ever Changing Pikachu Outbreak! Themes

As Pokemon are known for evolving, so is this event!

• 2014 ピカチュウ大量発生チュウ (Pikachu Tairyo Hassei Chu or Pikachu Outbreak!)
• 2015 踊る? ピカチュウ大量発生チュウ (Odoru? Pikachu Tairyo Hassei Chu or Dancing? Pikachu Outbreak!)
• 2016 ピカチュウ大量発生チュウ 今度はぬれるんだって??? (Pikachu Tairyo Hassei Chu Kondo wa nureru n datte??? or Pikachu Outbreak! This time I’m getting wet???)
• 2017 ピカチュウだけじゃない ピカチュウ大量発生チュウ！(Pikachu Dake Janai Tairyo Hassei Chu or Not Just Pikachu Pikachu Outbreak!)
• 2018 ピカチュウ大量発生チュウ Science is Amazing! かがくのちからってすげー (Pikachu Tairyo Hassei Chu or Pikachu Outbreak! Science is Amazing! )
• 2019 ピカチュウ大量発生チュウ (Pikachu Tairyo Hassei Chu or Pikachu Outbreak!)

2014 started off more as some Pikachu displays but not much in the way of entertainment except for a dozen or two Pikachu on parade. If you can’t guess by the name of 2015, now the parading Pikachu added dancing to their repertoire. 2016 was fantastic and added the “Splash Shows” with giant water cannons (perfect for hot Japan days – don’t forget your sunscreen!).

2017 started bringing in some other Pokemon characters, ah! But in what form? That year also held the first-ever Official Pokemon Go event. Gotta catch ’em all! A hot air balloon and Pikachus in a boat made the scene for the first time. And more than a few people were ecstatic for Eevee performers joining the part in 2018, and even more Pikachu on water parades! Plus the beginning of nighttime events.

While 2019 went back to the original title, not only did it bring the largest amount of Pikachu to date (2000!) but also took advantage of the night with many light-up shows.

Each year builds on the prior and fan favorites definitely make reappearances (yay, water cannons!).

Quick Japanese: How 大量発生 gets to “outbreak”.

大量 or “Tairyo” means “a large amount” or “mass” as in “mass transportation” and 発生 “Hassei” does mean “outbreak” but it can also mean to “spring forth”. When you see the event in English, the exclamation point is on purpose. Because it is not just an outbreak but a “massive!” outbreak.

Oh, what’s the チュウ or “chuu” at the end? If you have never seen Pokemon, that’s one of the words Pikachu says when he “talks”.

Pikachu Outbreak! Event Locations

As the event has grown, so has the number of venues. The first year was the most like a scavenger hunt as you didn’t know where everything was! There is very much still an aspect of that, especially with the addition of the very instagrammable mural walls that were added in 2019.

However, for events, they do give you a list of programming and times. These are the locations from 2019 and are subject to change, however they give you an idea of how much walking you may be doing!

• Rinko Park
• MARK IS Minato Mirai (one of my favorite shopping malls in Japan)
• Grand Mall Park
• Queens Square Yokohama
• LANDMARK PLAZA (Landmark Tower used to be the tallest office building in Japan before one in Osaka beat it and has a great observation area)
• Nippon Maru Memorial Park (Pikachu on a historic ship!)
• Navios Yokohama
• Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse or Akarenga as it is known in Japanese – many a festival is held here plus the shops and food are great!
• Yamashita Park

Pikachu Train Decorations and Station Fun

First of all, with the amount of people, the train is definitely going to be your transportation method of choice if you are coming from Tokyo or Yokosuka, where I call home.

Watch out for fun Pikachus here too! Not only are some of the Blue Line trains decorated with Pikachu, but the Minato Mirai ticket booths will also tell you “Pika!” as you walk through. Also, a good station option to get your free Pikachu hat but you can find those at most venue locations.

Don’t forget the JR Line though if you are using your JR Rail Pass, the Sakuragicho Station always has some great photo ops outside!

Where to find the Pikachu March?

The first time I was exposed to the march was a promotional event pre-2014 Outbreak at a Dance Event taking place all over the city of Yokahama.

Now, generally speaking, you will find the Pikachu march at Queens Square, the large mall is directly connected to a train station making it super easy to get to!

The marches are normally about 20 Pikachu but if that’s not enough, look out for parade events on the streets nearby and of course, the other shows (my picks in a minute if you are limited on time).

This may also be a good time to mention that most of the events include a specially choreographed dance that they’ll teach you there!

Pikachu Merchandise

Of course, you can head over to the Pokemon Center in Queens Square but if you are looking for a different mode of buying, keep an eye out for the Pokemon vending machines that make an appearance during the festival.

There are also many popup stores at the various venues where you can get things like clip on pikachus to wear around, t-shirts complete with tails and ears, and the quintessential summer in Japan item: towels.

Get wet! Splash shows are a must!

In 2016, two new events called “Splash Up!” and “Splash Kingdom” featured water cannons to absolutely soak the entire crowd.  It was great!

Splash Kingdom was actually a big production with the aforementioned Pikachu Dance with the whole crowd participating, acrobats, Pikachus marching through the crowd in various outfits, a Taylor Swift impersonator (yeah, that one was odd!) and much more.  I was surprised it lasted about 30 minutes.  

The water cannons were amazing.  The way the sun caught the light and just the energy of the crowd. Ever since, Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse tends to have a “splash” show of some rendition – a must!

Minato Mirai Forest X Pikachu

The new addition from 2019 brought the most “performing” Pikachu ever to one spot! These Pikachu seemingly came out of the woods to dance and delight the crowds. Not only that, but there were a few “larger” pikachu in the mix.

Pikachu Manhole Covers?!

If you’ve been following along with Kristen Abroad for awhile, you know how much I love hunting manhole covers in Japan! Another fun surprise for 2019 was the addition of 5 special manhole covers around the city, as if there wasn’t enough fun already searching for all the Pikachu!

Final Tips for Pikachu Outbreak!

Make sure you check out the official website to get a full grasp of everything going on and if you have the option to plan things out on multiple days, this is key for seeing everything! Most years I’ve attended at least 2 days and still haven’t been able to see every event.

Make sure you have your ブルーシート (blue sheet, or as American’s normally refer to them, tarps) or something else to sit on because the larger events you’ll want to get there early. If you are lucky and early enough, it’s also possible to nab a fun promo Pikachu one!

The rainy season isn’t the only time you want to make sure to carry umbrellas in Japan, you’ll want one for the August sun to keep cool. With that, make sure to have a lot of water and keep hydrated, but with the nighttime shows you can definitely have a beer or you can hit the izakayas afterward! Hungry? A few of my favorites are nearby if you like BBQ or are looking for some unique ramen.

Oh, Japan. Land of got-to-collect-them-all, including hundreds of castles in varying levels of existence.  There are thousands of ruins from almost indistinguishable mounds to castle walls with no castle structures.  Most of the castle keep structures are reconstructions but there is the crème de la crème, 12 original castles from the pre-Meiji era. The 100 Famous Castles in Japan (日本百名城, Nihon Hyaku Meijō) were chosen by the Japan Castle Foundation (日本城郭協会, Nihon Jōkaku Kyōkai) followed by another 100 after that! When you have so many to check off your list, how do you keep track of them all? Why, a castle stamp rally, of course!

[Editors Note: This post was originally published in December of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.]

Japan and Numbered Rankings

Hundreds of years ago, a Confucian scholar created clickbait before it was even a thing! I just made that up but it’s conveniently similar. As he traveled Japan he named the three best views of Japan (日本三景, nihonsankei). Itsukushima Shrine is one of them and since then there have been countless “Best three of Japan” in various categories.

Legit. As in these are not to be contested. They are the best.

Top 3 gardens (Kairakuen in Mito, Ibaraki; Kenrokuen in Kanazawa, Ishikawa; and Kōrakuen in Okayama, Okayama); Top three big buddhas (三大大仏, sandai-daibutsu, you’ve seen me talk about Todaiji in Nara and you’ll soon hear about Kamakura and Takaoka’s as I’ve been to them as well); and so many others. Three great onsens, caves (Ryusendo is amazing), shrines of all sects (and of course Fushimi Inari in Kyoto is one), night views.

Name it. They exist.

Well, there’s also a thing with the number 100. We’ll blame that one on the Billboard Top 100 but I honestly don’t know if they are correlated. What started as the 100 top mountains in Japan (as best I can tell it was the first and of course Mount Fuji is number one) has since spread to other aspects.

Great way to make a book. An even better way to entice a massive tourism industry! Start with the peaks, move on to the 100 best shrines, 100 best spots to view cherry blossoms, 100 best parks, and then we have the 100 best castles.

Japan Castle Foundation (日本城郭協会)

The Japan Castle Foundation (日本城郭協会, Nihon jyoukaku kyoukai) was founded in 昭和31年4月 (April of Showa 31 or 1956 for the rest of the world) by a bunch of academics for knowledge sharing and cultural exchange. They aren’t just about Japan castles, they also study castles around the world. Along with the 100 Famous Castles in Japan and the Continued 100 Famous Castles in Japan, they also have a list of 100 Famous castles in Europe.

In Showa 67 (1965), the Ministry of Education acknowledged them as an organization and as such were given a budget. On their 40th anniversary as a foundation, a project to commemorate the event was started. Deciding on the top 100 Famous castles in Japan to promote.

Kochi Castle, one of the 100 Famous Castles in Japan and remaining original constructions

The 100 Famous Castles in Japan (日本百名城, Nihon Hyaku Meijō)

Don’t ask me why or when I started but I normally prefer translating “百名” as “hundred finest” as opposed to “hundred famous” (as what it literally is) but I think it has a better ring to it. But alas, you’ll see in a second why famous is a better fit.

For several months in 2005, they reached out to residents to give recommendations of one to five top castles in each prefecture. From the applications, a panel of castle experts met to decide the fate.

Honestly, I bet there was a huge debate over some of them! Only 5 max a prefecture?! By the Japan Castle Foundations prediction, there are probably somewhere in the range of 40-50 THOUSAND castle remains in Japan.

For the selection process from all of the entries, each castle had to meet one of the following three criteria to be considered one of the famous castles in Japan.

• Being an excellent cultural property or historical site (think world heritage Himeji Castle or one of the National Treasure like Hikone Castle)
• Played a prominent role in history (not all castles saw battle)
• Are representative of an era or region

That last one gets me because I’m sure they all in some way represent their regions. After all, a giant majority of Japan’s cities started as castle towns! But remember, your prefecture gets five max! The discussions of what made each better than the next must-have been fascinating.

To help make sure the rankings weren’t biased by people’s favorite castles, they brought in experts in various fields such as architecture, archeology, civil engineering, and history to level the playing field. 

Kakegawa Castle – No. 42 of the 100 Famous Castles in Japan, is an easy trip from Osaka or Tokyo! It was rebuilt using original construction methods and Kakegawa also has one of the few remaining palaces in Japan.

One thing to note, though they are labeled 1 to 100 the 100 famous castles in Japan are not in rank order but numbered according to the location from North to South and East to West. There are some slight variations to that but for the most part, it works.

Continued 100 Famous Castles in Japan (続日本100名城)

In 2017, as part of their 50th anniversary of the founding of the castle foundation, they created an additional 100 list. 続日本100名城, Zoku Nihon Hyaku-Meijō. Continuation of the 100 castles to help further promote castle, and therefore history, discovery.

Personally I think it was also a ploy to promote more tourism around the country, but I’ll take it! The conditions were the same and again, they went out to each prefecture for submissions but this time they also asked the Japan Castle Foundation members, and those that had been going to the original list of 100 castles.

So, if you like castles, you have 200 stamps to go collect. And don’t forget those other 40,000 castles (yes, thousand) potential castles in Japan. Like a third Matsuyama Castle hidden in the hills near the Yoshimi Caves in Saitama.

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12 Pre-Meiji Era Castle Keeps in Japan

While they are often referred to as the 12 original castles in Japan, this sentiment applies to the original construction of 12 castle main keeps still in existence today. The Japanese term for them is 現存天守 (genson tenshu).

What’s with there only being 12? Well, when things are made of wood… it’s easier to burn down! Not to mention the deconstruction of many castles during the Meiji Era (more on that in a bit) and well,… bombings.

If you are seeing this list of 100 castles and thinking “Oh god, how will I ever get through that list on my trip to Japan?!”, I highly recommend you start with the 12. If you are going to call any famous castles in Japan – it’s these!

That being said, they also are spread throughout the islands of Honshu and Shikoku but that just gives you an excellent way to make the most out of your Japan Rail Pass! You’ll also get to the experience of riding on Japan’s fastest shinkansen (or bullet train) if you follow my suggestions on how to get to Aomori to see Hirosaki Castle.

As one of my must-do missions, I have focus posts on all of them so make sure to check out this post about the 12 remaining original castle keeps of Japan.

Where did all the Japanese castles go? Meiji Restoration

You may have heard of Commodore Perry taking a fleet of American warships and knocking on Japan’s door, so to speak, in 1853 to open up the borders. This was the start of the end of Japan’s isolation from the world. You see, during the Tokugawa shogunate run period of Edo, they cut off Japan near completely.

However, as their power was getting weaker, there was a movement to restore the imperial throne. There was always an emperor, the Chrysanthemum Throne is the longest-running hereditary monarchy in the world! But the shogunate was calling the shots. Anyway, Emporer Meiji (hence it being called “Meiji Restoration”) was reinstated and they had to make sure they knew who was boss.

So they systematically dismantled near all of the existing Japanese castles that acted as the dwelling place of the shogunate rulers.

There’s lots to learn about castles in Japan!

How to become a castle expert

If you are familiar with the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), this set up is going to sound similar. In order to further promote the castles in Japan and “lifelong learning”, a test was created to challenge people’s knowledge. It started in November of 2012 and has been growing in size with over 20,000 people taking it! There are now five levels of the test.

• Level 4, Beginners with an average passing rate of 96.7% has general knowledge of the famous castles in Japan
• Level 3, Elementary level with a more detailed understanding of construction, history and culture mostly focused on the 100 famous castles in Japan but also has questions from the continued list
• Level 2, Intermediate level has a deep understanding of the particulars of the 200 famous castles in Japan
• Semi-Level 1 (that’s just funny to me), Difficult level in which you are a つわもの or warrior returning to the castle (literally, that’s how they describe it!). It’s themed every year
• Level 1, Expert level. You’ve made it! You’re an expert!

It starts out with questions like “What’s the only pre-Meiji castle remaining in Tohoku?” (Answer: Hirosaki Castle) and raises in difficulty to things like “Castle X was decorated with paper lanterns to see which missionary off?” (I’m not bothering with that full question example because, what?!).

The test is administered twice a year in Fukuoka, Himeji, Nagoya, Osaka, Sendai, and Tokyo.

For some of the basics on Japanese castles, keep reading!

Types of Castles in Japan

If it looks like a castle, talks like a castle and walks like a castle… ok, maybe not walks. Japanese castle structure is very distinctive from the rest of the world.

The geography can play a big role in each design. There are three main types

• 山城 (yamashiro) or mountain castles
• 平山城 (hirayamashiro) or flat mountain castles, these are on hills on a plain
• 平城 (hirashiro) or castle on the plains

With the obvious advantage to the mountain and flat mountain castles for their defensive structures. However, castles on plains have their places as well and often would be incorporated into nearby waterways for an automatic moat.

Layout and Structures of Japanese Castles

There are many components that make up a Japanese castle. You may think when planning your trip around Japan that you don’t need much time in a castle. Believe me, some of them can take you all day! And you don’t want to miss out on some really cool features and even museums that many of them have!

Castle Keep

What most people think of as “THE CASTLE” for Japan is usually the 天守 (tenshu) or castle tower/keep (also called a donjon). There are four main types and my absolute favorite is Matsuyama Castle with its square design and center courtyard.

• 独立式天守, Independent Castle Tower.
• 複合式天守, Compound Castle Tower which has a 付櫓 or attached tower with the main tower
• 連絡式天守, Contact Type Castle Tower. That one doesn’t translate very well. It has a main castle tower with a 渡櫓 or crossing tower (think like a hallway) connecting to another 小天守 or smaller castle tower
• 連立式天守, Coalition Castle Tower. Think of this one as having a courtyard in the middle. A main castle keep with three smaller castle towers connected by hallway towers.

Looking from the outside of castles in Japan, they vary in “levels” usually from 3 to 6. The part of a Japanese castle that makes it look like a layer cake. But the amount of floors inside might be very different from what you see on the exterior!

Be cautious in the older castles, and even some of the remakes, the staircases are more like what you would see on a Navy ship. More ladder than stairs. Why is this? If the enemy made it inside it was harder to move up the floors!

It should be noted that a good majority of castles in Japan no longer have a tenshu. It was the symbol of power and usually the thing to go during the Meiji Restoration.

If you’re looking for the full effect, make sure to choose one that either from the pre-Meiji era (my recommendation if you are limited on time) or for a rebuilt one. On that note, not all rebuilds are created equal! Most are just concrete facades housing museums. Kakegawa and Kanazawa are two options for new builds using old construction techniques.

Citadels

If you aren’t as familiar with castle terminology, think of the citadels or baileys as the areas protected by the castle walls. Of which you can have multiple layers of defense.

The castle towers are located in the 本丸 (hon-maru) or inner citadel/bailey. There are generally two more baileys, 二の丸 (ni-no-maru, literally ‘second circle’) and 三の丸 (san-no-maru, third circle) in most castles but it’s not limited. They don’t always have those names either. Some times it can be the “east circle” or something similar.

Inside each would be where people lived, things like storehouses and the palaces existed – of which, you think original Japanese castle structures are rare, the palaces are even more so! Nijo Castle and Kakegawa Castles ninomaru palaces are two great options, as well as Kawagoe’s Honmaru Palace.

Overarching layouts

If you want to pay closer to any specific detail, this is the one I’d choose. Why? Because you can use it to decide on different castles to go to so you can see each style and don’t go to the same thing over and over again. Something that I feel happens a lot with shrines and temples so after a while, “they are all the same”. We don’t want that, too many awesome castles to see!

If the circle in the name didn’t give it away, one of the main overarching layouts would have them in 輪郭式 (ring fortification) or concentric circles (really squares but we’re sticking with the ‘maru” here which means circle). 二条城 (Nijo Castle) in Kyoto is this style.

There are three other styles:

• 連郭式 or a continuous string from one bailey to the next, in a row like 水戸城 (Mito Castle)
• 梯郭式 or ladder fortification, think… I honestly can’t think of how to describe this in English. Like an L-shaped staircase, I suppose. 岡山城 (Okayama Castle) is this style.
• 渦郭式 or spiral fortification, which is just like it sounds and is part of the reason 丸亀城 (Marugame Castle) is a pain to hike up to!

But of course, there are exceptions to the rule, not all topographies fit into a pretty box.

Other structures of Japanese Castles

When you are exploring castles make sure to take note of all the different aspects, they aren’t just the castle keeps! There are plenty of Important Cultural Properties mixed in – Himeji Castle has different designations on 80+ of its buildings and structures! Some things to look out for:

• 櫓 (yagura) or watchtowers that make the outer ring of citadels include the new construction at Kanazawa using old techniques. Fun fact: 櫓 (yagura) is also the kanji that is used for the structure of my favorite piece of Japanese furniture – Kotatsu!

• 門 (mon) or gates! All of the gates! Many of the castles that are just walls remaining generally have at least a gate left that dates back to other eras like the one at 鳥取城 (Totori Castle).

• 石垣 (ishigasa) or stone walls. 丸亀城 (Marugame Castle) has the highest in Japan.　There is also some really cool engineering that goes into the different styles of stone wall construction.
• 堀 (hori) or moats. Some of the most beautiful are Edo Castles in my opinion.

Defenses

Also keep an eye out for some cool defense systems! And by cool I mean I’m glad I haven’t had to come face to face on them during a battle!

What is the Stamp Rally?

Fun thing about the 100. Japan’s good for stamp rallys. All over. You can get stamps for nearly anything. It’s a way of commemorating your visit. And it’s a fun hobby to “catch them all”.  I reference Pokemon a lot. It’s just a Japan thing, let it go!

In 2007, a stamp rally was added to go along with the 100 Finest Castles in Japan list. The goal was to entice people to deepen their knowledge of the history of Japan and with the stamp book, it helped increase interest in castles.

To top it off, the stamps are very pretty so they can be used to commemorate your visit. And the Japan Castle Association also makes it clear on their website that they don’t intend for people to run around like crazy trying to get them all at once. Take your time and enjoy it!

Certifying your castle visits

Certify what? Yes, not only can you just go around Japan getting pretty stamps, you can have them certified complete and given a special recognition.

A couple of ways to get your stamp rally book, you can sign up to be a member of the foundation or you can purchase the book separately. As you are reading this on an English website, the latter option is probably best.

You have two options for books that I recommend as I have both. One has the stamp book built-in (日本100名城に行こう 公式スタンプ帳つき) and therefore will be a bit heavier to carry around. The other is a guidebook that comes with a separate stamp book pamphlet in the back (日本100名城公式ガイドブック (歴史群像シリーズ)).

Both are in Japanese but you’ll still be able to match the pictures with the castle and they are all numbered.

Only a few castles have these available in their gift shops so make sure you prepare ahead of time and order one!

Where to get your stamp?

Be watchful as there are LOTS of stamp rally’s in Japan and actually, when we were at Inuyama, there were no less than 5 stamps to get.  Side note: It’s good just to have a blank book with you while you are traveling in Japan! I’ll talk more about goshuin (shrine stamp books) later.

Each of the books as one of the facts on the castle gives you the location of the stamps. That’s not very helpful if you can’t read Japanese (and if you are looking at learning I suggest Minna no Nihongo and Wanikani to get you started).

You can normally find them at the register for those castles with a main keep or somewhere inside. Throw on Japanese pronunciation and ask for the “スタンプラリー” (stamp rally spelled in Katakana) and you’ll get there. There are also sometimes signs if they are in other buildings like this one at Inuyama Castle.

If you’re at one of the castles that don’t have a keep, often time there is a municipal building or museum on the grounds that have the stamp. The stamps are sometimes even at shrines.

I’ve definitely wandered around in circles on large castle grounds trying to find the stamps so when you read my posts about them, I will promise to try and always tell you where they are!

Making it legit

If you are eventually looking to get your certification, you MUST get the stamp in your book. Some places will have paper available and they say they will take that but best be safe and do as directed (also in Japanese, inside the books).

Each castle has a specific color ink to use so you’ll only see one of four colors, black, red, blue or green. Speaking of extra pieces of paper, it’s a good idea to have some to make sure it doesn’t bleed onto the other page.

As Inuyama is an actual National Treasure, a higher designation than even some of the original 12 castles. Don’t let it being number 43 in the 100 finest castles confuse you.  They are in order from North to South, East to West (mostly).

Oh, and make sure to mark which day you were there under the stamp! The blank spaces are year 年 – month 月 – day 日.

Should you visit castles in Japan?

If you are a history buff, or just like architecture, or have a hankering for some culture, I highly suggest you plan to see some of the 100 famous castles in Japan while you are in visiting. 

Or, why not collect them all?  My absolute favorite (and I’ve been to a lot of castles, see my current count on the homepage!) is Matsuyama Castle but it is a bit far being on Shikoku.

If it is your first trip and you haven’t been, Himeji Castle should be number one on your list.

Why? It’s one of the first UNESCO World Heritage sites. It’s also massive. You could easily spend two days and not see it all.

100 Famous Castles in Japan by Region

Ready to begin? While Japan is normally broken into more regions, the Japan Castle Association breaks it into 6, I’m assuming due to how the numbers played out or historical regions.

Without further ado, a complete list in English of the 100 famous castles in Japan as designated by the Japan Castle Foundation.

[Note: If castles interest you, I suggest checking back here often or subscribing to Kristen Abroad. As I write more I will be linking out to each individual post!]

Hokkaido and Tohoku Region

• Nemuro Peninsula Chashi Site (根室半島チャシ跡群) in Nemuro, Hokkaido
• Goryōkaku(五稜郭) in Hakodate, Hokkaido
• Matsumae Castle (松前城) in Matsumae, Hokkaido
• Hirosaki Castle (弘前城) in Hirosaki, Aomori
• Ne Castle (根城) in Hachinohe, Aomori
• Morioka Castle (盛岡城) in Morioka, Iwate
• Taga Castle (多賀城) in Tagajō , Miyagi
• Sendai Castle (仙台城) in Sendai, Miyagi
• Kubota Castle (久保田城) in Akita, Akita
• Yamagata Castle (山形城) in Yamagata, Yamagata
• Nihonmatsu Castle (二本松城) in Nihonmatsu, Fukushima
• Aizuwakamatsu Castle (会津若松城) in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima
• Shirakawa Komine Castle (白河小峰城) in Shirakawa, Fukushima

Kanto and Koshinetsu Regions

• Mito Castle (水戸城) in Mito, Ibaraki
• Ashikagashiyakata (足利氏館) now Banna Temple (鑁阿寺, Banna-ji) in Ashikaga, Tochigi
• Minowa Castle (箕輪城) in Takasaki, Gunma
• Kanayama Castle (金山城) in Ōta, Gunma
• Hachigata Castle (鉢形城) in Yorii, Saitama
• Kawagoe Castle (川越城) in Kawagoe, Saitama
• Sakura Castle (佐倉城) in Sakura, Chiba
• Edo Castle (江戸城) in Chiyoda, Tokyo
• Hachiōji Castle (八王子城) in Hachiōji, Tokyo
• Odawara Castle (小田原城) in Odawara, Kanagawa
• Tsutsujigasaki Castle (躑躅ヶ崎館) now Takeda Shrine（武田神社) in Kōfu, Yamanashi
• Kōfu Castle (甲府城) in Kōfu, Yamanashi
• Matsushiro Castle (松代城) in Nagano, Nagano
• Ueda Castle (上田城) in Ueda, Nagano
• Komoro Castle (小諸城) in Komoro, Nagano
• Matsumoto Castle (松本城) in Matsumoto, Nagano
• Takatō Castle (高遠城) in Ina, Nagano
• Shibata Castle (新発田城) in Shibata, Niigata
• Kasugayama Castle (春日山城) in Jōetsu, Niigata

Hokiriku and Tokai Region

• Takaoka Castle (高岡城) in Takaoka, Toyama
• Nanao Castle (七尾城) in Nanao, Ishikawa
• Kanazawa Castle (金沢城) in Kanazawa, Ishikawa
• Maruoka Castle (丸岡城) in Sakai, Fukui
• Ichijōdani Castle (一乗谷城) in Fukui, Fukui
• Iwamura Castle (岩村城 ) in Ena, Gifu
• Gifu Castle (岐阜城) in Gifu, Gifu
• Yamanaka Castle (山中城) in Mishima, Shizuoka
• Sunpu Castle (駿府城 ) in Shizuoka, Shizuoka
• Kakegawa Castle (掛川城) in Kakegawa, Shizuoka
• Inuyama Castle (犬山城 ) in Inuyama, Aichi
• Nagoya Castle (名古屋城) in Nagoya, Aichi
• Okazaki Castle(岡崎城) in Okazaki, Aichi
• Nagashino Castle (長篠城) in Shinshiro, Aichi
• Iga Ueno Castle (伊賀上野城) in Iga, Mie
• Matsusaka Castle (松阪城) in Matsusaka, Mie

Kansai/Kinki Region

• Odani Castle (小谷城) in Kohoku, Shiga
• Hikone Castle (彦根城) in Hikone, Shiga
• Azuchi Castle (安土城) in Ōmihachiman, Shiga
• Kannonji Castle (観音寺城) in Ōmihachiman, Shiga
• Nijō Castle (二条城) in Kyoto, Kyoto
• Osaka Castle (大坂城) in Osaka, Osaka
• Chihaya Castle (千早城) in Chihayaakasaka, Osaka
• Takeda Castle (竹田城) in Asago, Hyōgo
• Sasayama Castle (篠山城) in Sasayama, Hyōgo
• Akashi Castle (明石城) in Akashi, Hyōgo
• Himeji Castle (姫路城) in Himeji, Hyōgo
• Akō Castle (赤穂城) in Akō, Hyōgo
• Takatori Castle (高取城) in Takatori, Nara
• Wakayama Castle (和歌山城) in Wakayama, Wakayama

Chūgoku Region and Shikoku

• Tottori Castle (鳥取城) in Tottori, Tottori
• Matsue Castle (松江城) in Matsue, Shimane
• Gassantoda Castle (月山富田城 ) in Yasugi, Shimane
• Tsuwano Castle (津和野城) in Tsuwano, Shimane
• Tsuyama Castle (津山城) in Tsuyama, Okayama
• Bitchū Matsuyama Castle (備中松山城) in Takahashi, Okayama
• Kino Castle (鬼ノ城) in Sōja, Okayama
• Okayama Castle (岡山城) in Okayama, Okayama
• Fukuyama Castle (福山城) in Fukuyama, Hiroshima
• Kōriyama Castle (郡山城) in Akitakata, Hiroshima
• Hiroshima Castle (広島城) in Hiroshima, Hiroshima
• Iwakuni Castle (岩国城) in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Iwakuni
• Hagi Castle (萩城) in Hagi, Yamaguchi
• Tokushima Castle (徳島城) in Tokushima, Tokushima
• Takamatsu Castle (高松城) in Takamatsu, Kagawa
• Marugame Castle (丸亀城) in Marugame, Kagawa
• Imabari Castle (今治城) in Imabari, Ehime
• Yuzuki Castle (湯築城) in Matsuyama, Ehime
• Matsuyama Castle (松山城) in Matsuyama, Ehime
• Ōzu Castle (大洲城) in Ōzu, Ehime
• Uwajima Castle (宇和島城) in Uwajima, Ehime
• Kōchi Castle (高知城) in Kōchi, Kōchi

Kyūshū and Okinawa

• Fukuoka Castle (福岡城 ) in Fukuoka, Fukuoka
• Ōno Castle (大野城) in Daizafu, Fukuoka
• Nagoya Castle (名護屋城) in Karatsu, Saga
• Yoshinogari (吉野ヶ里) in Yoshinogari, Saga
• Saga Castle (佐賀城) in Saga, Saga
• Hirado Castle (平戸城) in Hirado, Nagasaki
• Shimabara Castle (島原城) in Shimabara, Nagasaki
• Kumamoto Castle (熊本城) in Kumamoto, Kumamoto
• Hitoyoshi Castle (人吉城) in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto
• Ōita Funai Castle (大分府内城) in Ōita, Ōita
• Oka Castle (岡城 (豊後国)) in Taketa, Ōita
• Obi Castle (飫肥城) in Nichinan, Miyazaki
• Kagoshima Castle (鹿児島城) in Kagoshima, Kagoshima
• Nakijin Castle (今帰仁城) in Nakijin, Okinawa
• Nakagusuku Castle (中城城) in Kitanakagusuku, Okinawa
• Shuri Castle (首里城) in Naha, Okinawa

Continued 100 Famous Castles in Japan by Region

In case the first 100 famous castles in Japan weren’t enough for you, the Japan Castle Association has designated 100 more!

If that wasn’t in cahoots with the tourism industry, it should have been! Between the two, you’ve got a lot of options to add to your plans in Japan.

Some of them between the two lists are close together so I wanted to mention both. Plus, as I said up above check back often or subscribe as I will be updating this as I write more posts on the castles in Japan!

And don’t worry, there’s a book with stamp rally for these too (続日本１００名城公式ガイドブック (歴史群像シリーズ特別編集)).

Hokkaido and Tohoku Region

• Shinori Site (志苔館) in Hakodate, Hokkaido
• Kaminokuni Katsuyama Site (上ノ国勝山館) in Hiyama, Hokkaido
• Namioka Castle (浪岡城) in Aomori, Aomori
• Kunohe Castle (九戸城) in Ninohe, Iwate
• Shiroishi Castle (白石城) in Shiroishi, Miyagi
• Wakimoto Castle (脇本城) in Oga, Akita
• Akita Castle (秋田城) in Akita, Akita
• Tsurugaoka Castle (鶴ヶ岡城) in Tsuruoka, Yamagata
• Yonezawa Castle (米沢城) in Yonezawa, Yamagata
• Miharu Castle (三春城) in Tamura, Fukushima
• Mukaihaguroyama Castle (向羽黒山城) in Aizumisato, Fukushima

Kanto and Kōshinetsu Regions

• Kasama Castle (笠間城) in Kasama, Ibaraki
• Tsuchiura Castle (土浦城) in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki
• Karasawa Castle (唐沢山城) in Sano, Tochigi
• Nagurumi Castle (名胡桃城) in Tone, Gunma
• Numata Castle (沼田城) in Numata, Gunma
• Iwabitsu Castle (岩櫃城) in Agatsuma, Gunma
• Oshi Castle (忍城) in Gyōda, Saitama
• Sugiyama Castle (杉山城) in Hiki, Saitama
• Sugaya Yakata (菅谷館) in Hiki, Saitama
• Moto Sakura Castle (本佐倉城) in Inba, Chiba
• Ōtaki Castle (大多喜城) in Ōtaki, Chiba
• Takiyama Castle (滝山城) in Hachiōji, Tokyo
• *Shinagawa Daiba (品川台場) in Tokyo Bay, Tokyo
• Kozukue Castle (小机城) in Kōhoku-ku, Kanagawa
• Ishigakiyama Castle (石垣山城) in Odawara, Kanagawa
• Shinpu Castle (新府城) in Nirasaki, Yamanashi
• Yōgaiyama Castle (要害山城) in Kōfu, Yamanashi
• Tatsuoka Castle (龍岡城) in Saku, Nagano
• Takashima Castle (高島城) in Suwa, Nagano
• Murakami Castle (村上城) in Murakami, Niigata
• Takada Castle (高田城) in Jōetsu, Niigata
• Samegao Castle (鮫ヶ尾城) in Myōkō, Niigata

Hokuriku and Tokai Regions

• Toyama Castle (富山城) in Toyama, Toyama
• Masuyama Castle (増山城) in Tonami, Toyama
• Torigoe Castle (鳥越城) in Hakusan, Ishikawa
• Fukui Castle (福井城) in Fukui (city), Fukui
• Echizen Ōno Castle (越前大野城) in Ōno, Fukui
• Sagaki Kuniyoshi Castle (佐柿国吉城) in Mihama, Fukui
• Genbao Castle (玄蕃尾城) in Fukui, Shiga
• Gujō Hachiman Castle (郡上八幡城) in Gujō, Gifu
• Naegi Castle (苗木城) in Nakatsugawa, Gifu
• Mino Kaneyama Castle (美濃金山城) in Kani, Gifu
• Ōgaki Castle (大垣城) in Ōgaki, Gifu
• Kōkokuji Castle (興国寺城) in Numazu, Shizuoka
• Suwahara Castle (諏訪原城) in Shimada, Shizuoka
• Takatenjin Castle (高天神城) in Kakegawa, Shizuoka
• Hamamatsu Castle (浜松城) in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka
• Komakiyama Castle (小牧山城) in Komaki, Gifu
• Furumiya Castle (古宮城) in Shinshiro, Aichi
• Yoshida Castle (吉田城) in Toyohashi, Aichi
• Tsu Castle (津城) in Tsu, Mie
• Tage Kitabatakeshi Jōkan (北畠館) in Tsu, Mie
• Tamaru Castle (田丸城) in Tamaki, Mie
• Akagi Castle (赤木城) in Kumano, Mie

Kansai/Kinki Region

• Kamaha Castle (鎌刃城) in Maibara, Shiga
• Hachimanyama Castle (八幡山城) in Yonago, Shiga
• Fukuchiyama Castle (福知山城) in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto
• Akutagawayama Castle (芥川山城) in Takatsuki, Osaka
• Iimoriyama Castle (飯盛山城) in Shijōnawate, Osaka
• Kishiwada Castle (岸和田城) in Kisiwada, Osaka
• Izushi Castle/Arikoyama Castle  (出石城・有子山城) in Toyooka, Hyōgo
• Kuroi Castle (黒井城) in Tanba, Hyōgo
• Sumoto Castle (洲本城) in Sumoto, Hyōgo
• Yamato Kōriyama Castle (大和郡山城) in Yamatokōriyama, Nara
• Uda Matsuyama Castle (宇陀松山城) in Uda, Nara
• Shingū Castle (新宮城) in Shingū, Wakayama

Chūgoku Region and Shikoku

• Wakasa Oniga Castle (若桜鬼ヶ城) in Wakasa, Tottori
• Yonago Castle (米子城) in Yonago, Tottori
• Hamada Castle (浜田城) in Hamada, Shimane
• Bitchu Takamatsu Castle (備中高松城) in Okayama, Ehime
• Mihara Castle (三原城) in Mihara, Hiroshima
• Niitakayama Castle (新高山城) in Mihara, Hiroshima
• Ōuchi-shi Yakata/Kōnomine Castle  (大内氏館・高嶺城) in Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi
• Shōzui Castle (勝瑞城) in Tokushima, Tokushima
• Ichinomiya Castle (一宮城) in Tokushima, Tokushima
• Hiketa Castle (引田城) in Higashikagawa, Kagawa
• Noshima Castle (能島城) in Imabari, Ehime
• Kagomori Castle (河後森城) in Kitauwa, Ehime
• Okō Castle (岡豊城) in Nankoku, Kōchi

Kyūshū and Okinawa

• Kokura Castle (小倉城) in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka
• Mizuki Castle (水城) in Dazaifu, Fukuoka
• Kurume Castle (久留米城) in Kurume, Fukuoka
• Kii Castle (基肄城) in Chikushino, Saga
• Karatsu Castle (唐津城) in Karatsu, Saga
• Kaneda Castle (金田城) in Tsushima, Nagasaki
• Fukue Castle(also know as Ishida Castle) (福江城・石田城) in Gotō, Nagasaki
• Hara Castle (原城) in Minamishimabara, Nagasaki
• Kikuchi Castle (鞠智城) in Kikuchi, Kumamoto
• Yatsushiro Castle (八代城) in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto
• Nakatsu Castle (中津城) in Nakatsu, Ōita
• Tsunomure Castle (角牟礼城) in Yatsushiro, Ōita
• Usuki Castle (臼杵城) in Usuki, Ōita
• Saiki Castle (佐伯城) in Saiki, Ōita
• Nobeoka Castle (延岡城) in Nobeoka, Miyazaki
• Sadowara Castle (佐土原城) in Miyazaki, Miyazaki
• Shibushi Castle (志布志城) in Shibushi, Kagoshima
• Chiran Castle (知覧城) in Minamikyūshū, Kagoshima
• Zakimi Castle (座喜味城) in Nakagami, Okinawa
• Katsuren Castle (勝連城) in Uruma, Okinawa

Other Castles in Japan

Don’t forget there used to be many more castles in Japan and while they may not have made the famous castles in Japan lists, there are still others out there. Like Chiba Castle, for instance, a quick day trip from Tokyo, and a reconstruction castle with a museum inside.

If you are looking for the list of others, I’ll eventually make one but for now, you can get this castle atlas that shows many more than just the 200 famous castles in Japan.

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One Drop Cafe prides itself on having fresh locally sourced vegetables. One of my favorite downtown restaurants, it is a great option if you are looking for vegetarian in Yokosuka. 

One Drop Cafe itself is super cute with light and dark accents, small tables and some bar seats by the open kitchen. Recent top hits play in the background but the real reason I love it though?  The vegetables. They source everything from local farms and have a cornucopia of beautiful eats fresh every day. To top it off, they are all pesticide and chemical fertilizer free! 

Before you ask, I was very briefly a vegetarian and then a pescatarian for a few years but now don’t have any restrictions on my pallet. I’m a huge fan of vegetables though and sometimes it’s definitely hard to find good dishes available, yes, even here in Japan. When I do, I take note!

Looking to make your own Japanese vegetarian meal? Bentoya Cooking has classes in Tokyo and Yokohama to teach you some great Japanese recipes using all vegetarian ingredients and even some vegan sweets options as well!

What’s for lunch?

I will speak of lunch because that is when I like to go. The crème de la crème is the One Drop Veggie Plate. Perhaps my absolute favorite lunch in the world, and if you’ve been around Kristen Abroad for long, you know I love Mexican food. So this is a big deal!

Lunch will run you about 1,200 to 1,700 円 (about $12 to 17 USD) and includes a drink.  Their ice tea is delicious.  If you would like a non-vegetarian option, there’s plenty of those as well.  Taco rice, vegetable or meat Japanese curry, beef bowl, and both a chicken and pork option. Feeling particularly hungry? They have a larger bowl of curry available.

All of the dishes take advantage of the veggies but the ワンドロップベジプレート (one drop veggie plate) gives you the gambit.  It’s always revolving on what they have available on the day but the basic set up for this set meal is brown rice, miso soup with various vegetables, salad with homemade dressing, a few fried options, and then the 9 compartment plate full of bit-size morsels.  If you are vegetarian, this is your plate.  If you aren’t, get it anyway because it is amazing.

For this meal, you also start with a small shot of homemade smoothie which they normally will tell you what it consists of. Again it will be highlighting the seasonal fruit and vegetables available to them!

Lunch, Tea, or Dinner at One Drop Cafe?

One Drop is open for lunch (ランチ), an afternoon café (カフェ) menu (think tea time, cakes and parfait パフェ) and dinner (ダイナー) in the evenings. There’s a brief pause in between each that they are closed that are listed on their Facebook page.

Like everyone else, they are impacted by COVID-19, and is a perfect time to get some takeout! Honestly, for the novelty of takeout being an option, I always feel it is a bit rare in Japan.

One Drop Cafe : How to get here

One Drop Cafe is just around the corner from the Mercure Hotel on Dobuita Shopping Street (どぶ板通り or “the Honch” if you know it as an American), the closest train station is Shioiri on the Keikyu Line.

After lunch (or whenever you choose to go), take a stroll down Dobuita Street for some fun cultural aspects. It has a completely different feel between day and night. You can even use American dollars in many of the shops!

Where’s your favorite vegetable eateries?  Leave me a note in the comments!

Looking for Japanese conversation classes in Yokosuka? There are many options to choose from. Before moving to Japan, I had started self-teaching myself some basic conversation grammar and the three written languages, ひらがな (hiragana – syllabary used for Japanese words), カタカナ(katakana – a second syllabary mostly used for emphasis and foreign words) and 漢字 (kanji – Chinese characters of which you need a working knowledge of ~2000 to read a newspaper).

Reading is a key skill to have control of, especially when eating out in Japan!  I had the benefit of some basic knowledge from the 8 prior trips I had made to Japan but no real opportunity to speak past “hello”, “excuse me” and “can I have this?”. I really needed there to be some Japanese conversation classes in Yokosuka.

Personally, for me, living in a foreign country I believe you should make every effort to speak their language.  Even if you are somewhere for a short time, making an effort one speaking the language will serve you at least twice over. The bottom line: having a basic understanding of the Japanese language is beneficial. Not just to get by in town, but also to have better relationships and understanding of the culture.

[Update as of 6/27/2022- Classes are on again! But make sure to check ahead of time as the schedule could be impacted by COVID.]

Japanese Conversation Classes in Yokosuka

Going to be honest, trying to research courses available beforehand lead me to nothing promising in the local area. The closest was in Yokohama and mostly they were available in Tokyo.  Yokosuka is close to Tokyo, but not THAT close. There had to be something available but apparently not searchable on the English side of Google.

Luckily, a coworker was familiar with the Yokosuka International Association (YIA) which offers DAILY Japanese conversation classes in Yokosuka, sometimes morning and night. Now I’m passing this knowledge off to you!

What to Expect from the Sensei

There are 10 different groups of volunteers that run each of the Japanese Conversation classes in Yokosuka.  Most are prior teachers or tutors but I believe some have taken up the hobby in retirement, they are all are trained in teaching Japanese.

Forewarning: This is immersion learning, the best kind of learning in my opinion for foreign languages, but does take some getting used to for some people. If you are stuck, they will break into English for you. Try your best to start thinking in Japanese though!

There are normally anywhere from 6-10 teachers and groups of 1-5 students with each teacher.  Is your group too beginner or too advanced? They might adjust you themselves but in either case, think of the benefits before you ask to be moved. Hearing more advanced Japanese could help you improve faster. If you are ahead, helping lesser experienced people could help solidify your knowledge.

The Application Process

Yes, that sounds scary. No, it’s not. If you go to the association’s website or main office, it might confuse you though. No need to worry, you can just show up a few minutes before a scheduled class of the different volunteer groups under the YIA umbrella without anything with you. Most of “the application” is basic information like your name and email address. The rest is to give them an idea of your level of Japanese so they can place you with the correct group.

Are they going to cost a lot?  Surprisingly, no!

The best part is the price of these Japanese conversation classes in Yokosuka.  The Monday evening class is 1000 yen (or about $10 USD) for the year. Some of the others are 1000 yen for every trimester.  The classes usually have one day off a month and a break in summer and winter for a few weeks but you can’t beat that price regardless.

The classes that are 1000 yen per trimester contribute to extra outings besides class. The fee goes to a group outing where they normally include lunch at a restaurant so, in my eyes, the cost is nil.  

What about learning material?

The Japanese Conversation classes in Yokosuka all work off the Minna no Nihongo series of books. Of the four textbook series I’ve used over the years, it’s my favorite. Remember how I said this is an immersion–style Japanese conversation class? Well, the books are completely in Japanese as well. It helps to start with a working knowledge of the syllabaries. Don’t worry, the teachers will help you! There is an additional text that translates the concepts for you.

Having your own copy is handy but not required. The 先生 (sensei, teachers, I’m starting you early!) will either have a copy for you to use or printouts. Personally, I like having my own. You’ll need the text and the translation book and they are quite affordable compared to some other textbooks.

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

Japanese Conversation Classes in Yokosuka Schedule

You can see the entire schedule here for 2022 (they follow the Japanese school year that runs from April to March). You can see the day of the week and time, which days of the month, who gives each class, where they are located, and the fee associated.

Where are they located?

You’ll see on the schedule that there are two main locations.  When you put those into Google, just make sure they are the Yokosuka locations as they are generic names. Here are the links to each of them!

Bunka Kaikan 文化会館

Soga Fukushi Kaikan 総合福祉会館

Werk Yokosuka ヴェルクよこすか (Also where YIA’s office is)

You can also visit YIA’s office for more information.  They are very friendly but all of the volunteer groups will also be able to help you with more information. They are located on the second floor, head left then right out of the elevator.

How do I find out more?

YIAs website is mostly in Japanese and hard to find in the first place for information on what they have to offer.  Hence, I hope this post is very helpful for others looking for an outlet for learning Japanese!  I’ve been extremely proud of the improvements I’ve made going to these classes.

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You may recall, that I love Mexican Food. So much so, that if my last meal could only be one cuisine, it would be Mexican. When I was turning 5, I told my whole class I was born in Mexico (I’m most certainly not), don’t know if that has anything to do with it (past life? who knows, kids are weird) but there’s definitely a passion for the culinary style.  Hell, I make guacamole for dinner more times than I can count! When I discovered Aztecas Yokosuka, it brought the local Mexican restaurant count to three (yay! less 30+ minute trips!). 

There are others, but they aren’t straight Mexican food. Mike’s Tex-Mex still has a place in my heart but I’m sorry, besides the fruit margaritas, Aztecas Yokosuka blows the local competition out of the water.

[Editors Note: This post was originally published in July of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy and comprehensiveness.]

The intel: Aztecas Yokosuka

Prior to Aztecas Yokosuka existence, the location housed a Peruvian restaurant.  So if you search for them on hotpepper.jp, tabelog.com, or one of the other Japanese Yelp-like restaurant searches, it’s hit or miss that you may see data from the other restaurant. If you like food pictures, they have a Facebook page to whet your appetite.

They are open every day of the week from 3 until 1130 pm, so you’ll have plenty of time to catch the last train if need be.

Oh, and they are not the original. There is also a location in Bashamichi in Yokohama. Definitely somewhere I’ve hit up after beer at Yokohama Brewery, Bashamichi Taproom, or American Antenna!

Looking for somewhere to have a party? The Gran Aztecas Yokosuka location has room for 50 people and 4000 yen 飲み放題 nomihoudai course – all-you-can-drink!

Bring on the food porn

The menu is a few pages long but still definitely concise in its options. Between a couple of visits, my friends and I have gone through the entire thing. You can NOT go wrong with any of the options. To start with, the guacamole is your best option. The salsa and nachos are also very delicious but the guacamole is some of the best I’ve had in Japan (and I eat guacamole any chance I get).

I wasn’t introduced to chilaquiles until later in life. In my opinion, they are the precursor to nachos but the tortillas get to simmer in all that yummy goodness on top to saturate the flavor more.  If you’ve never had them, here’s a good place to try it!

The enchiladas can come with either red or green sauce, they are both tasty just depends on what mood you are in for.

The tacos come with toppings to add if you feel so obliged.  They are great as served as well.

Chili con carne was an afterthought the day we got them, but delicious and come with tortillas.

Don’t forget your margaritas! The blue margarita is my favorite but they also have regular and a Cadillac version.

Enough! Where is Aztecas Yokosuka located?

The two locations are both located in Downtown Yokosuka. If you are coming by train, the Yokosuka-Chuo Station 横須賀中央駅on the Keikyu line is closest but Shioiri Station isn’t that much farther.

Enjoy! And let me know what you think!

The internet may have you believe that Japan is super expensive for food. Not even! With so many different Japanese foods to try, there are plenty of options on a budget. One of the quirkiest, and easiest for lower Japanese language abilities are sushi-go-round or conveyor belt sushi as they are often translated. Find yourself in Kanagawa Prefectures Yokosuka? There are plenty of quick kaitenzushi (回転寿司) or sushi-go-round in Yokosuka!

Quick Japanese Lesson

寿司 – sushi.  When you throw the first noun on the front like in ‘kaitenzushi’, it changes the “s” sound to a “z”. Sushi actually only refers to the vinegar rice.

回転寿司, kaitenzushi – literally ‘revolving sushi’. 回 is a counter of occurrences, and 転 means to revolve. American’s switched it to sushi-go-round.  I’m going to throw a guess due to another go-round we have.

握り寿司, nigirizushi ( sushi is pronounced “zushi” in this case due to a “noun-noun” combination) – Nigiri means to squeeze and refers to the motions necessary to construct the sushi.

魚, sakana – Generic term for fish.

屋, ya – One of the many different words that means “store”

The Concept of Sushi-go-round

Kaitenzushi is great for not having to talk to anyone if you are worried about your Japanese skills. You’d think that might be weird but it seems to becoming more prevalent as time goes on with many restaurants using computer screen ordering over human interaction. (Though I don’t know if I can fault them on saving on the extra cost).

Remember, Kaitenzushi (回転寿司), broken down into parts is literally “how many times-revolving-sushi”. If you want, just wait for a plate to come around that looks good, and grab it. A note for the budget item places, if it is on a special “platform-esque” plate, it’s been special ordered, so don’t take that!

Want something specific? You’ll either have the option to order on the screen or “sumimasen” to the chef and place your order.

The History of Kaitenzushi

What this all boils down to? A sushi chef in need of some staff to help him! Yoshiaki Shiraishi, understaffed and not able to keep up with his shop, got the idea from watching beers being bottled at an Asahi plant. He opened the first ever conveyor belt sushi, Mawaru Genroku Sushi in Higashiosaka, in 1958. After which he went on to open them all over the country.

Now you can find sushi-go-rounds all over the world, in varying degrees of price ranges.

Budget Sushi-go-round in Yokosuka Options

For a quick and inexpensive meal, go to a 100 yen sushi shop. Each plate is conveniently the same price. You’ll either need to stack up your conquest at the end or some have a game-type appeal where you slide your plate down a shoot and after 5 plates, you may win a prize. Ingenius in getting you to buy a few more plates even though you may be full.

Some will have deals during the week where you may be able to find 90 yen plates. Depending on the cut of fish, that will mean two or one pieces of nigirizushi a plate. Easily filling you up after not that much money.

Chain Options in Downtown Yokosuka

For 100 yen sushi plates, you have the options of Sushiro or Hamazushi. There are some of the other big chain options as well but you will need a car to get to those.

Sushiro (スシロー)

The full name is actually Akindo Sushiro but it’s colliqually referred to as “Sushiro”, and is the #1 selling chain in Japan. The building the Sushiro currently resides in, a long time ago, use to be a hamburger place. Now it’s a frequently to capacity sushi-go-round option. If you can navigate Japanese, there is an app available to call ahead your seating reservation. When you enter, like most 100 yen option places, you’ll enter and go to a kiosk.

From there, place how many people you have in your party and choose “table” or “whatevers quicker”. Whatever is quicker will default to a counter seat vs. a table option. If your party is small, that probably doesn’t matter.

It has quirky mascots (as most of Japan does) and decent tasting fish products for the price. You also have options of ramen, actually pretty on-point desserts and some sides. The screen makes it easy and you can place it into “English” mode.

Location

Easy walk from Shioiri Station and one of the first restaurant options you’ll come across from the JR Yokosuka station. You’ll just need to walk over the pedestrian overpass on Route 16 (one of the few numbered streets in Japan).

Hamazushi (はま寿司)

While this was my first introduction of 100 yen sushi in town, the quality in recent years to me has gone down. It has many of the same features as Sushiro and if you are closer to Yokosuka-chuo and looking for some cheap sushi, this is your place. And if you super like it? There are over 400 locations around Japan.

Hamazushi Yokosuka-chuo Location

From the station, it’s a quick walk down “blue street”.

Pay by the color of your plate

Stepping it up a notch but still want something fast? Hit Sakanayasan no Shinsen (魚屋さんの新鮮 under the Yokosuka-chuo station on the Keikyu Line.

Sakanayasan no Shinsen (魚屋さんの新鮮)

If you want a step above the many 100 yen sushi-go-rounds in town, but still want the quick meal aspect, by far, the best sushi-go-round in Yokosuka is Sakanayasan no Shinsen (魚屋さんの新鮮).  Located underneath the Yokosuka-chuo station it is very convenient if you take the train.  For those of us in town, it’s right in the mix of it all.

What makes it the Best sushi-go-round in Yokosuka?

Sakanayasan no Shinsen (魚屋さんの新鮮) wins by the quality.  You can’t go wrong with sushi in Japan (what we rightly call nigiri in the states) but there’s definitely level’s to contend with.  Higher quality sushi-go-rounds will have different colored plates with the more expensive fish, costing more.

Here they range from 108 円 a plate to 712 円.  I have been here when they’ve had something super special that’s been a bit more too.  Sakanayasan no Shinsen (魚屋さんの新鮮)is part of a conglomerate, Uoko, which includes the fish dealer itself, you’ll see “Uoko” on the plates.  You know that the sushi here is FRESH.

There’s always specials to be had.  If you can read, you can just shout out your order to the chef.  The “every day” menu is your placemat and has the English translations.  Otherwise, just wait for the plate to come around and pick your choices.

Note: the signs near the plates are not always the fish they are near.

How’s this work?

If it’s your first time in a sushi-go-round, you’ll be seated at the counter when its available.  This isn’t normally seen as a languishing meal, so don’t set up shop, but meant to be a good quick meal.  They will bring you a cup of green tea, to which, if you need a refill you can say “お代わりをください” (o-ka-wa-ri-o-ku-da-sai).  This means “a second helping, please” and you only use this for refilling water or tea.  If you want another beer (which when you sit down you can say “ビールをください”, “bi-ru-o-ku-da-sai”), you need to ask for another glass. You wouldn’t refill a beer because it’s not free. (Unless your in an all-you-can-drink scenario, Japanese, it’s complicated sometimes).

Chop sticks will be in a box like this one the counter so no need to ask for them.  Soy sauce and dishes are also provided. Extra wasabi will be on the conveyor but normally, if the fish is “meant” to be served with wasabi, it will already have it.

Ginger to cleanse your pallet between bites is also provided.  Just use the tongs to put some on one of your sushi plates.

Let’s Eat!

Usually, there is always a three fish special, generally of different cuts of tuna but they also had shell fish going this day.

This just looked amazing so I had to try it.  If you don’t know what sometime is, and you are close enough to the chef you can say “すみません、このさかなはなんですか？” (su-mi-ma-sen, kono sakana wa nan desu ka), “what is this fish?” to learn.  Or you can just go in blind.  Asking is better for when you want it again in the future!  This actually is aji (horse mackerel), which surprised me.

There’s also a take out option.

If the line is too long or you just don’t want to wait, there is also the take out option.  Super reasonably priced. You won’t see this in the states!

Looking for something fancier?

The hands-down the best option for sushi in Yokosuka is Sushi Bar Enji. Expect to spend some of your dollar bills (they aren’t actually one of the places that takes dollars in the city) and be amazed by some delicious food.

What’s your favorite sushi-go-round in Yokosuka?

Which do you think is the best sushi-go-round in Yokosuka? Let me know in the comments!

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Japan is well-known for having a myriad of animal cafes. Dogs and cat cafes seem logical when apartments are small and often don’t allow animals. The health benefits of owning a pet are both physical and mental (decrease blood pressure, decrease loneliness, among other things) after all. But what of the stranger, more wild, options? How about an owl cafe?

“Luck” and the Owl Cafe

The popularity of owl cafes you could say stems from the language. As I’ve mentioned before, the syllabaric nature of the Japanese language does not lend to many sound combinations. Because sounds can be written with different kanji and completely different meanings, Japanese is great for plays on words.

As such, the word for owl, “フクロウ” (Fukurou) is much like the word for luck, or at least one of the variations of it. It can be broken into 福 (fuku, luck), 来 (ku, to come), and 郎 (ro, which is a suffix used in boys’ names), to literally mean “to become lucky”.

Another rendition is that owls can provide protection from hardship. One of my favorite Japanese prefixes, 不 (fu, without) added to 苦労 (kurou, hardship) and you get, ta-da, “without hardship”.

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You will find not shortness of owl memorabilia in Japan.

Ethics of Animal Cafes

Not to come off sounding like a PETA fanatic (sorry, they get a little crazy sometimes, and I’m all for animal rites), there are definite things you should be aware of with animal attractions. Owls, as this article is about, I think we can all agree aren’t meant to be kept cooped up.

There is always room for improvement of the welfare laws of animals, there is a Japan version of the SPCA if you are interested in learning more. With Japan soon to be on the world stage with the Olympics in 2020, it will be interesting if there are changes in what tourists impact might have on the animal cafes.

To that end, Japan is filled with animal cafes, including many options for owls. If you are concerned, look for options that contribute to animal wellbeing. Such as some of the cat cafe in Tokyo that adopt animals that would otherwise have been put down and help look for their forever homes. In essence, a group fostering opportunity.

I’m not a saint

To be honest, I’ve been to my fair share of animal cafes, including an owl “forest” in Kamakura. More interactive experience vice an owl cafe. And if you want to go, that’s on you and it was in my prerogative to go myself. No judgment here but do know that there have been instances where cafes have been shut down. See something, say something, as the phrase goes.

Café is a weird misnomer, as an aside, generally, the beverage options are out of a vending machine.

From what I experienced at 鎌倉乃フクロウの森 (Kamakura Fukurou No Mori, Kamakura’s Owl Forest), there were strict rules to follow and the birds all seemed well taken care of and not in distress. They also seemed to have much more space from the cramped pictures I’ve seen of Tokyo Cafes. If you are visiting Komachi-Dori (Kamakura’s shopping street), a 3 minute walk from the station, you can make your choice.

If you are familiar with the green and yellow V-shaped symbol that new drivers in Japan must display on their vehicles for a year before they get a real license, you might chuckle at the above. The 初心者マーク (shoshinsha mark) in this case refers to not touching this “newbie” member of the “owl staff”.

Alternative to an Owl Cafe

Frankly, I think Kamakura’s Owl Forest isn’t a bad option, and if you are trying to get out of the heat on a hot day trip from Tokyo, check it out and let me know your opinion.

That being said, there are some better options if you want to get a true experience with an owl. Fuji Kachoen Flower & Owl Park, a good option especially if you are already planning to visit Fuji’s five lakes, has the space for the birds of prey to “spread their wings”.

Seeing them in action is much cooler to me anyway. There are demonstrations a few times a day to see them in flight and if you still want your insta fix photo, you have the chance to meet the owls. However, this is limited and less potentially traumatizing to them.

So yes, it is still possible to live out your Harry Potter fantasies.

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