Japan

Demonic ramen 2018-04-13 — Vincent Leeuw

Demonic ramen

Japanese commercials are intense, just like their instant ramen.

2020-03-27 — Vincent Leeuw

Japanese signs

My fascination with Japanese started with videogames, but maybe not in the way you'd expect. Sure, I was obsessed with videogames in my younger years. I …

2022-01-02 — Vincent Leeuw

Mini Tokyo 3D

Here's a fun little time-waster: Mini Tokyo 3D. A real-time 3D subway map of Tokyo, showing you all the little trains updating in real-time. (Might be a bit …

2022-12-10 — Vincent Leeuw

A museum dedicated to mistranslated Japanese phrases

The pop-up museum, being held at Tokyo’s UltraSuperNew Gallery in Harajuku, features some classics such as “please urinate with precision and elegance” and …

On the origin of the California Roll 2023-01-09 — Vincent Leeuw

On the origin of the California Roll

Tojo: I came 1971 to Vancouver. That time, no sushi restaurant. Canadian people no eat raw fish. Sometimes they like to say, "I'd like to try same thing that …

Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories main theme 2025-01-09 — Vincent Leeuw

Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories main theme

I've thoroughly enjoyed watching Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories on Netflix. So much so, that I've been looking around to get my hands on the previous seasons …

This one chopstick sleeve trick 2025-01-20 — Vincent Leeuw

This one chopstick sleeve trick

The first time I traveled to Japan, I remember being handed some chopsticks (箸 [hashi] or おてもと [otemoto]) in a paper sleeve in a Osaka izakaya. The sleeve had …

2026-02-20 — Vincent Leeuw

The origin of hanafuda

Among friends, we know hanafuda as "that card game that made Nintendo what it is today". But like tempura and samurai using muskets, it finds its origins with …