JapanTravelTips 6/5/2015 Sendai gyutan,Itsukushima&Kamakura

I’m not exaggerating – out of all the delicious food Oana and I tried in Japan, gyutan is right up there with okonomiyaki. Gyutan aka ‘beef tongue’ is a Sendai delicacy and, while some Brits might be a bit put off by the idea, it is the most delicious and tender meat.

When visiting Japan there is nothing more relaxing than a short escape into the Japanese countryside, to complement days of exploring Tokyo and strolling Kyoto’s backstreets.

No matter where you live in Japan, in the city or in the countryside, you cannot avoid the ubiquitous presence of konbinis or convenience stores. Here are the top five ways konbinis redefine the meaning of convenience and make life easier: 1. Konbinis have almost everything you might possibly need.

In the old times, the Itsukushima Island was considered sacred land, so ordinary people weren’t allowed to touch the ground of the island. For this reason, the Itsukushima Shrine was built on pillars, over a land area that gets flooded during high tide.

We believe there are 2 kinds of travel. The 1st is a spontaneous journey. These are super fun! The 2nd is a planned trip with everything researched ahead of time.

As I come from the United States where speaking one’s mind — sometimes too directly – is the expected norm, it is a straight-forward task to decline an offer or otherwise simply say “No” when you mean it.