Here are some rather unknown things about TravelNoire: Japan Has Over 6,000 Islands-but the majority of the population lives on four islands, Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku. 40% of Publications Sold in Japan Are Manga-a world wide phenomenon, comic book story telling has become big business. Anime Was Once Used as War Propaganda-during WW2, anime was used to send messages, boost morale, and promote nationalistic sentiments. Nakizumo Crying Baby Festival Is a Yearly Tradition-can you believe sumo wrestlers compete to make babies cry? They say "crying babies grow" and the loudest crying baby is declared the winner. Japan Has the Highest Life Expectancy in the World-life expectancy is 84, and attributed to a healthy diet, active lifestyle, and access to advanced healthcare. Maybe I should move there to squeeze out a few more years? Japan Has ... read more

Japan, specifically Tokyo, has the best food and restaurants in the world, seriously. Tokyo has 226 Michelin star restaurants…and the second best city, Paris, has just 96. I firmly believe it is impossible to have a bad dining experience in Japan…I ate at an obscene amount of restaurants while I was in Japan and only one was not remarkable in the food department. (And that was the evening with a Geisha dinner in Kyoto.) And while restaurants and bars are nice and all…the street food is also mind-blowingly good! I honestly almost liked eating street food better. There were so many delicious options. We decided to have at least one Michelin dinner in Tokyo. I chose Fushkino in Shinjuku. First, I had to apply for a reservation, and pay a booking fee that will not be ... read more

I am headed to Japan because it is my mother country. It was home to both sets of my grandparents, who came to the US at the end of 1800s and beginning of the 1900s. I am going to show my best buddy, Mr. Mike around my home country. We will focus on food, Michaelin stars, hole in the wall joints and big city walks, and less on temples and museums. From the MoneyFesto: Japan really has the best of both worlds, and its juxtaposition is what entices travelers in the first place. You see, Japan not only has a rich cultural heritage and unique traditions, with ancient temples, shrines, and tea ceremonies for visitors to learn all about. But Japan also has cutting-edge technology and futuristic cityscapes like no other place on the planet. url=https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsamplingamerica.com%2F10-foreign-cities-that-feel-like-america%2F&data=05%7C ... read more

Not sure if you saw this, but I am very impressed. This is from Timeout Tokyo. Michelin has just released its 2024 Tokyo guide, but the results aren't what we were used to expecting. While the city is widely praised for consistently boasting the highest total number of Michelin stars in the world, this year’s featured restaurants have 23 fewer stars than those in the url=https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news/michelin-awards-tokyo-restaurants-a-total-of-263-stars-for-2023-1115222023 guide. The number of Michelin stars awarded to Tokyo restaurants in 2023 tallied 263, while this year's guide awards 240 stars. The amount of Michelin-starred restaurants has also decreased, with the latest guide featuring 1... read more

Tokyo has more people than all of Texas, just no drawl or cowboy boots. Over 37 million people live here. And quite remarkably, Tokyo has more Michelin stars than London and Paris combined! On the sporting side, Tokyo is one of only ten cities to host the Olympics more than once. But the greater Tokyo area has FIVE major league baseball teams. And Shibuya Crossing is the world's busiest pedestrian intersection. And Shinjuku Station is the busiest train station. In fact, we start the trip by staying in Shinjuku, and end it by staying in Shibuya. Despite its modern or futuristic landscape, Tokyo has a 7th century temple, and some of the oldest shops on earth. Japan is home to more than 33,000 businesses that are over 100 years old, some dating back to the 6th ... read more