Want to Know About Life in Japan?

It’s time for some more questions. If you have any questions about what it’s like to live in Japan, please go to this post and ask me anything. I had some great questions before. Let’s have even more great questions!

I Read Encyclopedias for Fun

I’ve been running a weekly series about living in Japan since April, and asked you, the reader, to ask me any question about living in Japan. I got some great questions and had nearly three months worth of questions to answer. However, I’ve run out of questions.

Now it’s your turn to give me some more questions. If you have any questions about what it’s like to live in Japan, please ask in the comments below. It can be anything. Maybe even just about living in another country, or dealing with different food, culture, language, and so on. You can ask as many questions as you like. So, what would you like to know?

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Life in Japan: What Japan Needs from Canada

Living in Japan for so long, there are a lot of things I really miss about Canada. This is what I wish Japan had.

I Read Encyclopedias for Fun

Having lived in Japan for ten years, there are quite a few things from Canada I don’t have access to at all.  Occasionally, I’ll be able to eat a real hot dog in Costco, find Marmite in Union, and A&W Root Beer in Carnival, but there are some things that are impossible to find here. This week’s question comes from stomperdad.

Besides family, what do you miss about Canada that you wish Japan had?

Most of things I miss are food.  There are a lot of similar fast food restaurants here, such as McDonald’s, Subway, and Burger King, but what I really want isn’t available here.

Harvey’s burger and fries.

I always loved going to Harvey’s. The ability to customise your burger is missing from fast food places in Japan.  And eating a Harvey’s hamburger was so satisfying.

I’m not a big fan of pizza, since I don’t like pizza…

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10 Things I Will Miss About Japan

Moving to Canada next year makes me think about what I’ll miss in Japan. Too many things for a list of 10, but here’s my list.

I Read Encyclopedias for Fun

10 years in Japan means Japan feels like home.  But in a year, we’ll be living in Canada. Of course, I’m going to miss a lot about Japan. Maybe I won’t know what I’ll miss until we’ve been in Canada for a while, but I’ll make some predictions here.  This is what I think I’ll miss about Japan.

1. Sushi and Sashimi

It seems I talk a lot about food. I love sushi and sashimi.  Sure, I can get it in Canada, but it’s not nearly as good as the sushi and sashimi in Japan.

2. Temples and Shrines

I love the old architecture, and I really enjoy visiting temples and shrines.  Can’t do that in Canada.

3. The Weather

I prefer Japanese weather.  Winter is warmer than in Canada.  Summer is very hot and humid, but I’m so used to it, Canadian summer nights will feel cold.

4. Seasonal…

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What Is Japan?

I’d like some opinions from anyone who lives in Japan or has visited Japan. Please visit this blog post and answer the questions. It would be appreciated. Thanks!

I Read Encyclopedias for Fun

As expected, the response to the Canada post was much less.  However, I did expect a bit more than that.  But now, another country.

This time, it’s the country I live in, Japan.  With 1,130 views last year, it’s the number three country with 6% of the views.  Why do I get so many views from a country whose people don’t speak much English?  Well, my first blog is about Japan, and a lot of my readers there are expats, just like me.  So, logically, they also read this blog.  I’ll be relying on residents of Japan more than citizens, but I’d also like the opinions of people who have traveled in Japan.  So, have you been to Japan? Live in Japan?  Then I want your opinions.

Japan

Japan is an island country with four main islands and many smaller islands.  It’s a very long country spanning from subtropical Okinawa…

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Wagyu Beef Sukiyaki

Last night, I had something I’ve been looking forward to for years, wagyu beef.  There are several varieties of wagyu beef, some of the most famous being Kobe beef and Matsuzaka beef.  Below is the beef.  10,000 yen worth of it.  Included was sukiyaki sauce.

Look at all that beef. It’s half fat.

The last of the beef.

So, how was it?  It tasted quite good, but there was a problem.  It’s so fatty that it filled me up very quickly, and I didn’t feel very good afterwards.  My recommendation is to eat wagyu beef in moderation.  And whatever  you do, eat it in thin slices.  Don’t eat it as steak.  I’ve heard others say they tried wagyu beef steak, and it was too oily. It needs to be boiled, not fried.  Sukiyaki or shabu shabu are ideal, I think.

Have you tried wagyu beef?

2012 Picture of the Week (53/52) – Mikan

The mikan (みかん) is a kind of orange native to Japan, but also grown in China and other countries.  It’s traditionally sold around the end of the year in Japan, and you can buy them in large bags or boxes.  Does this sound familiar?  In North America, it’s very common to buy Mandarin oranges in boxes for Christmas.  Well, the mikan is a type of Mandarin orange.  It’s also known as tangerine, satsuma orange, or even Japanese Mandarin orange.

Big bags of mikan.

With this, I close out the 2012 Picture of the Week.  It was one extra, since I did two in one week sometime during the year.  I just haven’t figured out when.  Picture of the Week is not returning next year.  However, I am doing another weekly series that’ll focus on Japan’s 47 prefectures plus the 5 largest cities to round out 52 weeks.  I hope you enjoyed all 53 pictures!