Bugs! Cockroaches. Ants. Earwigs. Cicadas. Japan is abundant in nature, so with this comes plenty of insects. Though you might not want them inside your house, it’s important to remember that insects are natural. You can almost guarantee you’ll come across cockroaches in Japan at some point, particularly in summer. Days are filled with the sound of cicadas squealing in the trees. Step outside on a hot and sticky …

How to Clean Your Air-Conditioning Unit The aircon is an essential part of surviving summer in Japan, however air conditioner units can easily be forgotten when doing regular cleaning since the dirt isn’t particularly obvious. It’s important to incorporate air conditioner cleaning into your regular apartment maintenance, dirty aircon can affect your health since you’ll be breathing in the air it blows out. If you’re new to having aircon …

Embarking on a DIY home décor project might just be the perfect way to make the most of some downtime since the process of knot-tying can be very relaxing and it’s very satisfying once you have a finished work of art to appreciate, knowing that you made it yourself. The art of macrame is usually traced back to Arabic weavers in the 13th century, where they used decorative knots …

Fish is prevalent in the Japanese diet. Dashi (stock usually made from bonito shavings) can be hard to escape when you are looking for vegetarian meals or vegan food. It pops up in most soups in restaurants and inconspicuous sushi and onigiri at convenience stores. However, like in so many other countries, vegetarianism and veganism lifestyles are becoming increasingly popular for a variety of reasons; to avoid supporting an …