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Japan

Kai Matsumoto’s elegant kaiseki dishes.

I took my young kids to an eight-course dinner. What was I thinking?

We’re looking at a two-hour dinner here, a meal my children are probably not going to like, in a place where they’re expected to behave themselves and be quiet.

  • by Ben Groundwater
Learning about the art of Turkish tasseography meant paying $45 for a cup.

I used to be a frugal traveller. Now I’ll spend $49 on a cup of coffee

I’m a reformed cheapskate. I used to be vigilant about how I spent my money on holidays, but at times, it just didn’t make sense.

  • by Julia D'Orazio
I did not expect Tokyo’s Haneda airport to offer the worst airport experience I’ve had for a long time.
Opinion
Air travel

A Tokyo airport delivered my worst travel experience in a long time

The Japanese have traditionally been known for their organisation and politeness. How could it go so wrong?

  • by Lee Tulloch
The Australia pavilion harnesses “Australia’s unique natural beauty”.

Pink emu? Inside Australia’s kitsch pavilion for World Expo 2025

The Australia Pavilion by Melbourne-based Buchan is the latest in a long line of dazzling environments that expresses how we live today.

  • by Julietta Jameson
Trunk Hotel (Yoyogi Park) Tokyo has flourishing greenery on balconies and faces one of the city’s largest parks.
★★★★½
Hotel reviews

A rarity in Tokyo, this new hotel is one of the city’s best

Trunk (Hotel) Yoyogi Park encourages guests to explore one of the city’s biggest natural spaces.

  • by Penny Watson
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Robot cafe

This Tokyo cafe offers a peek at the future of humanity

Robot waiters take a star turn in the Japanese capital’s DAWN Avatar Robot Cafe, but something more important is going on behind the scenes.

  • by Tracey Spicer
Japan is a wonderful holiday destination, but it’s not a perfect society.
Opinion
Opinion

Is Japan a perfect society? No, despite what Western tourists might think

We’ve all heard of tourists moving through the world with rose-coloured glasses but a recent viral post about Japan is ridiculous.

  • by Ben Groundwater
The Japanese will queue for something if it’s good, whether from ramen (above) to udon, katsudon to kakigori, gyudon to gyoza.

Is any meal worth queuing more than an hour for? Yes, these ones

Some places are simply not worth the wait (hello, In-N-Out Burger and Cinnabon), but there are others where queuing for an hour or more is time well spent.

  • by Ben Groundwater
Things have changed when it comes to payment methods in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Thank COVID for making one aspect of travelling in Japan much easier

Until recently Japan was still a very much cash-only society, where even restaurant bills of hundreds of dollars would have to be settled with cold, hard currency.

  • by Ben Groundwater
Tokyo, Japan - March 16, 2016: Series E5 and series E2 shinkansen 'bullet trains' waiting to depart at Tokyo station sunapr17cover
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TRAVELLER Mal Chenu easter quiz 2022
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Ten reasons Japan’s bullet trains still put others to shame

Japan’s iconic Shinkansen are celebrating 60 years of operation and they just keep getting better (and faster).

  • by Danielle Demetriou

Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/traveller/topic/japan-b1c