There is one website I suggest registering with.  It’s called Couch Surfing and on it’s most basic level it’s a bit like a “dating site” for travelers (although it doesn’t mean real romance is included).  There’s a nominal fee to get your address verified and I recommend doing this if practical.

The idea is that you create a profile and browse the profile of other members.  Some members profiles will indicate that they are able to host you for free during your stay, others might not be able to host but may be available to meet up so you can meet new people and get some local insight.

The site works based on feedback so therefore if you host people or they host you then you both get an opportunity to leave feedback.  A series of good references on your profile makes it easy to attract the next host.

The Couch Surfing community is big in Japan however it’s not easy to get hosted by Japanese people.  They often find it difficult to host because

• their rooms are too small
• their housemates aren’t comfortable with strangers sharing
• many Japanese tend to work crazy hours and just aren’t available
• a lot of rental contracts forbid guests staying there

Couch Surfing

A lovely couple, Martin and his wife, registered with Couchsurfing back in December 2008 and hosted a lot of guests in their apartment in Thailand before flying to Japan in April.  If you can also host then it looks good to other members but if not then a sincere email to the potential host should be enough to encourage them to host you.

When they visited Japan they flew during the cherry blossom time and found that many hosts were booked out for months in advance. They got lucky and spent some time staying with westerners who lived there. They spent about 5 nights with one host close to Kyoto and attended a Couch Surfing picnic in Kyoto too.  During that picnic they were able to meet a lot of english-speaking Japanese friends who were happy to take them around the city in their spare time. In Tokyo they got to see some great parts of the city after meeting a Couch Surfer there.

They kept a detailed diary of our adventures here:
http://pavion.net/category/japan/

You’re going to love Japan.  Japan can be one of the best holiday’s you’ll ever have, and one of the most interesting. Doing some Couch Surfing will help broaden your experience when traveling internationally. To explore more about the country and culture it’s always a good idea to brush up on some Japanese language so you can get the full experience.

The first time I stumbled across the unusual fashion of Japan I was young, impressionable and in a local Waterstones. From what I can remember I was looking around, for a fantasy novel no doubt, when all of a sudden my attention was grabbed by a multi-coloured book entitled FRUiTs.

Peeking inside I was surprised to find a collection of photographs, seemingly taken on the street, of people dressed in clothes bright enough to make a circus clown seem drab. 10 years later I found this book was a collection of the best photos taken from Japan’s premier fanzine “FRUiTs.”

The idea behind the magazine was to document the growing explosion in street fashion within the Tokyo suburbs and because of my recurring recollections of the event I decided to track down a copy and I ordered it for myself. In doing so I hoped that I might rekindle some of those long lost feelings that kept hampering me and maybe explain part of the reason why I have such a fascination with everything oriental.

Once it arrived the thing that struck me most about the book was just how much of the fashion was inspired by the UK.

You see, many of the clothes were actually created by eccentric British designer Vivienne Westwood –the 70 year old woman with the bright red hair – and she was featured on almost every page.

Then it hit me. That was the reason why I was so entranced by the book. You see the images were both so foreign and familiar to me at the same time. Vivienne Westwood was deeply inspired by the Punk movement of the 60s it seems and you can see it in the edgy nature of her clothes. The FRUiTs on the other hand are also edgy but have swapped the political machinations of the punk movement for bright colours and a cool look. That I realised, was why I found it so unusual.

Vivienne has her own theory on why the Japanese are so fond of her clothes though, she said: “The young Japanese love to wear the latest thing and when they come to London they head for my shops as part of what they want to find in Britain.”

Two models wearing Westwood’s GOLD collection made exclusively for the Japanese market.

It seems funny, then, that Japanese fashion is inspired by a stereotypical or idealised view of the West – if Vivienne’s statement is anything to go by – but the more and more I look at Japanese fashion the more I see the western influence. Perhaps it has something to do with the American occupation following WWII.

One thing I know for sure though is that my knowledge of Japanese fashion is extremely limited and I want to know more. I want to know if any of you have had experiences with FRUiTs or if you know a modern Japanese brand that isn’t inspired by the west. If so then we’d love to see them below. Sayonara!

Vivienne Westwood Sites:
http://www.vanmildert.com/vivienne-westwood-222.phtml (UK)
http://www.viviennewestwood.co.uk/w/store-directory/japan

Items you’ll need:

• 12 small chicken meatballs or 2 cubed chicken breast
• 8 large prawns
• 1 large carrot cut into 2cm diagonal pieces
• Half of a shredded Chinese napa cabbage
• 4 – 6 whole shiitake mushrooms
• 3 leeks cut into 2cm diagonal pieces
• 1 large piece of tofu cut into 2cm cubes
• 200g udon noodles (pre-cooked)

Soup stock:

• 3 cups kombu and bonito stock
• ½ cup tsuyu (Japanese noodle dipping sauce)
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons sake

Cooking instructions:

1. In a large hot pot, add all of the soup ingredients and allow it to boil.
2. Add chicken and boil for 2 minutes.
3. Add carrots and shiitake then boil for another 2 minutes.
4. Add shrimp, Chinese napa, leeks and tofu to boil for an additional 2 minutes.
5. Serve in small bowls with rice on the side. When main ingredients are eaten, add the udon at the end with the rest of the soup.

Chicken Nabe

When I’m at home I work from my SOHO (very small office home office) but in the last few years problems have come up that can affect relationships because people don’t understand my work schedule and situation. I don’t keep a routine schedule, it’s not the standard Japanese way, and I don’t play by the rules of a normal work environment or a Japanese company (or any other).

Besides the fluctuation in my work hours, I think there are two main factors involved. One is called “Holiday Mode” and the other is called “In The Zone Mode” and it’s hard for people in my life to witness the transition from one to the other. I see a lot of confusion, jealousy for having too much play time, and anger for not having enough time. Here’s a quick breakdown…

Welcome to... HOLIDAY MODE!

Holiday Mode: Some days people see that I work only 1-2 hours giving me a lot of free time. My clients are taken care of, I need a break, and it’s the perfect time for me to take advantage of this. I have time to spend with my loved ones, time to explore, time to travel to visit family and friends, time to party, time to spend money and have fun. I go to sleep late, I wake up late. Holiday Mode usually lasts anywhere from 5 days to 2 weeks with an occasional blip (once it lasted more than a month).

Welcome to... IN THE ZONE MODE!

In The Zone Mode: When I need to get things done I dedicate everything to my clients and projects. I enjoy what I do and I can easily get “IN THE ZONE!” with a full tank of energy and confidence. I’m no stranger to working 80 hours a week when I need to. My sleep schedule starts to become batches of 2-4 hours so my working hours can conform to other timezones. Some days I’m so busy that I work long stretches without stepping away for a meal or to answer non business related calls to my keitai (cell phone). I’m marketing, networking, researching, ad buying, having conference calls, among other things, and “In The Zone Mode” usually lasts 1-2 weeks at a time.

Regular Mode: This wasn’t mentioned as a problem because it’s not an issue  This mode comes up once in a while and I can keep regular Japan time office hours.

My work structure goes in cycles. From Holiday Mode to In The Zone Mode to Holiday Mode to Regular Mode back to In The Zone and so on with little prediction of when things will change. My work schedule offers me my own time off but that time off usually doesn’t land on many national holidays.

Let’s face the facts… I wasn’t raised in an Asian or Japanese culture and I’m not a “salary man” that slaves away with a set schedule with certain days off. Over 7 years ago I left a six-figure income job to pursue my dream of owning a business that gives me freedom, time, and money. Sure it was a bumpy ride in the beginning but I pushed ahead and smoothed things out. Now I’m living abroad, enjoying what I do, and it feels like I’m making magic happen. I’ll hit the grind stone when I need to because I don’t want to end up being forced to go back to the U.S. or work for an unpleasant employer while possibly earning a lower salary than I’m worth. When I’m in the zone, I have to take full advantage of the situation and mental power because it’s a part of my life.

Increasing Business and Capital for Longevity

Here’s more details of the problems with people not understanding what it means to be an entrepreneur.

During Holiday Mode my woman and friends love it! Sure, why not? I’m a younger looking enthusiastic gaijin that seems like he’s on a permanent holiday with time and money to burn. A lot of fun times could be had! On the down side sometimes friends and family get jealous if they are a slave to the office. They go to sleep when I’m still out having fun or they wake up when I’m still sleeping or playing video games.

During In The Zone Mode my woman easily gets upset. She thinks I’m ignoring her, my personal schedule changes and all of a sudden I have no time for fun, and she doesn’t understand why I’m working so much and ignoring friends and family. People go to sleep while I’m still working, and people wake up to go to the office when I’m still working. In the home base I speak firmly, I speak briefly, when I say I’m going to eat out it means I’m leaving in 3 minutes with or without a companion, and this easily causes her to become emotional. (It feels like a woman having her period for a really long time!) Luckily I quickly learned to ignore things that negatively affect my In The Zone Mode and that means Holiday Mode will be more enjoyable because I won’t be carrying around any resentment.

In Japan I feel that people define one another too much based on what job you have, meaning ‘what you do‘ is ‘who you are‘. On the flip side, a lot of Japanese girls (and guys) see a job or work like this… a person works for a boss who tells them what to do, a person talks up or down to coworkers depending on status, a person does his or her task for a set amount of days per week, a person gets paid holidays, a person gets a paycheck and after a person puts in a lifetime of work that person retires with a nice pension, the end. That’s not usually how an entrepreneur works.

I feel that life needs to be prioritized especially when you work for yourself. Money = taking care of family. Do you love your family? Sure! Having a good job can cover that money issue, but if you run a business there’s more at stake The equation should look something like Work = money = family financial security = family understanding. But that understanding part isn’t so easy. Also an entrepreneur that works from home experiences many tough situations because his wife or girlfriend sees him all the time and might associate his work with “playing on the Internet” and start asking for help with household chores or help with something ‘really quick’. This would never happen in an office, and having somebody breaking your train of though to ask you these questions destroys productivity.

Because of the way of life Japan, I think it’s easy to become less manly and have less control of the family and finances. As an entrepreneur you need to really cowboy up and take control of the situation before it gets too deep into the dead zone of unhappiness, but at the same time don’t forget to understand and respect the culture of the country you’re living in.

Owning your own business, even one online with or without employees, you will most likely create a business forecast estimating your profits and losses. See profits? Work hard and make more. See losses? Work harder, and get back into the green zone. But make sure to take some time to enjoy life! Anyway, this is the end of my little rant and I wish all international entrepreneurs and foreigners working abroad the best of luck!

Recently my partner and I were traveling in Japan for 3 weeks. We flew in from the states to Tokyo and took trains and buses to Hakone, Takayama, Hiroshima and Kyoto. We’ve traveled internationally together before and enjoyed the mishaps that come with the territory, but this trip we were armed with a tablet. My mom gave me an HP coupon to get one and I thought, sure it’ll be nice to play with during down time, not have to lug around a heavy book to read and keep up with email so my family wouldn’t worry. Little did I know what an amazing and helpful tool it would be on our trip!

Never get lost again. Sure, a good guidebook has hundreds of maps. I usually rip out the ones of the town I’m in and carry them in my pocket for easy access, but inevitably I take a wrong turn somewhere. Try to navigate your way to Tokyo’s Kappabashi street from Asakusa with a map and then try using the map function on a tablet that shows you on the map, so you know exactly where you are and tell me which one is more effective.

Store and post pictures online immediately. You can do this with certain phones too, but data plans may apply. With a tablet, you just need to be in wifi range. We visited the Hakone open-aired museum and were able to snap shots of us in front of Rodin’s exquisite sculpture Drowning. It was my Facebook profile picture less than 5 minutes later.

Get up to date reviews fast. I’m a big lover of Lonely Planet Travel Guides, but they are super bulky and go out of date every year. Their website is the best way to have instant access for places to stay and eat, and everything else you might need to know. Book your hostel for the next town before it fills up. Book your Bullet train tickets, decide what you want to do next and find advice on nightlife all from something that weighs about a third of the guidebook.

Our entire trip was enchanting. We always said we never minded getting lost, as it was part of the journey, then we went our entire trip not getting lost once and realized that was just as fulfilling. The important thing is that you visit Japan, but if you grab an HP coupon to take advantage of a cheap tablet you’ll be glad you did that too.

Japan has an amazing and dynamic culture. It has fascinating buildings and architecture that date back thousands of years that simply ooze Japanese culture. This history sits along the much more modern elements of the shifting fashion trends and technological development that is constantly reinventing itself. This mix of old and new creates a country of stark contradictions which is one of the reasons Japan is a must visit destination. Before you go, here is a quick heads up on Japanese customs and how to get along if this is your first visit.

Table Etiquette
If you are eating out with the locals and you’re presented with a traditional Japanese dish, you may find it hard not to be a noisy eater and to slurp on the food you’re not so used to eating. Its commonplace in Japan and for everyone to do so and it’s seen a sign that you are enjoying your meal! If you find it hard to eat noodles or rice with chopsticks, it’s more than welcome that you are allowed to raise the bowl you’re eating from to chin level. This will reduce any chance of an accidental spillage. Before you even start to eat anything that has been offered to you, it’s polite to say “itadakimasu” which means I will receive. This is expected whether you are in the best five star restaurants or sampling a taste of food at the local market.

Tipping
In countries such as the US, Tipping is expected and is often automatically added on to your bill. The very opposite is true in Japan. In restaurants for example, they believe that the price they set for a meal is the price they believe it to be worth. Any more is seen as offensive and frowned upon. You will find that some waitresses will begrudgingly accept a tip just to avoid the confrontation but in general, it’s seen as an insult. So remember the price you see is the price you pay.

Visiting someone else’s home.
It’s custom in Japan for you to remove your shoes as soon as you step into someone else’s home and in most cases, if you enter a hotel or business too. There are a few westernised businesses based in Japan that don’t require you to remove your shoes so it’s not always necessary. As soon as you pass through the door, you will probably notice other people’s shoes lined up and a pair of complimentary guest slippers will be sitting nearby; many Japanese bring a pair of indoor slippers just in case. And be careful to remove the toilet slippers waiting for you in the bathroom once you leave the bathroom. If in doubt, take your shoes off! If the host doesn’t expect it, they will let you know.

Bathing
During your trip you will notice public bathhouses (Sento) dotted all around Japan whether you are in a major city or a small village. You might also notice the hot springs (Onsen) too. Unlike their use in the western culture, a Japanese bath is a place for you to relax after you have washed. It’s not a place for actual scrubbing! If you are in the home of a local, you may be offered the choice of using their bath. This is seen as an honour and you should be careful not to dirty the water you bathe in. The sanctity of the Japanese bath (Ofuro) is incredibly important.

This guest post was provided by Adam, cheap car hire provider, Carrentals.co.uk. If you are travelling anywhere round the world and want the ease that a car brings, take a look at the site for the best deals around.

If you are coming to study at a university, then you may ask the university officials to arrange a living space for you in the student dormitory. The rent is comparatively cheaper and you have the ease to get along with other students from various nationalities.

It also gives you an easy way to interact among the Japanese students and communities. However, an early enrollment into the student dormitory can be convenient.

There are many housing companies that offer furnished apartments based on rental system to foreign students. However, as a matter of fact, these apartments are highly expensive and will cost you too much if you plan to stay for long. Contrarily, the apartments from the residential housing schemes are also far too expensive to live for a longer period. There is a lot of cash-in-front required to arrange a private housing in Japan.

While you are looking into getting an inexpensive place to live, do not go for cheap places either. These will save you money, but will bring in many other issues that might be costly to you. For example, you will have to spend extra money to get warm water during the winters. You might also have to share toilet and kitchen with other tenants as there are only one each located outside the building.

In addition to monthly rent, you should also expect to pay off monthly maintenance charges, environment cleaning fee, utility fee etc. These costs are clearly mentioned on the fliers so you should look into then with detail before deciding.

There are several things you should take notice of; some of these are described below.

• Key Money: Reikin is an amount of money which is usually given to the landlord (ooyasan) as a gift. The amount may vary but usually it is equal to a month’s rent. Shikikin is another amount which prevents you from disappearing from the house without prior notice, whereas Tesuuryou is an amount payable to the housing agent, if you hire any.
• Maximum Length of Stay: Usually, all rental housing schemes ask you to mention a minimum period of your stay. If you breach the contract afterwards, it might result in a penalty. If you plan to reside for less than a year, then inform the ooyasan early.
• Room furniture: Generally, apartments do not contain any furniture, but you will be given some equipment, such as gas stove, common washing machine, an air conditioner and maybe an internet connection.
• Miscellaneous items: There are several other matters, such as fire insurance, gas usage, neighbors, room size and type. These directly link to the housing agent and the homeowner.

The last thing to keep in mind as a foreigner is that people mostly do not prefer to rent out to foreign students. You might come across some fliers that clear mention their reservations about foreign students. Just hire a housing agent and ask for moderately priced rental location with basic utilities.

About the author of this contributed article:
Andrew has been travelling to Japan as a student a few years ago. Andrew is now distributing sushi conveyor belt and sushi maker

Many different types of students use Rosetta Stone Japanese to learn and master Japanese language skills. Some students learn solely for business purposes and some learn for pleasure. No matter what the reason, there are benefits for every learner. For those learning Japanese for business reasons, Rosetta Stone Japanese hones in on specific business vocabulary in order to equip the student with common business conversational tools; students learning Japanese for recreational purposes can learn casual conversation and even common travel phrases. No matter what your reason is for learning Japanese, the skill of being well versed in the language can benefit you in your career and your life.

Rosetta Stone Japanese is also a fun program to learn with. The creators of the program are strong believers in the fact that more information is retained when learners are enjoying what they are working with. While most other language programs use tedious and dull Japanese exercises, Rosetta Stone Japanese makes the learning process exciting and active. Learners can learn from memory games, puzzles, speech recording and even cinematic dubbing of favorite movies. These tools keep the students engaged in the learning process and make learning Japanese fun. With the variety of lessons available, students can also gain a good understanding of different ways Japanese is spoken. Other language programs may have the same people speaking Japanese in the same way. It is important for students to hear the language spoken by a variety of people using a variety of accents. In this way, students gain a better understanding of how the language is spoken and used in real life.

For those wanting to test Rosetta Stone Japanese before purchasing the full package, a preliminary lesson is available online for free. The lesson offers students a look into how the program works and examples of some of the exercises and tools used. Most students who test the free online lesson rarely leave without the full package of Rosetta Stone Japanese. It’s just that good.

The program has an assortment of merits and benefits for all types of Japanese language learners. Among the highlights include:

• The program offers core foundational skills for learners who are studying Japanese for business or recreational purposes
• Rosetta Stone Japanese caters to the student’s specific needs by monitoring progress and seeing to it that weak areas are strengthened
• The wide variety of tools and resources used in the program are fun and interactive, giving learners the most effective learning experience
• The tools used for teaching Japanese are put together in such a way as to give students a real life understanding of the language
• Before students purchase the full package of Rosetta Stone Japanese, a free lesson is available online for testing

Rosetta Stone Japanese comes fully recommended by Japanese language learning experts as a reliable source for learning the Japanese language. No other Japanese language learning resource on the market offers the real life examples, fundamental skills and engaging activities that Rosetta Stone Japanese does. Students of Rosetta Stone Japanese are taught on such a personal level that it will almost feel like private tutoring. Read the review now and find out more!

The investor is in full control of their assets at all times when using the ZuluTrade platform. This forex trading account allows investors to choose not only the trading system but the amounts as well. Once the information is entered this unique platform will performs everything that it has been instructed to do.

The first step is creating an account at ZuluTrade through zulutrade-fx.net. After completing this simple process the investor can choose between a demo account or going for a live account. The advantages of starting with the demo account is that investors can learn the system easily by using virtual money of up to $50,000 to get the feel and experience of live trading without putting up any of their own money.

Once the investor feels comfortable in their knowledge of the ZuluTrade system, they can open a real account using one of the associate brokers and begin the trading process. This begins with investors choosing from among the signal providers they wish to go with and the amount of money or lot size for the trade. ZuluTrade will then make the transaction instantly while the investor can observe the overall performance and evaluate the results.

There is plenty of information for the investor to digest when making trades on the ZuluTrade system. This includes the number of pips gained or lost and the average pips per trade, the time and profit made during the trade, the ratio of how much you gained, the system’s total drawdown, and many other factors which you can pull together to get an overall picture of how your trading has performed. This type of information will give you clues to what methods you should use when trading again.

What makes this system even easier to use is that the analysis of your trades are done in graphic form, this visual assistance can help you spot the specifics of your recent activities. This makes digesting this type of information quicker and easier so you can continually improve your overall performance.

You can even get the results of trades that are not performing well and get the specifics through the automated system by reverse trading them. Now you can check the trades which didn’t perform well and trade again so you can now make a profit. This great tool allows you to overcome the circumstances of many of the trades that did not go well.

Using zulutrade-fx.net as your forex trading platform means that even those with marginal knowledge can quickly learn and become expert traders and find the best signal providers all in one place. This means more effecting trading in less time as you narrow your approach to use the best providers and techniques to make the most profit.

Whether you are a novice or seasons professional, ZuluTrade is the forex trading platform for you.

And above all what is more lyrical than the Japanese ritual of bathing, cleaning the body from impurities, soaking and soothing in hot water? Actually I hear this story all the time, of westerners who visit japan for leisure or business entering reluctantly in an onsen (hot spa) and returning home with an addiction for hot tubs. Soaking is actually so obvious, so natural, it fills up the gap that modern life creates in our lives. Like the “tea ceremony” or the “ikebana” (flower arrangement) or the sushi, what strikes us westerners is the poetic simplicity and pure beauty of this ritual. Entering in a Japanese ofuro (wooden hot tub) is a regenerating experience for both the body and mind and I bet you are never going to forget your first time.

You can find more about Japanese ofuro bathtubs from this homepage: www.bartokdesign.com/japan

First of all, soaking in 42-43 C (107-109 F) hot water improves blood circulation, skin irritation, and eases the expulsion of toxins from the body. The steam and flowing water originate minus-ions which have direct anti-aging effect and are beneficial for relaxing the mind.

There are different types of Japanese baths: from the hot springs where you bathe in natural ponds, to modern ceramic or acrylic tubs equipped with recirculating systems. A tub relatively unknown in the west is the wooden tub, which combines the advantages of being compact and built with natural material. A wooden bathtub has high thermal insulation and soft touch, moreover it generates a soothing cedar aroma when filled with hot water.

I read often of so called “Japanese Tubs” built with inappropriate woods, using mitered joints or other phony details which will cause poor performance and leaks. I think that there are many types of deep soaking tubs, many types of ofuro-style tubs etc. Anyway we should be more precise when we talk about Japanese Tubs. First of all, “Japanese Tubs” are made in Japan. (aka: Chinese tubs are made in China or American tubs are made in the US). If they are made in wood, they should use only coniferous wood (not teak, mahogany etc.). Then these tubs should be handmade, using techniques of wood joinery derived from traditional ship building. Only these details developed during the centuries guarantee performance, durability and genuinity.

I recommend to consult the Bartok design Japan Co. homepage for hundreds of examples and FAQs answered. If you are looking for natural bath accessories visit their hinoki bath accessories page. (direct purchase with PayPal is available).

Salmagundi Club website http://www.salmagundi.org

The event, “Pioneer Women: First Ladies of Salmagundi Club” is 6 to 8pm at the Salmagundi Art Club, located at 47 Fifth Avenue, New York City.

Please help Samizu, who is frail and very poor, and lives in Maine USA, raise $1,000 US to pay for travel for her and two paintings, to receive this honor, by visiting Samizu’s “kickstarter” fundraising page. Check out this link to Samizu Matsuki’s kickstarter page.

Samizu Matsuki’s gold medal winning triumph was for returning techniques of Western Classical Realist artistry, refined through generations of Japanese art schools, back to the West. This was in defiance of then-prevailing American fixation on abstract expressionism. Her work electrified enormous crowds who came to her exhibited works.

Matsuki’s meteoric flash was short lived. Failing health at end of the 1970s cut short her career, despite many offers of commissions and exhibitions. Yet during her brief intense career Samizu was like an artistic accupuncture needle, reopening long closed channels of creativity, playing a subtle yet critical role in re-establishing  the legitimacy of highly realistic oil painting in the 1970s American art scene.

Matsuki’s unique ‘magical realism’ style was also influenced by Setsuko Migishi at Joshibi University in Tokyo. Samizu is a 1958 graduate of Joshibi, then called Womens College of Fine Arts.

In an effort to show the world that Japan remains a safe destination and promote international tourism back to Japan, we are sponsoring two “Travel Volunteers” to visit Japan’s 47 prefectures during a 100+1 journey.

The idea for this project came from one of our employees at The Real Japan: three months after the events, we were brainstorming on ways to restore confidence and bring back tourism to Japan. We had all seen the coverage about Japan from international media and felt an important part of information was missing… Although the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear issue are terrible disasters which claimed many lives, Japan as a country was NOT entirely destroyed or irradiated. All other places outside the evacuation zone remained totally safe. But the media never mentioned it.

An idea arose and immediately caught everyone’s enthusiasm: ”How about creating a contest to win a journey through all 47 prefectures of Japan in 100+1 days and report on a Blog and social media? All travel and accommodation expenses, including international airfares would be covered by the project. Impossible? Crazy? The seed for the “Travel Volunteer” project was planted…

www.travelvolunteer.net

We also involved Japanese tourism businesses from all over the country to sponsor a part of the journey and many contributed in the form of complimentary room-nights at hotels and Ryokans, with local guides offering their services to escort the Travel Volunteer for free in their city. We would like to thank them for their support.

On July 6th , after one month of excitement and intense work, the Travel Volunteer website was launched. It took off immediately, with over 200 applications in less than two days. Two weeks later, the Facebook page of our project was shared more than 10,000 times!

On July 31st, the application closing date, we had received 1897 applications from 85 different countries in the world… Every applicant was requested to pay a USD 5.00 fee to enter the contest, thus ensuring they were serious and committed. The funds were raised to support “On The Road”, a grass-root NPO, actively involved in the reconstruction efforts in the devastated Tohoku region.

Board of Messages full of Support and Hope

On August 15th, we had read all 1897 applications and pre-selected 5 candidates based on their answers to three simple questions:

• What is your personal reason to apply for Travel Volunteer?
• If you are selected, what would be your dream while in Japan?
• Why should we choose you?

The “lucky five” were 3 single applicants – 2 female & 1 male) from Canada, Malaysia & Ukraine, plus two couples from the UK and the USA.

On September 13th, they were invited to join the final selection process (return flight paid) at Kaikaro, a prestigious Geisha Tea House in Kanazawa, in presence local personalities and Japanese TV’s covering the event. The selection process was broadcast live on U-Stream (watch it here) and on local & regional TV’s.

Foreigners (Gaijin) wearing traditional Japanese kimono with Geisha girls and learning more about Japanes tradition as well as culture.

This non-profit project also aimed at raising funds for a grass-root NPO called “On The Road”, actively involved in the reconstruction efforts in Tohoku region, through a USD 5.00 application fee. As a result, USD 10,000 have been raised and symbolically handed over to the President of “On The Road” by the 5 pre-selected candidates, at the end of the ceremony.

Contestant winners Katie & Jamie from the UK who will be visiting 47 47 prefectures of Japan while they blog about their experiences!

On September 15th, our finally selected Travel Volunteers – Katie & Jamie from the UK – departed Kanazawa at 08.50 am to their first destination, Toyama. They are now on their way through Japan and will keep blogging everyday about their journey in Japan, until Christmas Eve on December 24th, when they will be in Tohoku, distributing gifts to children displaced by the tsunami.

For more information, please visit:
The Website: Travel Volunteer｜トラベルボランティア
The Blog: (Japan) Travel Volunteer Blog
The Facebook Page
The Twitter Page

1. The University of Tokyo – (Tokyo Daigaku) a major research university. Fifteen prime ministers in Japan have studied at University of Tokyo. During the Summer Olympics in 1964, the university hosted the running portion of the pentathlon event. The University’s School of Science and the Earthquake Research Institute are both represented on the national Coordinating Committee for Earthquake Prediction.
   
2. Kyoto University – (Kyoto Daigaku) It is the second oldest Japanese university, and formerly one of Japan’s Imperial Universities. The university claims six Nobel Laureates and two Fields Medalists among its faculty and alumni.
   
3. Osaka University – (Osaka Daigaku) It is the sixth oldest university in Japan, and formerly one of Japan’s Imperial Universities. Not only is it one of the top research institutions in Japan, it’s very difficult to get into.
   
4. Nagoya University – (Nagoya Daigaku) It is one of the most prestigious universities and it’s one of the top research institutions in Japan, and Nagoya Law School is considered as one of top Law schools in the country. It’s very selective with the students they select.
   
5. Tohoku University – (Tohoku Daigaku) It is the third oldest Imperial University in Japan and one of the 13 universities selected by the government to lead the internationalisation of higher education in Japan. They offer international degree courses taught completely in English, at both undergraduate and graduate level. The radiology department has been actively measuring radiation levels throughout the city of Sendai since the Fukushima Nuclear Power plant meltdown, which is about 100 kilometers south. One of the interesting research centers they have is the Research Center for Prediction of Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions.
   You can view the top Japanese Universities and see where they stand in the country of Japan as well as where they are listed in top 500 worldwide rankings right here.

Visitors to the ‘Friends of Japan’ area on the American Express Japan Facebook page can select one of four messages or create their own ‘Message of Hope’ for Japan in the form of a virtual postcard. Donations from American Express will go to Japan Platform, an intermediary non-governmental organization that supports various relief agencies active in the affected areas. Facebook visitors can also view the messages of hope shared by others around the world; each postcard is customized with the sender’s first name and country. In addition to sharing and reviewing messages of hope for Japan, Facebook users will be able to learn about the status of relief efforts, share information and photos with Friends and encourage their participation.

“It’s been five months since the East Japan Great Earthquake and there are many impacted areas that are still in need of support,” said Robert Siedell, Country Manager of American Express in Japan. “Leveraging the power of Facebook’s global platform and American Express’ global network, ‘Friends of Japan’ is a way to bring an international community together and re-ignite the conversation to maintain support for ongoing relief efforts.”

A Global, Social Call to Action
The ‘Friends of Japan’ area on the American Express Japan Facebook page will be translated into Chinese, English, French, German, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish. Visitors from across the globe will receive a customized experience based on their location and can personalize their messages of hope for Japan. Each virtual postcard will be stamped with the sender’s name and country. To drive participation around the world, American Express will be promoting the campaign globally and communicating about the program through its social media channels, including American Express Facebook presences in 14 countries. The program will run for eight weeks; however, the Facebook presence will continue to be updated with new content thereafter.

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About American Express
American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com

About Japan Platform
Japan Platform (JPF) is an international emergency humanitarian aid organization, which offers more effective and prompt emergency aid in response to situations worldwide, focusing on the issues of refugees and natural disasters. JPF conducts such aid with a tripartite cooperation system where NGOs, the business community, and the government of Japan work in close cooperation based on equal partnership, making the most of each sectors’ characteristics and resources.

There are a lot of street food vendors around the city, but of course, most of them move around.  I’ll tell you where they usually are, but I can’t guarantee 100% they will be there. The weekends are your best bet to catch them.

japanese street food vendors

Ramen – lots of vendors around the city. One of the more popular ones is in front of Shinjuku West Exit. This is a highly recommended ramen chain –it has a huge following and you can expect to stand in a long line during lunch time and dinner time. Visit the site here.

Takoyaki – fried octopus balls with special sauce and bonito flakes. Famous from Osaka, it`s also widely enjoyed in Tokyo.  Especially during weekends, Yoyogi Park will have a few vendors.

Yakisoba – Fried noodles with meat, nori (dried seafood flakes) and sometimes with pickled ginger is found during festivals, or you can also find vendors in Yoyogi on weekends.

Yakitori – skewered chicken with a variety of sauces. They are usually found in streets during festivals, sometimes Yoyogi park, or just order them from Izakaya (like “EN”)

Okonomiyaki – fried pancake type food (see it here). I think it kind of tastes similar to Takoyaki. There are restaurants throughout Shinjuku, like this one in Kabukicho.

Crepe – Although crepe are not Japanese, there are modern Japanese versions of crepe. They are not healthy and usually strange ingredient combinations, but they are most definitely a Tokyo thing.   You can find them everywhere, especially Harajuku Takeshita Street (across from the Harajuku station Takeshita Exit. (Harajuku and Yoyogi are walking distance, so if you would like to see Yoyogi Park from Harajuku station, just take the “Omotesando Exit” instead of Takeshita.)

Street food in Japan seems to be the cleanest atmosphere when I compare it to other countries I’ve visited. Ramen and Yakisoba are my favorites.

random street food in japan