Japanese Food
Regional Ramen Styles, and the Four Variables
Tonkotsu is a soup and shoyu is a seasoning, which is why tonkotsu shoyu is not a contradiction. Four independent variables, eight regional styles, and how to order.
Japan Know How archive
Author: Dylan Carver
Travel to Japan
Is the Japan Rail Pass Worth It in 2026?
Tokyo to Kyoto to Hiroshima and back comes to about 44,760 yen against a 50,000 yen pass. The classic route does not break even, and from 1 October the pass costs more.
Travel to Japan
Planning a First Trip to Japan: The Order That Works
Seven decisions in the order they should be made, plus the four things that changed in 2026 and quietly made a lot of older Japan advice wrong.
Japanese Culture
Lucky and Unlucky Numbers in Japan
Four sounds like death and nine like suffering, so Japanese quietly says yon and kyu instead. Eight is lucky for the opposite kind of reason - the shape of the character.
Japanese Culture
Japanese Festivals by Season: A Year-Round Guide
Hanami in spring, Gion and Obon in summer, autumn leaves and Jidai Matsuri, then New Year. The festival year laid out, with the two weeks when everyone is travelling at once.
Japanese Phrases
What to Say in Japan When Something Goes Wrong
Three numbers, four situations and a handful of sentences you will hopefully never use. Checked against the national tourism organisation's own page.
Japanese Phrases
Japanese Phrases for Trains and Stations
One phrase, one card and about eight kanji cover the world's best rail network. Plus train types, the exit that matters, and the luggage rule people miss.
Chinese Zodiac
Zodiac Compatibility: Four Triangles and Six Clashes
The famous pairings come from the geometry of a twelve-point circle, not from anything about the animals. How the system works, how seriously it is taken, and where to stop.