In Japan, working stiffs may not get much in the way of work-life balance, but machines sure do. Behold the off-duty vending machine! This pair is on the overnight ferry that travels between Ochiai and Hokkaido, and between the hours of 9:00 pm and 6:00 am, it’s impossible to buy a meal ticket for theContinueContinue reading “Sorry, that machine doesn’t work overtime!”
Category Archives: Why, Japan, why?
How get tickets and visit the new Ghibli Park
Real-life Howl’s Moving Castle photo thanks to Helen Foster Not to be confused with the Ghibli Museum near Tokyo, this new Ghibli Park (near Nagoya) was built to offer a real-life immersive experience for fans of the Studio Ghibli anime movies. It’s five distinct worlds, each featuring life-sized environments from the films, so you canContinueContinue reading “How get tickets and visit the new Ghibli Park”
What’s the REAL reason swimsuits aren’t allowed in baths at Japanese inns?
Japanese traditional inns’ #1 anxiety-producing rule is without a doubt, “You must bathe nude with strangers.” Naturally, those who come from cultures where nakedness is seldom allowed outside of intimate situations* this just feels wrong. And no amount of online assurance that “nobody cares how you look” and judgey admonishment to “just get over yourContinueContinue reading “What’s the REAL reason swimsuits aren’t allowed in baths at Japanese inns?”
Jonelle Patrick writes about Japan 