Rob Dyer - TheRealJapan.com
Score (What’s this?)
Perlu Network score measures the extent of a member’s network on Perlu based on their connections, Packs, and Collab activity.
Pulse (What’s this?)
Perlu Pulse score measures how active a member is on Perlu, on a scale of 0 to 100.
A writer and publisher from England, Rob has been exploring Japan’s 6,800 islands since 2000. He specialises in travelling off the beaten track, whether on remote atolls or in the hidden streets of major cities. He’s the founder of TheRealJapan.com.
Additionally, what confused me is that some Japanese people seem to be strict or critical of how other Japanese people wear kimono. I posted in a group to warn people to be careful about how some kimono fitting can be taken in the wrong way by some Japanese. Getting the chance to wear an authentic kimono while in Japan is a wonderful way for anyone to experience traditional Japanese culture. I honestly don't believe that Japanese people get offended when foreigners wear kimono, or if when they do their kimono gets a bit out of shape.
Viator's website makes it easy to discover and book something you'd love to do in Japan (or any other popular tourist destination). I reviewed all the virtual Japan tours available through Viator and then applied a strict rating threshold to come up with our shortlist. I filtered the tours by applying a traveler review rating of 5 stars - the highest possible review rating on Viator. With the exception of one (Gion tour in Kyoto), every entry included is 5-Star rated by genuine Viator customers.
This time, I'd arranged to fly to Tokyo in January - deliberately to overlap with the basho that gets the season underway. Friday - The plan was to stop on arrival in Tokyo this time and do some stuff here for a few days before heading down to home in Kobe. The hotel also provided a luggage forwarding service (this kind of service is fairly commonplace in Japan) meaning we need not lug our large cases with us down to Kobe in a few days time - they would simply be waiting for us at home when we arrived. My wife and I then headed over to the Ryōgoku Kokugikan stadium for the first basho of the year, and my first ever sumo tournament.
Generally, the Japanese focus on sports betting, with horse racing leading the way. Here it is a down-to-earth affair, with the focus very much on placing bets rather than the trappings of 'the sport of kings' horse racing tends to enjoy in other countries. Betting on horse racing generated $27 billion in revenue in 2019, and if you ever get the chance to attend a meeting, it's a memorable experience. Furthermore, pachinko is famous enough even in the Western world, and some Japanese culture aficionados play pachinko via apps on their smartphones.