Hannah in Japan

Here are some tips I would give to anyone thinking about moving to Japan. This will mainly be oriented towards living in Tokyo, but I guess some of this advice could be useful for anyone moving to a foreign country, especially one where you don't speak the language that well. Hopefully this is helpful! 1) Learn Hiragana and Katakana! I cannot stress how important this is. Learning these two basic alphabets will make life just that bit easier when you arrive in Japan. If you can read these, then you can read many signs and menus on the street, in supermarkets, in restaurants and cafes and some of the signs at train stations. It will help you a lot! 2) Be prepared to stand out. In Tokyo, I find I don't stand out so much, especially when I'm in the tourist spots,  but when I  head anywhere more rural, I stick out like nothing else, especially being white and blonde. So be prepared! In some situations, it works in your favour, e.g when you're at the doctor and it's ve...

So I thought it was about time I gave some food recommendations! Below are some of my favourite restaurants so far, bearing in mind that these are mostly in Tokyo. I'll break it down into categories for different kinds of foods and add in some izakayas too. Sushi: 1) Sushi zan mai (Ueno, Tokyo) The fish used at sushi zan mae comes from the world-famous Tsukiji fish market, so is guaranteed to be fresh! 2) Sushi go round (Ueno, Tokyo) This is one of the famous kaiten or conveyor belt sushi restaurants. Lots of fun to watch the sushi come to you on a train. 3) Moriichi (Kameido, Tokyo) Another conveyor belt style sushi restaurant. I really need to branch out and try some new sushi restaurants lol. Going to head to Tskukiji fish market on Friday, where they have some of the best sushi, so I'm looking forward to that! Ramen: 1) Ippudo. A chain ramen shop in Tokyo, not sure if it's in other places in Japan or not. 2) Ichiran (Literally anywhere in Japan, it's one o...