Part of the fun of going to new places (at least for me) is to understand the differences in cultural outlook, customs, and experience all the unique cultural quirks. I find that it provides me with a refreshing perspective on how to interpret life and … Continue readingJapan Travel Guide – Idiosyncrasies
Food is the third major cost (second or first in my case) on any major trip. Japan can be very economical if you eat like a local, this includes eating at convenience stores and supermarkets. At first this seems weird, but the food from your … Continue readingJapan Travel Guide – Convenience and Grocery Stores
Most of us can’t survive without being connected to the internet in some way. Texts, WhatsApp, iMessage, E-mail are all a normal part of our lives. It has made our lives a lot easier in countless ways, and it has made travelling in foreign countries … Continue readingJapan Travel Guide – Connecting to the Internet and WiFi
Contrary to Initial D, you will not be drifting around the country in your GT-R or AE86, Japan is a country of trains. There are special edition trains with ball pits for kids, trains which are painted and decorated in themes and done in homage … Continue readingJapan Travel Guide – Transportation and Getting Around
One of the most daunting tasks when planning a trip to Japan is to estimate how much cash you need to bring. A lot of smaller Japanese stores, restaurants, and much of the Japanese countryside works on a cash only system, making it difficult to … Continue readingJapan Travel Guide – Budgeting
The stereotypes about the amount of space in Japanese cities are accurate; space is a valuable commodity, and although efficient design and well-thought spaces help homes and hotel rooms feel more usable, you’ll want to adopt a minimalistic approach to packing when travelling in Japan. … Continue readingJapan Travel Guide – Packing Like A Pro
Japan, much like Canada, is a country with four distinct seasons. The spring and fall are warm and pleasant, the summers are hot and humid, and the winters can range from mild (in comparison to Canadian winters) to outright cold in the northern regions. Canadians, … Continue readingJapan Travel Guide – Picking a Season to Travel
Welcome to the Le Voyage Gourmand Japan Travel Guide. I’ve written this series because I constantly get questions or comments from my friends, people I meet, and from my social media followers that they’d love to go to Japan, but it’s daunting and confusing, or … Continue readingJapan Travel Guide – Intro
Melissa Kravitz, a contributor to Forbes Magazine, was recently travelling through Calgary and happened to tour through Calgary’s Chinatown. I had the pleasure of answering questions for Melissa, and provided her with a general history of Calgary’s Chinatown, as well as identified a few of … Continue readingThe Food and History of Calgary’s Chinatown – Forbes Magazine