Christmas in Northern Ireland

January 9, 2018 by joostay

Right now I’m back in Tokyo after spending two full weeks visiting home in Northern Ireland. As well as being able to enjoy quality time with my family and friends, I was reminded of just how untouched and beautiful some parts of my country really is. There’s a simplistic beauty about our villages and coastlines, and I’m happy I could spend Christmas there with the people I love. ☘️ ❤ Follow IKIMASHO! on Facebook ❤

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: bangor, design, food, ireland, irish, justin egli, northern ireland, photography, Scenery, travel, travel writer

JPN > NI

December 24, 2017 by joostay

From Japan to Northern Ireland for Christmas

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: japan, japanese, northern ireland, photography, travel

The Sounds of the Streets / 沈黙の響き

December 21, 2017 by joostay

Daily life in Tokyo, Japan.

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: art, blog, design, environment, ikimasho, japan, japanese, justin egli, life, photography, photos, travel, travel writing, writing

As Winter Approaches / 冬の始まり

December 14, 2017 by joostay

Daily life in Tokyo, Japan.

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, design, food, ikimasho, japan, japanese, justin egli, photography, tokyo, travel, travel writer

Oyster Shucking in the Oshika Peninsula / 牡鹿半島でのカキ殻剥き

December 7, 2017 by joostay

Working with nature – and against it. Local life in coastal Japan.

Categories: Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: asia, blog, coastal, food, japan, japanese, justin egli, photography, rural, sea, travel, Travel blogger, travel writer

Return to Todoroki Valley / 等々力渓谷に戻る

November 29, 2017 by joostay

Forest bathing in the koyo autumn colours

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, autumn, blog, design, fall, Fall Colours, japan, japanese, justin egli, photography, tokyo, travel, travel writer

Wes Anderson’s Ramen Shop / ウェス・アンダーソンのラーメン屋

November 22, 2017 by joostay

Noodle Nostalgia. Hazy-hued vibes in a shop that time forgot…

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, Colours, design, film, food, interior design, japan, japanese, photography, ramen, tokyo, travel, travel writer, Wes Anderson

Autumn Colours at Akiu Great Falls, Miyagi / 宮城県の秋保大滝の紅葉

November 13, 2017 by joostay

My visit to Miyagi Prefecture last weekend coincided with koyo season – the changing of the leaves. Driving through the winding roads of Akiu Onsen, an area famous for its hot springs, we eventually found ourselves at Akiu Great Falls. This 55-metre high waterfall is a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty, and really did look like something from a fairytale. Reflections from Tohoku, Japan Moments in Miyagi / 宮城でのひと時 IKIMASHO! on Facebook    

Categories: Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: asia, autumn, blog, Colours, ikimasho, japan, japanese, justin egli, Miyagi, nature, photography, travel, travel writer

Moments in Miyagi / 宮城でのひと時

November 9, 2017 by joostay

Right now I am back in Tokyo after spending a few sun-soaked Autumnal days in Miyagi prefecture. In recent months I have come to really appreciate and enjoy the contrast between urban city life and that of the Japanese inaka (田舎) rural countryside. Spending time with my girlfriend’s family who are volunteering after the tsunami, I feel incredibly lucky to have been introduced to life in Tohoku, absorbing everything around me. Above all, the last few days have reaffirmed my belief that […]

Categories: Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: asia, food, japan, japanese, justin egli, Miyagi, nature, photography, Tohoku, travel, travel writer, Writer, Zen

Amidst the pouring rain / 雨が降る中

October 29, 2017 by joostay

I’m writing this from a small cafe in Ikebukuro that I have come to like. The rain is pattering against the window, and while the setting right at this present moment in time is somewhat idyllic, the constant onslaught of rain over the last few weeks has been anything but. In Japan, typhoons are numbered rather than being given a personal name. Today is Typhoon Number 22 – the 22nd typhoon of the year and the second in as many weekends. […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, blogging, daily life, japan, japanese, justin egli, photography, tokyo, travel, travel writer

IKIMASHO! x DAZED: JAPAN’S GROTESQUE MASK PROCESSION

October 24, 2017 by joostay

David Lynch vibes at Menkake Gyoretsu: a traditional festival of men wearing ancient and grotesque masks in Kamakura, a coastal city to the south of Tokyo.

Categories: Art Music & Culture, Bizarre/Unique, Daily Life in Tokyo, Traditional Festivals & Matsuris • Tags: asia, blog, festival, ikimasho, japan, japanese, justin egli, photography, travel, travel writer

Yabo Tenman-gu Grand Festival 2017

October 16, 2017 by joostay

Spinning around in suburban west Tokyo

Categories: Art Music & Culture, Bizarre/Unique, Traditional Festivals & Matsuris • Tags: asia, buddhism, design, japan, justin egli, matsuri, photo essay, photography, shinto, shrine, temple, tokyo, travel, travel writer

I drove about in a dog today

October 4, 2017 by joostay

This was my day. How was yours?

Categories: Kindergarten Life • Tags: japan, japanese, photography, teaching, travel

A walk around: Yaho, Tokyo

September 27, 2017 by joostay

YAHO / 谷保

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, blog, blogging, design, japan, japanese, justin egli, photography, suburbia, tokyo, travel, travel writer

Fine Dining in Tokyo: China Blue at Conrad Tokyo

September 22, 2017 by joostay

First-class Chinese cuisine – with first-class views to match

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Luxury Travel • Tags: architecture, asia, city, design, five star, food, Hilton, hotels, interior design, japan, japanese, justin egli, luxury, photography, review, tokyo, Travel blogger, travel writing

THREE DAYS OF FUN IN TOKYO TOWN

September 20, 2017 by joostay

Last weekend was seriously one of the best weekends I have had in years. There is a fine line being a travel blogger – I obviously want to write informative posts about places, but sometimes I like the fact that this site is simply a diary for myself,  and something I can look back on in years to come. And so this post isn’t really about anything, and yet it’s about everything. This is what my three-day weekend looked like […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: art, asia, blog, blogger, design, Diary, food, japan, justin egli, photography, tokyo, travel writer, Weekend

Drinking Matcha in a Bamboo Forest: Hokokuji Temple, Kamakura

September 19, 2017 by joostay

1,998… 1,999… Lost in a sea of 2,000 bamboo.

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: blogging, buddhism, design, ikimasho, japan, japanese, justin egli, Kamakura, life, photography, photos, religion, Shonan, travel, travel writer, travel writing, Zen

Taiko at Hachimangu Shrine, Tokyo

September 10, 2017 by joostay

A few weeks back I was out at the Fukagawa Hachiman Festival in Koto-ku, east Tokyo. I wrote a bit about the insane water battle here, but before tens of thousands took to the streets I was able to watch a traditional taiko performance in somewhat calmer surroundings. I always enjoy watching Japanese drumming: it has a hypnotic effect – not only through the sound and rhythm, but also visually, the way the drums are struck. Standing there watching the taiko […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Traditional Festivals & Matsuris • Tags: asia, drumming, festival, japan, japanese, justin egli, photography, taiko, traditional, travel writing

Reflections from Tohoku, Japan

September 3, 2017 by joostay

A region rebuilding, six years later.

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: asia, beauty, design, earthquake, food, japan, japanese, justin egli, Miyagi, photography, regeneration, Scenic, Tohoku, travel, travel blogging, travel writer, travel writing, tsunami

Fine Dining in Tokyo: The Restaurant by Aman

August 25, 2017 by joostay

A trip to Italy, via the Tokyo skyline

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Luxury Travel • Tags: 5 star, cuisine, five star, food, food photography, japan, japanese, justin egli, luxury, photography, restaurant, tokyo, Travel blogger, travel writer

Tokyo’s BIGGEST water fight: Fukagawa Hachiman Festival

August 18, 2017 by joostay

A water purification festival on a truly epic scale

Categories: Art Music & Culture, Daily Life in Tokyo, Traditional Festivals & Matsuris • Tags: asia, blogging, colour, design, festival, japan, japanese, justin egli, matsuri, photography, story, summer, travel, Travel blogger, travel writing, writing

Hachioji Matsuri 2017

August 12, 2017 by joostay

What I was up to last weekend – and the next few to come…

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Traditional Festivals & Matsuris • Tags: art, asia, blog, blogging, buddhism, design, japan, japanese, justin egli, life, music, photography, photos, religion, traditional, Travel blogger, travel writer, video, writing

Kool Kids & Kakigori

August 6, 2017 by joostay

Staying ice cool from the summer heat…

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, blogger, design, dessert, food, japan, japanese, justin egli, kakigori, photography, tokyo, Travel blogger, travel writer

A walk around: Tateishi, Tokyo

July 31, 2017 by joostay

The remains of Old Tokyo – but how long can they remain?

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: architecture, asia, beauty, blogging, design, environment, japan, justin egli, life, mono no aware, photography, photos, space, tokyo, travel, travel writer, urban, wabi-sabi, work, Zen

IKIMASHO! x DAZED: TOKYO’S CAT TEMPLE

July 23, 2017 by joostay

“Gotokuji is an area of the city obsessed with all things feline and many believe its temple to be the birthplace of ‘maneki-neko’ – the cats you’ve seen with one paw held high” I have a new article out in DAZED, exploring the area of Gotokuji in West Tokyo. Gotokuji is a quiet collection of backstreets, bakeries, and flower shops with people going about their daily life. It’s not unlike hundreds of other small stations in Tokyo – apart from one […]

Categories: Art Music & Culture, Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: animals, blog, blogging, cats, design, japan, japanese, justin egli, photography, photos, se asia, temple, tokyo, traditional, travel, Travel blogger, travel writer

Fine Dining in Tokyo: Andaz Tavern, Toramonon Hills

July 20, 2017 by joostay

High-end cuisine, high up in the city.

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Luxury Travel • Tags: 5 star, ANDAZ, asia, boutique, cuisine, five star, food, hyatt, ikimasho, japan, justin egli, luxury, photography, tokyo, travel, travel writer

Kappabashi Shitamachi Tanabata Matsuri: Old Tokyo’s “Star Festival”

July 13, 2017 by joostay

An ancient cosmic celebration on the streets of Tokyo

Categories: Art Music & Culture, Daily Life in Tokyo, Traditional Festivals & Matsuris • Tags: aphex twin, asia, colour, design, festival, food, japan, japanese, justin egli, photography, tokyo, Travel blogger, video

A walk around: Akabane, Tokyo

July 5, 2017 by joostay

AKABANE / 赤羽 Last Friday I found myself out drinking in Koenji, an area not too far from Shinjuku that – like my own ‘hood of Shimokitazawa – is famous for its thrift stores and retro vibes. I go there once a year for the Awa Odori, but apart from that I honestly don’t really venture out that direction – despite it only being a short train ride from where I live.  (Last year I think I visited three times in total.) […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: alleyways, asia, design, food, japan, japanese, justin egli, photography, street, tokyo, travel, travel writer, urban

THIS IS TOKYO

June 29, 2017 by joostay

IKIMASHO! on Facebook

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, design, food, japan, justin egli, photography, street, tokyo, travel, travel writer, urban

Tsuyu / 梅雨

June 21, 2017 by joostay

So rainy season (tsuyu/梅雨) has finally arrived, drowning Tokyo in a thick veil of humidity and raindrops that will last until mid-July. Yet for now, the rain has stopped: the only sound outside being the distant call of a tofu-seller wheeling his cart through the streets. As I sit here sipping on a mug of yuzu-cha/ゆず茶 (citrus tea made by mixing boiling water with marmalade) I realise that after five years of living in Japan, it is the little things […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, ikimasho, japan, justin egli, photography, tokyo, travel, travel writer

Chigo-gyoretsu at Hie Shrine, Tokyo

June 13, 2017 by joostay

A colourful children’s procession with wishes for happiness and health

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Traditional Festivals & Matsuris • Tags: asia, ceremony, festival, japan, japanese, justin egli, photography, shrine, temple, tokyo, travel, travel writer

Farewell Spring. Hello Summer.

June 8, 2017 by joostay

❤ A little photo essay of some wanderings from the last month or so here in Tokyo ❤ IKIMASHO on Facebook      

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, blog, design, japan, japanese, justin egli, photography, se asia, tokyo, travel, travel writer

A walk around Jindaiji Temple, Chofu, Tokyo

May 31, 2017 by joostay

Peaceful tranquility at one of Tokyo’s oldest temples Even after five years, Tokyo still manages to surprise me ~ providing all sorts of new places to discover and enjoy. Last weekend Miss IKIMASHO and I took a trip out to Jindaiji Temple and its neighbouring Botanical Gardens in Chofu, a place we had never been to before. The second oldest temple in the metropolis, Jindaiji features quaint cobbled streets, leafy riverbanks and hushed surroundings. Indeed, it feels more like a small township in Kyoto rather than downtown Tokyo. Jindaiji is especially […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, beauty, blog, design, ikimasho, japan, japanese, justin egli, nature, photography, tokyo, travel writer, Zen

IKIMASHO! x DAZED: The spirit-chasing, cross-dressing men of outer Tokyo

May 29, 2017 by joostay

A report from Ikazuchi no Daihannya, a weird and wonderful ‘matsuri’ that takes place annually to ward off ancient ghosts

Categories: Bizarre/Unique, Daily Life in Tokyo, Traditional Festivals & Matsuris • Tags: blogging, buddhism, design, festival, japan, japanese, justin egli, photography, photos, random, religion, travel, travel writing, writing

Welcome to my crappy Vietnamese gym

May 25, 2017 by joostay

Working out how to do some working out in Saigon

Categories: Bizarre/Unique, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, backpacking, fitness, gym, ikimasho, japan, japanese, justin egli, Local Gym in Ho Chi Minh City, photography, Saigon, se asia, tokyo, travel, travel writer, urban, vietnam

IKIMASHO! x ACCLAIM: THE BLADE RUNNER YATAIS OF FUKUOKA

May 21, 2017 by joostay

Postcards: Justin Egli photographs Fukuoka City

Categories: Art: stuff I've drawn, Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: asia, design, food, fukuoka, japan, japanese, justin egli, kyushu, photography, photos, street, tokyo, travel, travel writer, urban

Le Méridien Saigon, Vietnam

May 17, 2017 by joostay

Modern escapism in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City

Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: aesthetic, design, five star, food, Ho Chi MInh, hotel, japan, justin egli, luxury, photography, Saigon, tokyo, travel writer

In Pictures: Tran Hung Dao Alleyways, Saigon, Vietnam

May 11, 2017 by joostay

Right now I’m back in Tokyo after a week in Saigon. I didn’t visit one tourist attraction while I was there, instead choosing to spend my time as I usually do, wandering the backstreets and eating local food. I quickly found out that the most interesting daily life happens deep in the concentrated network of alleyways that exist away from the main tourist centre. By zooming in on Google Maps, you can clearly see areas in Ho Chi Minh where […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: architecture, city, daily life, design, food, Ho Chi MInh, justin egli, photography, Saigon, se asia, travel, travel writer, urban, vietnam

Beauty Coffee House, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

May 2, 2017 by joostay

A cute cafe on the top floor of an abandoned apartment building in Saigon where they serve amazing drinks from skull pint glasses.

Categories: Bizarre/Unique, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, Cafe culture, coffee, culture, design, food, ho chi minh city, justin egli, photography, Saigon, se asia, street, travel writer, urban

GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM!

April 30, 2017 by joostay

6am – 8am: SAIGON / SÀI GÒN

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: architecture, asia, design, food, ho chi minh city, justin egli, photography, Saigon, se asia, travel, Travel Photography, urban, vietnam

NRT > SGN

April 29, 2017 by joostay

Right now I’m sitting in a coffee shop at Terminal 2 in Narita Airport listening to a super cheesy sax solo playing over the radio. I have a few hours to kill before a flight to Ho Chi Minh, where I will be hanging out until Friday. Next week is Golden Week in Japan –  a string of National holidays giving people five days off this year. Looking back over my blog from the last few months, I’m aware that I’m not posting as often […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: blog, japan, japanese, justin egli, photography, se asia, travel, travel writer

Ikazuchi no Daihannya Matsuri, Tokyo

April 23, 2017 by joostay

Chasing away evil spirits with cross-dressing men in the Tokyo suburbs

Categories: Bizarre/Unique, Daily Life in Tokyo, Traditional Festivals & Matsuris • Tags: asia, design, festival, japan, japanese, justin egli, Kimono, matsuri, photography, temple, Textile, tokyo, travel, travel writing

REFLECTIONS ON NAKASU / Fukuoka City

April 9, 2017 by joostay

Nakasu (中洲) is the red-light district which exists between the neon-lit sandbank of the Naka River (那珂川) and the Hakata River (博多川) in Fukuoka City

Categories: Bizarre/Unique, Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: aesthetic, asia, design, fukuoka, japan, justin egli, neon, photography, travel, urban

A walk around: Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture

April 5, 2017 by joostay

Welcome to Dazaifu (太宰府市), a small, quiet city on the outskirts of Fukuoka in southern Japan.

Categories: Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: asia, Dazaifu, food, fukuoka, japan, japanese, justin egli, kyushu, nature, photography, shinto, travel, Zen

Sanctuary in the City: Agora Fukuoka Hilltop Hotel & Spa, Fukuoka, Japan

April 1, 2017 by joostay

A peaceful retreat in one of Japan’s most vibrant, cosmopolitan cities

Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: Agora Hotsel & Spa, architecture, asia, design, food, food photography, fukuoka, hotel, interior design, japan, justin egli, photography, resort, travel, travel writer

IKIMASHO! TOKYO TO FUKUOKA BY SHINKANSEN

March 22, 2017 by joostay

1,000km. Five hours. One bento. Taking the bullet train as an alternative to flying.

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: asia, blog, countryside, design, fukuoka, hakata, ikimasho, japan, japanese, justin egli, mount fuji, photography, tokyo, tourism, train travel, writing

Riding the Enoden: Enoshima Electric Railway

March 12, 2017 by joostay

From Fujisawa to Kamakura – with temples and ocean in between

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: asia, blog, design, Enoshima, ikimasho, japan, japanese, justin egli, kanagawa, nature, ocean, photography, sea, tokyo, train travel, trains, views, writing

Fried Bananas in Bali

March 8, 2017 by joostay

Quite often when you travel a lot – and particularly when you are a travel writer – so many little moments can get lost; photos relegated to the the depths of memory cards, overlooked in favour of bigger articles that are being written at the time. As a perfect example, I was freeing up some space on a card the other day when I came across a group of photos I hadn’t looked at since the day they were taken. Cycling […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, asian, backpacking, bali, blog, food, indonesia, japan, japanese, justin egli, photography, sanur, se asia, travel, travel writer, travel writing, writing

Setagaya Plum Blossom Festival 2017

March 4, 2017 by joostay

Each year between mid-February and early March the Setagaya Plum Blossom Festival (Setagaya Ume Matsuri) takes place at Hanegi Park in Umegaoka. It’s a small park, with small neighbourhood vibes to match: the festival mainly attracting local people who live in the surrounding area. I live two stops from Umegaoka, and so last weekend I decided to check out a good sushi place then met some mates to hang out at the matsuri. Cute local festivals like this are what living in the […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, blog, design, Flowers, food, ikimasho, japan, japanese, justin egli, nature, photography, tokyo, travel, urban, Zen

Lunch at Sushi no Midori, Umegaoka

February 27, 2017 by joostay

High-end sushi without the high-end price tag

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, blog, design, food, ikimasho, japan, japanese, justin egli, photography, sushi, tokyo, travel, travel writer

TOKYO CITY VIEW

February 23, 2017 by joostay

Last weekend I was out at the Mori Art Museum reviewing the new NS Harsha retrospective for Tokyo Art Beat. I’ll hopefully get that article written and published later next week. I’ve always been a big fan of the Mori: it’s a space that never fails to enhance the exhibitions it hosts, not any easy task considering its size. What also makes the Mori special is that admission to the museum also grants you entrance to Tokyo City View on the 52nd floor. Offering 360-degree […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Uncategorized • Tags: art, city, culture, design, ikimasho, japan, japanese, justin egli, megacity, mori art museum, NS Harsha, photography, tokyo

Spring Update 2017 / IKIMASHO!

February 19, 2017 by joostay

When I first started this blog in March 2012, it was more a collection of daily photos – a diary for myself more than anything – of all the new things I was seeing and doing in Tokyo. As the years went on, these daily things of course became (somewhat) normal to me and so IKIMASHO! matured (is that the right word?) into a site with more specific articles about traditional festivals, certain neighbourhoods in the city and other stuff […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Kindergarten Life • Tags: design, japan, justin egli, living in japan, photography, Teaching in Japan, tokyo, travel, travel writer, writing

A walk around: Tsukishima, Tokyo

February 15, 2017 by joostay

TSUKISHIMA / 月島 Last Saturday I had a wander about Tsukishima – a man-made island in Tokyo Bay, just across the channel from Tsukiji fish market (which I still haven’t been to despite living here five years…) Tsukishima was created over 100 years ago using earth that was dredged from the bay during the construction of a shipping channel. It’s an area rarely featured in guidebooks, although among Japanese people it’s probably best known as  a mecca for monjayaki – a kind of runny pancake with different ingredients, […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: area guide, asia, asian, blog, design, food, ikimasho, japan, japanese, justin egli, nature, neighbourhood, old japan, old tokyo, photography, shrines, street, temples, tokyo, urban

Dumplings by the thousands at Kameido Gyoza

February 11, 2017 by joostay

“From China, a thousand years ago: tasty history!”

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, blog, china, chinese food, cooking, design, food, food photography, ikimasho, japan, japanese, justin egli, photography, restaurant, travel

Lemon Ramen at Rinsuzu Shokudo, Ojima

February 5, 2017 by joostay

An unusual bowl in one of Tokyo’s lesser-known neighbourhoods

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: design, eating, food, food photography, ikimasho, interior design, japan, japanese, justin egli, photography, tokyo

Setsubun at a Japanese Kindergarten

February 3, 2017 by joostay

Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi! / Demons out! Luck in!

Categories: Kindergarten Life • Tags: 2017, asia, blog, educatin, festival, ikimasho, japan, japanese, justin egli, photography, school, setsubun, teaching english, tradition, traditional, travel, writing

A walk around: Kagurazaka, Tokyo

January 26, 2017 by joostay

KAGURAZAKA / 神楽坂 Despite being cold, the winter months in Tokyo are often the best time of year to enjoy clear blue skies and sunshine. And so, with the sun on my back, I recently headed down to Kagurazaka for the afternoon – a neighbourhood in Tokyo not too far from Iidabashi station. (There’s a great cafe down by the canal there by the way, check it out.) Kagurazaka is perhaps most famous for its picturesque cobblestone streets, cute French restaurants […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: architecture, buddhism, design, food, graphics, ikimasho, japanese, justin egli, photography, street photography, streets, travel, urban, Zen

IKIMASHO! x DAZED: CHICANO IN JAPAN

January 21, 2017 by joostay

Lifting the lid on Japan’s underground Chicano culture

Categories: Art Music & Culture, Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: chicano, cholo, culture, jacob hodgkinson, mexico, photography, street, underground, urban, video

Setagaya Boroichi 2017

January 18, 2017 by joostay

Last Sunday – with the cold visible on my breath – I made a short trip on the dainty Setagaya train line visit to the Setagaya Boroichi Fair. Started over 400 years ago, this huge flea market is now designated as one of Tokyo’s intangible folk cultural assets and features about 700 venders selling all sorts of food, junk, toys and antiques. There was a marching band with students playing the tuba, and everyone was in good spirits. I also tried […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, blog, boroichi, daily life, design, fair, festival, japan, japanese, justin egli, local life, photography, setagaya, tokyo, town, travel

THIS IS TOKYO // PORTRAIT OF A CITY

January 12, 2017 by joostay

IKIMASHO! on Facebook

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: aesthetic, amazing, asia, blog, city, design, ikimasho, japan, japanese, justin egli, megacity, photography, shinjuku, street, tokyo, travel, travelling, urban, visit japan