Everything I have written here, grouped by where it happened. I went to all of these places myself, took the photographs myself, and wrote them from my own notes. Within each group, the newest comes first.
Tokyo & around (40)
- Unhurried Days in Yokohama: Coffee on the Bluff, an Afternoon at the Museum, a Day at Hammerhead
- Three Hours in Yokohama Hotels: a Morning Pool, a New Year, and Fireworks from the Top Floor
- Three Meals in Yokohama: Octopus at Del Mar, a Burger at Larboard, Teppanyaki at Sagami
- [Toyosu] Eleven O’Clock Is the Answer at Senkyakubanrai: Maruri Suisan’s Uni Bowl and the Spend That Makes Parking Free
- [Toyosu] Mundo Pixar: Twelve Rooms, and the Longest Stop Was Remy’s Kitchen
- [Yokohama] A Kyoto Breakfast at Hotel New Grand: Rice or Porridge on the Fifth Floor
- [Yokohama] Nine Seats at Katabami: A Courtyard Sushi Counter and Six Kanagawa Sakes
- [Yokohama] Sunday Brunch-Hopping at BASEGATE Yokohama Kannai: Korean Pocha and Berkel-Sliced Prosciutto
- [Yokohama] Breakfast at Le Normandie, Hotel New Grand: A Monte Cristo With the Harbor in View
- [Haneda Airport] The Trip Starts with a Morning Beer at Terminal 3’s TIAT Lounge
- [Maihama] Tokyo DisneySea After Work: A Two-Hour Evening Visit and a Night at the Disneyland Hotel
- [Azabujuban] The Restaurant Where Pasta Has the Last Word
- [Toranomon] Green at Night, and an Omelette in the Morning
- [Toranomon] A Room with a Terrace on the Thirty-First Floor
- [Oimachi] A Quiet Evening of Handmade Soba — Sobamichi
- [Motomachi] A Refined French Deli Lunch. Olive Delica, Where Simple Meets Chic
- The Westin Yokohama club lounge: the steak was the thing
- You Can See Tokyo Tower From the Pool: ANA InterContinental Tokyo
- MARLOWE at Hayama Marina: the pudding comes turned out onto a plate
- Korokke from Hayama Asahiya: thirteen minutes and a Sunday queue
- Aman Tokyo Afternoon Tea: The Black Bamboo Tray, and Why 11:00 Is the Seating to Book
- &MOON Noa in Hayama: the night the bedroom was a cinema
- Hyatt Regency Yokohama: the night we opened champagne for no reason
- The Rose Hotel Yokohama rooftop pool, on a day-use booking
- The Tokyo Marriott Depends Entirely on Lounge Access
- Kabuki-za for the first time: the barrier is outside the building
- Fantasy Springs: the Standby Pass was abolished in April 2025
- Five seats for caviar under Azabudai Hills: Prunier
- RED° TOKYO TOWER Closed on 6 May 2026: A Record of the Visit
- Kamogawa Grand Tower: only one room in the building has a jacuzzi
- Hotel Springs Makuhari: 2 minutes from the station, 15 from the Messe
- The Westin Tokyo: the smallest room in the house is 42 m²
- That doll you call a Labubu is not named Labubu on the box
- Toranomon Yokocho Is Built for Hopping: The Five Rules on the Board
- Kyubey at The Okura Tokyo: What the Cancellation Policy Tells You
- RistoPizza by Napoli sta ca, Azabudai Hills: Soft Neapolitan Dough in a Sixteen-Seat Room
- BEAR ART TOKYO Is in Kuramae, Not Asakusa — Pour-Paint Art With No Skill Required
- Design Ah neo Was an Exhibition of Verbs — and It Closed in October 2025
- Ginza Sembikiya Fruit Parlour: Eating Upstairs from the Fruit Shop
- Drive to The Westin Tokyo: the valet parking is the reason
Korea — Busan & Gyeongju (17)
- Two Days in Busan: the Westin Chosun, a Temple on the Sea, a Live Octopus, and the Blue Line Park at Night
- [Shin-Okubo] Gaemizib Opens in Tokyo: Chasing the Busan Nakkopsae I Could Not Forget
- [Busan] Sea Urchin and Abalone at the Yeongdo Haenyeo Divers’ Hall, Where You Order at Full Volume
- [Busan] A Container-Built Miffy Cafe on Yeongdo, With a Terrace Over the Harbor
- [Busan] Miffy Store Busan: Sea-Blue Exclusives at the Foot of the 100-Story Tower
- [Busan] Up the 100th Floor at BUSAN X the SKY: The World’s Highest Starbucks and a Forest of Towers
- [Gyeongju] The 10-Won Bread Queues of Hwangnidan-gil: How Bulguksa’s Pagoda Became a Cheese-Pull Snack
- [Gyeongju] A Hanok Miffy Store on Hwangnidan-gil, Home of the Stone-Gray Gyeongju Miffy
- [Gyeongju] My First Real Milmyeon at Hwangnam Milmyeon: The Mild Broth Has a Reason
- [Gyeongju] Walking Bulguksa Temple: The Pagoda on the 10-Won Coin and a Pond of Water Lilies
- [Gyeongju] Seokguram Grotto: Lost for Words Before a 1,300-Year-Old Granite Dome
- [Busan] Ending the Night at Eom Yong Baek, Haeundae: Thick-Cut Pork and a Table Full of Side Dishes
- [Busan] BIFF Square to Bupyeong Kkangtong Market: An Evening of Street-Stall Hopping in Nampo-dong
- [Busan] Gamcheon Culture Village, the Machu Picchu of Korea: A Colorful Maze With a Story Underneath
Korea — Seoul (8)
- Seoul, Morning and Night: Samgyetang at Nine, Myeongdong at Eight
- [Gimpo Airport] The Domestic Terminal Transfer in Practice: Check in on 2F, Depart from 3F, About an Hour to Gimhae
- [Getting to Busan] Haneda to Gimhae via Gimpo: Korean Air’s In-Flight Bibimbap and the Free Terminal Shuttle Transfer
- [Yokohama] The Elevator Doors Open onto Seoul: A Revenge Reservation at Korean Restaurant Kimuchacha
- Neungdong Minari in Seongsu: a minari hotpot with the whole surface green
- Hotel 28 Myeongdong: a film-set room on a work trip
- Breakfast in Myeongdong: Why the Best One Is Soup, and How to Order It
- Skip the duty-free floor, go down to the food hall
Thailand (17)
- Bangkok: Looking Up at Wat Arun, a Mango Shop, and the Pool at the St. Regis
- Wat Arun’s steep stairs, and the soles of the Buddha at Wat Pho
- [Yokohama] BAAN PHADTHAI at Hammerhead: Testing the Hard-to-Book Bangkok Original’s Reputation over a Family Lunch
- The St. Regis Bangkok “Spa” Is Actually a Longevity Clinic
- Riding an elephant in Ayutthaya: a two-person saddle, and one of me
- Afternoon tea at The St. Regis Bangkok: not to my taste, and still worth it
- Yào Rooftop Bar, 32 floors up: take the table under the roof
- I left the airport in Thailand without buying a SIM
- QR payment in Thailand did not work for me — and here is exactly why
- Four nights at The St. Regis Bangkok: the window was a field of green
- POP MART at ICONSIAM: the one I wanted was sold out
- Pad Thai at ICONSIAM: The Cheapest Meal of the Trip Was the One I Remember
- The Buddha head in the tree roots at Ayutthaya is smaller than you think
- A monument to a victory and a burned royal temple, in one morning
- Taking the Chao Phraya ferry, which is more fun than it has any right to be
- A sharing menu at IGNIV Bangkok, and a star I could not quite taste
- Blue Elephant Bangkok: a 1903 mansion, and tom yum kung in a navy pot
Shikoku & the Inland Sea (4)
- Shodoshima in One Day by Car: the Ferry, Fresh Somen, Olive Park and the Tide Table
- Three udon shops in Kagawa, and the best was the kamaage at Waraya
- SolaVilla Umi Terrace Minami-Awaji: a barbecue on the terrace, and the sun going down into the sea
- Yamaroku Shoyu on Shodoshima: a wooden-barrel brewhouse home to a hundred microbes, and ice cream with soy sauce
Work and money (4)
- Being quiet is not the same as being empty
- An Amazon suspension, and what it means to trade in a borrowed garden
- You can build the box. You cannot build the contents.
- The day I founded a company, and nothing happened
Kansai (4)
- Canes & Tales, Waldorf Astoria Osaka: Go at 5pm, Stay Until It Gets Dark
- The St. Regis Osaka: check in on the 12th floor, sleep from the 17th
- Kinkaku-ji is not all gold: the three storeys, and what the reflection needs
- At Opening, USJ Splits in Two: Nintendo World or the Empty Park
Hokkaido & Tohoku (4)
- Sapporo Dome concert trip: the name, the line, the start time, the hours
- You Watch Them Through a Scope: Winter Birds at Lake Kussharo
- The Notsuke Ice Horizon Is Not Something You Just Turn Up For
- Why Sendai Gyutan Always Comes With Barley Rice, Oxtail Soup and Miso Nanban
Singapore & Taiwan (3)
- Sheraton Grand Taipei: one line from Shandao Temple to Ximen
- Marina Bay Sands Is Better Seen From Across the Bay, Not From the Top
- The Changi Waterfall on a Layover: Three Hours and One Catch
Things I carry (3)
- Hermès Sac Orange: 5.3 × 6 cm, but It Hangs 23.5 cm
- Hermès Izmir Men’s Sandals: Sizing, Break-In, and One Year of Wear
- Hermès MagSafe Card Case Review: It Holds One Card — and I Still Use It