Recommended ItemsBangkok: Looking Up at Wat Arun, a Mango Shop, and the Pool at the St. Regis
One day in Bangkok: crossing the river to look up at Wat Arun, mango at a specialist shop, and the outdoor pool at the St. Regis in the late afternoon.
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Food and BeveragesUnhurried Days in Yokohama: Coffee on the Bluff, an Afternoon at the Museum, a Day at Hammerhead
Days in Yokohama with nothing planned: climbing the hill to coffee on the Bluff, the conversation that kept going after the museum, and an ordinary afternoon at Hammerhead.
Luxury-logThree Hours in Yokohama Hotels: a Morning Pool, a New Year, and Fireworks from the Top Floor
Three separate hours spent in Yokohama hotels: the indoor pool at The Kahala with nowhere to be, the turn of the year at InterContinental Pier 8, and the Kaikosai fireworks seen from the top of the Westin.
Food and BeveragesThree Meals in Yokohama: Octopus at Del Mar, a Burger at Larboard, Teppanyaki at Sagami
Three places I ate in Yokohama: astonishingly tender octopus in Minato Mirai, a properly meaty burger by the Red Brick Warehouse, and beef and seafood on the teppan at a hotel grill.
Food and BeveragesSeoul, Morning and Night: Samgyetang at Nine, Myeongdong at Eight
The two ends of one day in Seoul: a whole chicken in a bowl at nine in the morning, and a street at eight at night where you cannot walk where you want to.
TravelBusan, August 2026: the Westin Chosun, a Temple on the Sea, a Live Octopus, and the Blue Line Park at Night
August 2026 in Busan. The Westin Chosun on Haeundae beach as a base, then Haedong Yonggungsa on the rocks, a local kitchen, a live octopus at Shindonga market, and the Blue Line Park after dark.
TravelShodoshima in One Day by Car: the Ferry, Fresh Somen, Olive Park and the Tide Table
Crossing from Takamatsu with the car on the ferry, fresh somen at a roadside station, Olive Park on the hill, and the sand path we arrived too late for — with the fares, opening hours and tide-table detail we actually checked.
Food and BeveragesThree udon shops in Kagawa, and the best was the kamaage at Waraya
We compared three udon shops in Kagawa: Udon Baka Ichidai, Zaigo Udon Honke Waraya and Teuchi Udon Gennai. Kama-butter udon after an 80-minute queue, kamaage udon in a thatched farmhouse, and Gennai’s slightly sweet broth. Waraya was the best — and the trip also showed me how good Tokyo udon has become.
TravelSolaVilla Umi Terrace Minami-Awaji: a barbecue on the terrace, and the sun going down into the sea
The first night of a trip through Awaji Island, Kagawa and Shodoshima. We stayed at SolaVilla Umi Terrace Minami-Awaji, grilled dinner on our own terrace and watched the sun set over the sea. How to spend an evening at a villa with few restaurants nearby, and what to know before you book.
TravelYamaroku Shoyu on Shodoshima: a wooden-barrel brewhouse home to a hundred microbes, and ice cream with soy sauce
We visited the wooden-barrel brewhouse at Yamaroku Shoyu on Shodoshima, with its distinctive smell and, we were told, around a hundred kinds of microbes. Then ice cream with Tsuru Bishio soy sauce and an iced coffee at a veranda-style table — a quiet family luxury.
Food and BeveragesWat Arun’s steep stairs, and the soles of the Buddha at Wat Pho
A morning on both sides of the river at Tha Tien — a porcelain tower you climb by the handrail, and the temple that was Thailand’s first university.
Food and Beverages[Toyosu] Eleven O’Clock Is the Answer at Senkyakubanrai: Maruri Suisan’s Uni Bowl and the Spend That Makes Parking Free
Lunch at Toyosu Senkyakubanrai before an exhibition: the Edo-style lane, what a 3,000 to 5,000 yen seafood bowl actually buys, Maruri Suisan’s kaisendon and uni tub, and the parking service where spending more buys free hours. At eleven there was no queue.
Food and Beverages[Shin-Okubo] Gaemizib Opens in Tokyo: Chasing the Busan Nakkopsae I Could Not Forget
The nakkopsae I ate in Haeundae stayed with me, so when the same Gaemizib name opened in Shin-Okubo in May 2026 I booked a table and drove out. What nakkopsae is, why orders start from two portions, and how the toned-down heat actually lands.
Travel[Toyosu] Mundo Pixar: Twelve Rooms, and the Longest Stop Was Remy’s Kitchen
Mundo Pixar at CREVIA BASE Tokyo in Toyosu, seen with the family: twelve rooms rebuilding Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo and Coco at full scale — and the Ratatouille kitchen where I stayed longest. Plus walk-up ticket availability and the sequels now confirmed.
Food and Beverages[Yokohama] A Kyoto Breakfast at Hotel New Grand: Rice or Porridge on the Fifth Floor
Yugyoan Tankuma Kitamise on the fifth floor of Hotel New Grand. Two options at 4,500 yen each, and only one decision to make: rice or porridge. Grilled salmon pitched exactly right, four appetisers, and a tray that emptied faster than expected.