Hiking the Lofoten Islands, inside the Arctic Circle Little red houses everywhere! Okay, I know this isn’t the Norwaygram, and I apologize to be coming to you from a place that is SO far beyond Tokyo this month. To be honest, I can’t remember the last time I was in a country where they wereContinueContinue reading “Come with me to the northiest north!”
Author Archives: Jonelle Patrick
Links to fun stuff you might have missed
If you don’t subscribe to my Japan travel site or the blog where I write about stuff you’d never see anywhere else, here are links to a couple of other things you might enjoy… • New post from The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d HadWhat to do in Tokyo when it’s HOT outside Tell meContinueContinue reading “Links to fun stuff you might have missed”
Did you win the May-Jun Japan Swag Giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a Japanese summer wind chime! If you think this is you, shoot a message to JapanagramJonelle@gmail.com and tell me where to send it. If I didn’t pull your name from the hat this time,I hope you get lucky next time! One lucky subscriber will win every two months,ContinueContinue reading “Did you win the May-Jun Japan Swag Giveaway?”
Let’s explore an amazing Japanese design site that turns landscape into art
Enoura Observatory in Odawara Huge apologies for sending you an email with a broken link this morning! Here’s the piece you were supposed to get (>_<;;) All my friends told me I should run—not walk—to see the Enoura Observatory. Not one of them could quite explain why. Or even really describe what it was. OnceContinueContinue reading “Let’s explore an amazing Japanese design site that turns landscape into art”
JUNE 2025
Click on photo or link to read the feature • Beyond TokyoLet’s explore an amazing Japanese design site that turns landscape into art! All my friends told me I should run—not walk—to see the Enoura Observatory. Not one of them could quite explain why. Or even describe what it was. Once I got there, though, IContinueContinue reading “JUNE 2025”
Links to fun stuff you might have missed
If you don’t subscribe to my Japan travel site or the blog where I write about stuff you’d never see anywhere else, here are links to a couple of other things you might enjoy… • From Only In JapanPay your respects to the ancestors like it’s 2050 Tell me more! • From Only In JapanStunningContinueContinue reading “Links to fun stuff you might have missed”
The May-June Japan Swag Giveaway: Japanese Goldfish Wind Chime
The Japanese have been beating the summer heat for centuries by gazing at goldfish swimming in cool water and hanging little glass bells known as fūrin. This month I’m giving away a lovely bit of Japan swag that delivers both! This handpainted bell from the Kawasaki Daishi Shrine has a slip of paper tied toContinueContinue reading “The May-June Japan Swag Giveaway: Japanese Goldfish Wind Chime”
Pet treat or human snack? You decide.
The pet product aisles of Japan never fail to deliver new levels of animal pampering, and no product category is more over-the-top than treats. Can you guess which ones are for pets and which are for humans? They all of them claim to be… Dripping with flavor! Crunchy and snackable! Filled with tasty goodness! DrizzledContinueContinue reading “Pet treat or human snack? You decide.”
Let’s explore an amazing Japanese design site that turns landscape into art
Enoura Observatory in Odawara All my friends told me I should run—not walk—to see the Enoura Observatory. Not one of them could quite explain why. Or even really describe what it was. Once I was there, though, I understood. It’s such an immersive and utterly visual experience, trying to explain it in words is likeContinueContinue reading “Let’s explore an amazing Japanese design site that turns landscape into art”
MAY 2025
Click on photo or link to read the feature • Seasonal SecretWhat makes these crazy wisteria the most Japanese flower spectacle of all? It’s no secret that Japan produces some of the worlds’ most eyepopping flower extravaganzas—like, yeah, cherry blossom season—but there’s an especially Japanese kind of master gardening that you can only see duringContinueContinue reading “MAY 2025”
Links to fun stuff you might have missed
If you don’t subscribe to the latest posts on my travel site (Jonelle Patrick Writes About Japan) or the blog where I write about stuff you’d never see anywhere else (Only In Japan), here are links to a couple of other things you might enjoy… • From Only In JapanThe train station with a footContinueContinue reading “Links to fun stuff you might have missed”
Today’s Japan travel question: Is it OK to go in the onsen with tattoos if nobody sees me?
I follow a lot of travel advice forums, and there’s one question that comes up again and again: How can someone with tattoos enjoy the iconic Japanese baths (and gyms and beaches and water parks) in a country that bans people with ink from using them? And don’t stop reading if your skin is aContinueContinue reading “Today’s Japan travel question: Is it OK to go in the onsen with tattoos if nobody sees me?”
Tasty Veggie Dipping Sauce
This nutty, creamy dipping sauce magically makes all vegetables delicious, but it’s especially great on bitter greens! The gorgeous veggie in the photo is one that just appeared in Japanese supermarkets. It’s called petit vert—a cross between kale and brussels sprouts—and it opens up like a tiny perfect cabbage when lightly boiled. But all kindContinueContinue reading “Tasty Veggie Dipping Sauce”
Food styling fails of Japan
You may recall me saying that the strangest food you might ever encounter in Japan is spaghetti, but even when they try to depict a menu offering that’s unapologetically “foreign,” sometimes the picture is a little…off. This luscious fruit tart, for example. Its job is to make you crave the juiciest peaches, the reddest strawberries,ContinueContinue reading “Food styling fails of Japan”
What makes these crazy wisteria the most Japanese flower spectacle of all?
Wisteria at Odawara Castle Park It’s no secret that Japan produces some of the worlds’ most eyepopping flower extravaganzas—like, yeah, cherry blossom season—but there’s an especially Japanese kind of master gardening that you can only see during wisteria season. What makes these wisteria so special? 1 Like bonsai, wisteria take years and years to reachContinueContinue reading “What makes these crazy wisteria the most Japanese flower spectacle of all?”
Did you win the Mar-Apr Book Giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of How to Shop for Kimonos by Anji Salz! If you think this is you, shoot a message to JapanagramJonelle@gmail.com and tell me where to send it. (She publishes it as a PDF, so give me the email address you’d like her to send it to—youContinueContinue reading “Did you win the Mar-Apr Book Giveaway?”
Links to fun stuff you might have missed
If you don’t subscribe to my Japan travel site or the blog where I write about stuff you’d never see anywhere else, here are links to a couple of other things you might enjoy… • From Only In JapanThe most outrageous car show in Japan is BACK Tell me more! • From Seven Perfect DaysContinueContinue reading “Links to fun stuff you might have missed”
APR 2025
Click on photo or link to read the feature • Why, Japan, Why?Why don’t we all wear kimonos instead of Control Tops and neckties? Okay, just for a moment, clear your mind of cultural biases and entrenched Western ideas about beauty, and consider how much more comfortable and attractive we all might be if weContinueContinue reading “APR 2025”
Why don’t we all wear kimonos instead of Control Tops and neckties?
Photo thanks to Anji Salz at Salz Tokyo Okay, hear me out. For just a moment, clear your mind of cultural biases and entrenched Western ideas about beauty, and consider how much more comfortable and attractive we all might be if we dressed to impress in Japanese kimonos! (Men, don’t sneak out the back—I thinkContinueContinue reading “Why don’t we all wear kimonos instead of Control Tops and neckties?”
How to Shop for Kimonos
By Anji Salz Author’s experience & expertise: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Accuracy of information: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Quality of recommendations & advice: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: If you’ve ever wanted to collect kimonos and accessories—either to wear or display—this comprehensive guide will help you shop like an expert and put together an ensemble like someone with years of experience. Anji Salz has been dressingContinueContinue reading “How to Shop for Kimonos”
Let’s go back to see the Jōnan-gu Shrine plum garden in bloom!
What a difference two weeks makes! Because you endured last month’s navel-gazing about making rock gardens from rocks, it’s only fair that I take you along on the rinse-and-repeat trip I took to Jōnan-gu Shrine two weeks later, to be rewarded with…this! From the first glimpse of the glories ahead as we round the bend…ContinueContinue reading “Let’s go back to see the Jōnan-gu Shrine plum garden in bloom!”
MAR 2025
Click on photo or link to read the feature • Seasonal Secret:Better cherry blossoms through science! Nothing makes people more anxious than trying to guess the perfect time to go see cherry blossoms at their peak. But Japan has a fix for that! Projection mapping technology has been harnessed to turn it into an experienceContinueContinue reading “MAR 2025”
Did you win the Jan-Feb Book Giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of They Hang Me in Tokyo! If you think this is you, shoot a message to JapanagramJonelle@gmail.com and tell me where to send it. (I’ll need an email address if you’d like the e-book or a mailing address if you’d like a paperback). If I didn’tContinueContinue reading “Did you win the Jan-Feb Book Giveaway?”
Super-Easy Salmon Ginger Rice
Need a dinner that cooks itself into the coziest, most satisfying, winter meal ever? Salmon-Ginger Rice! Meshi are traditional Japanese one-pot dishes that magically meld meat and vegetables with rice into a savory symphony. And if you own a rice cooker,* it all happens at the touch of a button. *If you don’t own aContinueContinue reading “Super-Easy Salmon Ginger Rice”
Better cherry blossoms through science!
Nothing makes people more anxious than trying to guess the perfect time to go see cherry blossoms at their peak. But Japan has a fix for that! Projection mapping technology has been harnessed to turn it into an experience you truly can’t have anywhere else in the world. You can still enjoy the blooms theContinueContinue reading “Better cherry blossoms through science!”
How a trip fail helped me recapture the joy of traveling
I sat down to tell you all about the extraordinary rock gardens I saw in Kyoto last weekend, but it wasn’t long before I realized that what made them extra-special was…they’re not what I went there to see. I’d beavered around looking up exactly when my friend took a memorable photo of the plum treesContinueContinue reading “How a trip fail helped me recapture the joy of traveling”
FEB 2025
Click on photo or link to read the feature • Seasonal Secret:Weird only-in-Japan ways to stay warm in winter! How do you keep from freezing when the temperature takes a dive and you live in a house that’s insulation-challenged (if not downright colder inside than outside)? No surprise, there are only-in-Japan solutions for all yourContinueContinue reading “FEB 2025”
They Hang Me in Tokyo
A barbarian artist’s life-changing journey to master nihonga, the traditional art of Japan By Allan West Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: N/AEntertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: This account of what it’s like to master one of the oldest forms of painting in the world and carve out a place inContinueContinue reading “They Hang Me in Tokyo”
Let’s try some weird only-in-Japan ways to stay warm in winter!
How do you keep from freezing in the season when most of Japan looks like this In Tokyo winter is mostly just a cute little season, but just a smidgen farther north, Japan is buried in freezing temps for months and you live in a house that’s insulation-challenged, if not downright colder inside than outside?ContinueContinue reading “Let’s try some weird only-in-Japan ways to stay warm in winter!”
The hilarious video game you win with your killer…manners?
From the YouTube video Consider It: The Co-op Mode Only in Japan would a video game go viral for rewarding those who are more skilled at wielding the magic word than the magic sword. But that doesn’t explain why “Kūki Yomi” (a Japanese phrase that means “read the air” and is translated to “Consider It”*ContinueContinue reading “The hilarious video game you win with your killer…manners?”
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