Follow me to get first-hand and authentic tips on travelling in Japan
28 Dec 2024 1 minute read 0 comments cryotosensei
Previously, I wrote about 自由人. When you understand that 自由 equates to freedom, you will be able to access the beauty of this high-frequency, high-utility idiom: 自由自在. I spotted this idiom pretty often during my stay in Japan. This was seen...
26 Dec 2024 1 minute read 1 comment cryotosensei
You can take the child out of Singapore, but you can’t take Singapore out of him or her. My wife packed eight packets of Milo (a cocoa drink that Singaporeans drink from a young age) for our Japan trip. You can imagine that they were insufficient for...
24 Dec 2024 1 minute read 1 comment cryotosensei
Indeed, I know that I have posted about a Japanese bookstore previously, but just look at Tsutaya. It is pure evil, I tell you. Why is it evil? I hear you ask. When I step inside Tsutaya, I don’t expect to be greeted by stuffed toys resembling well-...
24 Dec 2024 1 minute read 0 comments cryotosensei
Eating is a great way to find out more about the signature foods and flavours of each prefecture in Japan. 北海道 (Hokkaido) is famous for its delectable potatoes and butter, a fact that potato chip manufacturers have capitalised. In fact, butter...
23 Dec 2024 1 minute read 2 comments cryotosensei
Kumamoto Station houses a food hall, where you can find many eateries offering a wide variety of food. So what made me decide on this ramen restaurant called Tengaiten? It was not because the ramen appealed particularly to me even though the me...
22 Dec 2024 1 minute read 0 comments cryotosensei
I was at McDonald’s yesterday and came across おすすめ in its menu. Just what is おすすめ? It means ‘recommendation’. I was a good boy and followed McDonald’s おすすめ. I got myself a Strawberry Frappe. It warmed my heart during the cold winter e...
22 Dec 2024 1 minute read 0 comments cryotosensei
Sensei is committed to ensuring that you enjoy your trip in Japan. I think that there are certain things that you need to be able to recognise to derive the maximum utility from the fabulous products and services. 無料 (むりょ) means “free”. Once y...
21 Dec 2024 1 minute read 1 comment cryotosensei
The inspiration for today’s lesson came from Anpanman Children’s Museum. I was walking up the stairs when I saw the phrase 一歩一歩 (ippo ippo). It’s a very versatile phrase because you can use it with Chinese people and they will get what you mean...
21 Dec 2024 1 minute read 0 comments cryotosensei
You guys should thank your lucky stars that I’m in Kumamoto now. I made it my business to visit Kumamoto Children’s Book Forest, the latest hit project by renowned architect Tadao Ando. I first encountered his works when I visited Naoshima in Kagaw...
20 Dec 2024 1 minute read 0 comments cryotosensei
We boarded a Singapore Airlines flight to Fukuoka. We received the following souvenirs for our kids. I was not amused. They look cheap and uninspiring. My children are not consumers of the Mickey Mouse brand yet, but I don’t see how these run-of-t...
