Top 5 Reasons to Love Japan by Dara Ross

I Am Desperately in Love With Japan










1. Fabric Town and Craft Shopping-
There are so many awesome places to buy craft supplies and get inspiration in Tokyo. It is a crafter's paradise. For more of crafty shopping in Japan visit my crafty blog bayanjargal.com.

2. Kyoto-
Geishas, a 10-course Japanese tasting menu at Giro Giro, ethereal temples, traditional architecture, fried eel, octopus on a stick and a Manga museum.

3. Akihabara/Electric Town-
The flashing lights. Wires and cables sold by the meter. A whole district just for techies full of the latest computers, cameras, cell phones and peripherals 'til your heart's content. Just imagine if B and H photo were on steroids and not just one block but a whole town, open everyday, super late and with lots of places to eat in the midst of a USB cable and iPhone 4 shopping frenzy. I mean, there was a whole aisle of Swavorski crystal stickers to decorate your cellphone. I picked up a cool camera strap for my camera and a thing that will turn your iPhone into a necklace. It has a dock connector at the end of it and it comes in a bunch of cool colors. I saw a few Japanese people ON THE SUBWAY with an iPhone 4 hanging around their necks. Just hanging there. Like a piece of jewelry.

4. Miyajima Island-
This beautiful island is located about an hour from the city of Hiroshima. You can take a ferry to the island. There is a beautiful, orange gate in the water. It looks like it is floating.

Also on the island is a cool museum. We saw an excellent exhibit about the life and the work of the beloved Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa.


It was the 100th anniversary of his birth. There were hand-drawn and colored storyboards, film posters and costumes from his films on display. My favorite things were the kimonos from "Ran" and Kurosawa's paints and paintbrushes. He liked to draw and paint and color. The comprehensive exhibit reminded me a bit of the Tim Burton exhibit at MOMA.

There were also many tasty things to eat on the island including fresh oysters, grilled octopus and spongy, sweet cakes shaped like leaves that were filled with black bean paste or custard. Miyajima Island was a great place to spend the afternoon; I'm just not sure about all of the deer running around trying to bite your T-shirt and steal your food though.

5. Bento box-
a box full of just a bite or two of yummy Japanese goodness. Even the ones that we bought at the 7-11 were amazing. A sushi rice roll, a piece of shrimp tempura, a few noodles, some seaweed, a piece of fried chicken, a fish ball, a slice of Japanese radish, a half of a pickled egg. Nibble, nibble, nibble.

Honorable Mention-
JR Railpass and JR Yamanote Line: Having an unlimited rail pass that got you ushered through the subway gates with a smile was really cool. I also have to give it up to the JR Yamanote subway loop that stops at Harajuki, Electric town and fabric town, everywhere that I wanted to go on one, easy to navigate line.

What do you love about Japan?