Author Archives: lillatravels

Hotel observations

The Royal Park Hotel in the Nihonbashi district caters to a lot of non-Japanese clients. It’s walking distance to the office. Everyone speaks some level of English, and there are Japanese-to-English translations listed everywhere. I like to immerse myself in … Continue reading

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Earthquakes

Earthquakes are very common in Japan. On the local TV stations there are commercials appealing to ex-pats touting their “seismic ready” condos built with the latest technology to withstand massive quakes. The night before I arrived, there was a small … Continue reading

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Omakase, part 2

Finally I had the opportunity to dine at the place down the street that is either closed or full. And now I know why: 8 seats in the joint, a sushi chef, and a woman serving drinks. A nondescript entrance … Continue reading

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It smells like hot dogs in here

In high school, I learned to say “it smells like hot dogs in here” in Armenian since the music department sometimes smelled a little funky. Our American friends thought it was funny to learn how to say the phrase too, … Continue reading

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Kyoto, part 2

Some photos and a video from the day trip to Kyoto: Here’s the high speed Shinkansen train pulling into Kyoto station, and a quick video of the view from the train.    

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Omikase

So the sushi place recommended to me for dinner was closed which means another dining adventure. (Future travelers staying at royal park hotel in Nihonbashi should seek out this place: walk a block down the street away from the train … Continue reading

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Japanese Office Style

The advice I was given about attire in the workplace was spot on. And from what I’ve been told, our office is more casual than others. The offices are WARM and the air conditioning is not on full blast in … Continue reading

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Tokyo Life

A random collection of photos to give more of a sense of life in Tokyo. Notice how the bike rack is covered. The melon muffin that I had for breakfast was really yummy…light and flaky on the inside, and the … Continue reading

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Harajuku

Took the subway to Harajuku for the day – a section of Tokyo which is like Harvard Square in the 1970s and 10x the size. Basically the teenagers here are setting fashion trends and designers from around the world visit … Continue reading

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Kyoto

Saturday I visited Kyoto, the former capital of Japan for more than 1,000 years. Kyoto has hundreds of temples and shrines and former imperial residences to see, but I only had 8 hours to explore. Kyoto is in the central … Continue reading

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Tokyo views

An assortment of photos from walking around Tokyo: a $400 bouquet of roses, a shopkeeper refilling drinks at a beverage vending machines (beverage vending machines are EVERYWHERE in Tokyo), last night’s dinner, a no-smoking sign on the sidewalk, and bike … Continue reading

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The Office

Some images of the office and surroundings

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Shoes

Since arriving in Tokyo my feet and ankles have been swollen. They dont feel any different except for the fact that all my shoes are extremely tight. Any excuse to buy some new shoes, right? So I left work at … Continue reading

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First full day in Tokyo

Breakfast at the train station near the hotel was a cup of American coffee and a cream filled sweet donut thing…yum. Lunch at a thai place near the office FILLED with chatchkes…I was too in shock to take a picture. … Continue reading

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Travel to Tokyo

I was fortunate to fly the new Japan Airlines 007 direct flight from Boston to Tokyo — 13.5 hours — in business class which meant my chair reclined all the way into a bed! Only complaint was that the plane … Continue reading

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