Japan Archives - Differentville

Where to Try Fire Ramen in Kyoto & What to Expect

July 26, 2023 by Helen from Differentville

Things you usually don’t expect the chef to do to your bowl of ramen in Japan include setting light to it but, at Menbaka Fire Ramen in Kyoto, that’s why you’re there. Here’s everything you need to know to join in the fun. I arrive at the small Kyoto restaurant famous for fire ramen a …

Anatomical dummies decorate Sanatorium Cafe, Fukuoka

Sanatorium – Fukuoka’s Most Curious Cafe.

January 5, 2023October 26, 2019 by Helen from Differentville

It’s not unusual for someone to wake up one day and decide to start a cafe, however, few people would then decide to theme that cafe around a hospital ward complete with a scan of their own brain as part of the decor, but not everyone is Fukuoka-based artist Sumi Takamasa – and not every cafe is the Sanatorium WONDER MUSEUM.

Billiken statue in a clown suit, Osaka Japan

What are Billiken – And Why is Osaka Full of Them?

January 13, 2023July 20, 2019 by Helen from Differentville

Billiken are little fat tummied, smiley statues that you’ll find all over Osaka – but why? That’s what we wanted to know too – so we found out.

Statue of a man with pasta for a head, Kokura, Japan

12 Fun and Unusual Things to do in Kokura, Western Japan

January 13, 2023July 13, 2019 by Helen from Differentville

Kokura is a fascinating city in Western Japan. Saved, through chance, by destruction from atomic bomb, it has castles, pufferfish dinners – and an entire museum full of toilets. Check out our guide to the fun and unusual things to do in Kokura.

Vending machine shaped like a robot in Fukuoka, Japan

28 Fun and Unusual Things to do in Fukuoka

January 13, 2023May 12, 2019 by Helen from Differentville

Fukuoka in Western Japan is Japan’s seventh biggest city, but despite this when you look for suggestions of things to do in Fukuoka not much comes up – so we decided to change that and find the most fun and unusual things to do in Fukuoka.

Cool Things to do in Matsue, Western Japan

January 13, 2023April 27, 2019 by Helen from Differentville

Matsue in Western Japan isn’t on every travelers itinerary – but, perhaps it should be. Here are some of the most fun things to do in Matsue.

Shrine made of hundred red tori gates on a cliff

Motonosumi Inari Shrine: How To Find This Stunning Shrine in Western Japan

January 13, 2023April 14, 2019 by Helen from Differentville

The Motonosumi Inari Shrine in Western Japan is famous for it’s 123 scarlet torii gates. Here’s where to find it and how to get there.

Grey cat walking toward the camera on Ainoshima Cat Island japan

How to Visit Ainoshima: Fukuoka’s Cute Cat Island

January 13, 2023March 23, 2019 by Helen from Differentville

Japan has a few different cat islands, but one of the easiest to reach is Ainoshima which is a simple day trip from the major city of Fukuoka. Here’s what you need to know… I’m surrounded by kitties – they’re sleeping in fishing nets, chilling out in wheelbarrows, prowling the paths around the bright blue, …

View of the Adachi Museum of Art garden through their frame like windows

How to Visit The Stunning Adachi Museum of Art Gardens

January 13, 2023March 16, 2019 by Helen from Differentville

Regularly voted Japan’s most beautiful gardens the really interesting thing about the gardens at the Adachi Museum of Art is that they’re designed to be viewed from the inside. Here’s why – and how to visit them

Plate of Yaki Udon from the restaurant who invented it in Kokura, Japan

The Tiny Kokura Restaurant That Changed Noodle Eating Forever.

January 13, 2023March 9, 2019 by Helen from Differentville

Today in Japan, and, in Japanese restaurants all over the world, the idea of frying udon noodles to make yaki udon is normal – but, if local legend is to be believed, we can thank a tiny 8-seater restaurant in Kokura, Western Japan for the invention of the dish. I popped along to try a plateful of history…