Story Archives

Japan Travel Stories

Tokyo, Japan: Living in a Gaijin House in Japan - Travel Story by Tom Thumb
- 7th Online Issue

After months of scraping by teaching English in Thailand, I finally decided to follow the advice of my fellow travelers and head to where the money was - Japan. Some people preferred to arrange their jobs and interviews in advance but, being an impulsive kind of traveler, I just jumped on a plane and went.

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Matsuyama, Japan: Pachinko and Paddy Fields - Travel Story by Maya Driver
- 7th Online Issue

Something of an enigma to the uninitiated, Japan was no less of a mystery to me despite this being my third visit. It felt more like my first, since my previous visits were made when I was less than seven years old. This time I was old enough to appreciate the history and culture of my mother’s country, but also, as an adult, I felt acutely aware of how little I knew about my roots. Throughout Japan, despite being half-Japanese, I would be seen as a gaijin (foreigner), and my woeful lack of knowledge about Japanese culture only served to compound my feelings of alienation. I hoped that by spending time in my mother’s birthplace I might soak up enough of the culture to feel a little more at home there.

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Nagasaki, Japan: Greeting the Year of the Dog with 15,000 Lights - Story by Daniel Krieger
- 4th Online Issue

As countries around the world are kicking off the Chinese lunar new year with fireworks and parades, Nagasaki begins the Year of the Dog by flicking on 15,000 lights. From January 29th until February 12th, Nagasaki’s Chinatown is illuminated nightly with thousands of dazzling paper lanterns for the Nagasaki Lantern Festival.

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Osaka, Japan: Childhood on the Train - Story by Alice J. Wisler
- 3rd Online Issue

Where the train bends around the rice paddies, I can hear it. The mountains stand at a distance, framed by the cherry trees and the voices of children are urgent.

“Hurry!” “Run!” “Here’s a seat!”

There is laughter and chatter.

We were Americans raised in Japan. Like the natives, we rode the train to school. Every morning the Hankyu Line took us from our homes in Osaka to the international school in Kyoto. And each afternoon it rattled down the tracks to take us home.

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Tokushima, Japan: The Dance of Fools - Story by Samantha Stokell
- 2nd Online Issue

“Erai Yatcha! Erai Yatcha! Yoi, yoi, yoi, yoi!"

I have no idea what I'm saying, but it doesn't really matter. Dancing in a mosh pit of sorts on the streets of Tokushima with a group composed of English teachers and other revellers; we're in town for teacher training, but its really an excuse to get us here for the Awa Odori Festival.

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Culture Shock (2): Japan ''Blowfish, Bicycles, & Bizarre Sporting Celebrations''
- Story by Jason Gaskell
- 2nd Online Issue

So how much culture shock can you experience in one day?

I arrived in Japan not knowing how much I would take from my one-day trip and I departed with three things to muse upon - blowfish, bicycles, and bizarre sporting celebrations.

My visa run had dragged on for much longer than I expected and my return flight to Seoul fast approached. So I only had two hours to soak up some authentic Japanese culture in Osaka. After a long and frenetic day on the move, my first stop after business was complete was for some well-overdue food intake. I went into a nearby restaurant and sat at a table.

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