While baby boomers have their francophiles, more recent Australians have grown up with a different experience. Like many others, I was offered Japanese language and culture classes starting as early as grade 5. A fair chunk of my teenage years were spent with Nintendos, various anime and sushi. My first chance to visit Japan came in 2007 where I got my first big dose of culture shock. Since then I’ve holidayed twice more, once with family and once solo. The itch was never fully scratched, and I knew I wanted to try living there one day.

It’s been two months since returning to Melbourne. My attitude towards remote work has only amplified. My partner and I are facing off at the airport now. Picture us both tapping away at keyboards over screens, like some futuristic game of battleships. I’m even using the micro keyboard we picked up from Akihabara. On the way here we recounted a few choice moments from Japan, which has encouraged finally penning some thoughts.

The following is a list of recommended dishes and specialities to try. These are mostly cheap eats, between 10-30pp

• Okinomiyaki - potato pancake with sauce. Best when at a restaurant that lets you create it yourself on a hotplate as a group.
• Takoyaki - octopus pancake balls. Great stand up snack to start the night. Make it the meeting place, have a high ball and continue into the evening!
• Sushi - nuff said. We preferred the cheap and cheerful sushi places with the sushi trains.
• Gyudon - thin meat rice bowls with salad set. These places are the fast-food equivalents of the west. Delicious, wholesome, filling, and cheap!
• Yakitori - grilled skewers. Just be careful not to order the liver (bleh!) Yakisoba - fried noodles. Thick noodles with soy sauce, vegetables, a common site at festivals, food courts and temples.
• Soba- buckwheat noodles in broth. We tried ‘so a sushi’, which was large sheets of soba cut up. Personally I prefer this dish with hot broth and tempura.
• Curry Katsu - pork cutlet in Japanese curry. Similar to tonkatsu below, some places specialise in hearty curry sauce.
• Tonkatsu - Pork cutlet with salad sets. By far my favourite food of the trip. We found places which serve tonkatsu like a ‘parma’, with cheese and tomato. Served with an equal share of cabbage and miso soup, for under 10 aud. We also managed to find higher end places serving local porks.
• Ramen - roast pork and broth with noodles. A common staple for us, and fantastic around the clock especially after a few drinks
• Shabu shabu - Hot soup, cook meats/vege at table. A really fun group activity where you cook you own meal.
• Ikinari steak - speak to chef pick and pay per gram. Special steak chain, great for that beef hit.
• Yakinori - grilled meats at table BBQ similar to Korean BBQ. Another fun group activity.
• Isakya - Smaller restaurants serving an assortment of the above.

While in Tokyo, we’d recommend doing the following. These are regions where you can spend a whole day with a few activities. Our favourites are highlighted with ^.

• Shinjuku - Vr park, robot restaurant, bars, big lights, park hyatt^ for drinks on top of the world.
• Asakusa - cat cafe, owl cafe, temple, onsen^ (tattoos ok!), more of a neighbourhood feel
• Roppongi - museums, wine bars, hedgehog cafe
• Shibuya - shopping, arcades (our hood), hachiko statue, the crossing
• Harajuku, close to parks, cute ‘kawaii’ culture, shopping, cat cafes
• Shimo-kitazawa - coffee^, boutiques, more neighbourhood feel
• Omotosanto - high end cafes, shops
• Akihabara - electric town, shopping, maid cafes
• Ginza- high end restaurant, museums, edo castle, fish market
• Odaiba island, onsen park, vr park, science museums.
• In addition to these, The trains, Don Quixote, Combini (convenience stores) are part of the landscape to be enjoyed.

I may follow up this article with another to discuss trips outside of Tokyo. For now, here’s a list of places we visited; Kamakura Koyasan Okinawa Hiroshima Nara Niseko ^Naoshima. If you’re doing a Japan trip, drop a line and i’d Be happy to chat!