French cuisine in Tokyo Japan? Yes because it is Joel Robuchon Michelin 3-star. Hiding in the concrete jungle of central Tokyo, world's capital of most Michelin star restaurants, Le Chateau de Joël Robuchon stands out in the Ebisu/Yebisu as it is the most unique building and the most prestigious Michelin star French cuisine restaurant in Japan for the past 10 years. I am dedicating this blog article to share my amazing Tokyo luxurious fine dining experience at Michelin 3-Star Robuchon restaurant. - To read about my recommendations of affordable, Reasonable, Convenient hotels in ..read more

In October 2017, I traveled in Japan using the JR pass. While I was planning my rail pass itinerary, I came across the idea of visiting The Last Samurai film locations at Mount Shoshazan 書写山 Engyoji 圓教寺 temple in Himeji 姫路. I realized travel blog resources were lacking on visiting many off the beaten path or road less traveled destinations in Japan, I decided to share my own day trip travel experience of visiting film locations of one of my favorite movies The Last Samurai, which embraces deep rooted Japanese culture of Bushido 武士道 or the way of Samurai warriors ..read more

Tokyo Consult blog readers often inquired about where to get cheap Kobe Beef 神戸牛 or Matsusaka Beef 松阪牛 in Japan. While the best Kobe Beef is never meant to be reasonably priced, "generic" Wagyu is often more affordable to the budget travelers. After extensive research and a bit of luck, I was fortunate to have the opportunities to have tried 3 inexpensive Wagyu Beef Bowls during my trip to Japan in 2017. I am sharing my dining experiences and where to enjoy these delicious and cheap Wagyu Beef in this blog post. Charm of traveling in Japan is discovering tasty food inside of meal boxes ..read more

In October 2017, I traveled in Japan using the Japan Rail JR pass. I stayed at Shinagawa Keikyu EX Inn Hotel 京急 EX イン 品川 駅 前 while I was visiting Tokyo and nearby areas. While hotels are merely places for rest and sleep to many travelers, reasonably priced and conveniently located hotels would make travel experiences more efficient. I am writing this blog article to showcase the importance of conveniently located hotel stay as well as other advantages of staying at Shinagawa Keikyu EX Inn Hotel in front of Tokyo Shinagawa station. - To read about my recommendations of affor ..read more

In October 2017, I traveled in Okinawa and mainland Japan  using 7-day Japan Rail JR pass. I realized there is always new food discovery with every trip I took in Japan. I have discovered great Wara Wara Izakaya 笑 笑 居酒屋 restaurant with amazing dishes, delicious soul-food chicken cuisine, almond tofu dessert, and special Japanese fruit tomato, etc. I am sharing my 2017 Japan mainland food discovery and where to taste those delicious food in this blog article. I plan to share my Okinawa food discovery in another article blog post in the future. Dishes with brown sauce and mayonna ..read more

In October 2017, I took my "annual" trip in Japan, I visited Okinawa 沖縄 and then started my 7-day Japan Rail Pass journey between Kyushu 九州, Shimane 島根, Tottori 鳥取, Wakayama 和歌山, Mie 三重, Izu 伊豆, and Tokyo areas. The itinerary seemed to be very busy but it was kept at an enjoyable pace due careful planning and nice traditional Onsen hot spring soak to rejuvenate our travel souls. This trip was my 4th trip using Japan Rail Pass, I am dedicating this blog post to share my detailed daily itinerary, travel tips and recommendations. - To read about my recommendations of affordable, Reasonable ..read more

Recently updated! I have always liked to stay in Osaka during my trips to the Kansai area (Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe) Staying at a hotel in Osaka will put travelers in the middle of the Kansai area geographically. Being based in Osaka will allow travelers to have the easy access to Kyoto to the east, Kobe to the west, and Nara/Uji to the south. Osaka Hotels are typically less expensive than Tokyo hotels. For travelers with limited amount of vacation time, I believe in hotels in convenient locations or interesting areas. Many different areas in Osaka have different characteristics; cert ..read more

In May 2017, my buddy Richard traveled in Japan using the Japan Rail Pass. While visiting Hakone, he stayed at an upscale Onsen 温泉 Ryokan 旅館, Tokinoyu Setsugetsuka 季の湯 雪月花, in Gora Hakone 箱根 強羅 for his once-a-life-time private Hot Spring spa experience. I would like to dedicate this blog post to share his personal experience and photographs of one of the best Private Onsen Bath Ryokan hotel in Hakone near Tokyo. Experiencing private open-air wooden Onsen bathtub is on the bucket lists of many couples traveling to Japan - To read about my blog article on Onsen for Shy travelers ..read more

In November 2015, I traveled to Japan using the Japan Rail Pass. When I was visiting Matsuyama 松山 in Shikoku 四国, I decided to follow Japan National Tourism Organization 日本政府観光局 (JNTO) and local tourism office's recommendation for sightseeing ideas of visiting Tokyo Love Story television drama filming locations. While majority of the television drama scenes took place in downtown Tokyo, some of the most important scenes were filmed at Baishinji station 梅津寺 駅 and in Iyo Ozu 伊予 大洲 area in rural Shikoku near Matsuyama. I am dedicating this article for my day trip to film locati ..read more

Don Quijote or Don Quixote or Donki ドン・キホーテ is the best one stop shopping during your trip in Japan. This franchise super store is known for their long opening hours, often 24 hours a day, and the wide varieties of products they carry. The products found in the Don Quijote shops range from inexpensive souvenirs, electronics, snacks/groceries, cosmetics, name-brand products, cosplay-themed and even adult themed items. Don Quijote stores are everywhere throughout major cities and nearby major stations in Japan and even in Honolulu, Hawaii USA. Their dominance even reached mainland US after ..read more