Cafés in Spring

 

 

Spring has arrived, and with a bang! 

 

Before I could even blink March and April have whizzed on by!

Book Review: Confessions of a Texan in Tokyo

Confessions of a Texan in Tokyo   

     For those of you who are familiar with the "gaijin in Japan" blogging world, you may have already heard of Grace Buchele Mineta, the "Texan in Tokyo" and her adorable (and accurate) comics that cover the day to day life of a foreigner in Japan, intercultural relationships, culture shock, the adventures of being young and married, and everything in between. Along with her blog where Grace uploads her comics and posts about her life in Japan she also has a Youtube channel where she posts videos with her Japanese husband, Ryosuke, and has published three books! 

Kansai versus Kanto

     Ever since I was a little girl my dream was to one day pack my bags and move to Tokyo. I would look up photos of the bright lights, the huge crowds, the unique street fashions and become more and more obsessed. No other city, not even in Japan, was deemed worthy. I would get there no matter what and once I did, my life would be fabulous. But the universe had different plans for me. Instead I found myself accepted to study abroad at a university in the Kansai region. I was okay with this. I had friends at this university and viewed it as a stepping stone to the mecca that is Tokyo. What I didn't expect was that I would soon find myself completely and utterly in love with the area, and all its unique quirks and traits.

Kansai? Kanto? 

     Kansai, also known as the Kinki region, is the southern central part of the main island of Japan. It includes the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo and Shiga. The cities of Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto make up the second largest population after Tokyo. Kanto is made up mostly of Tokyo and its outlining cities. I won't bore you with too much of the details. That's what Wikipedia is for!

image from google

     Many people I have spoken to tell me of their dream of visiting and/or moving to Tokyo. I think thats great! Tokyo is a beautiful, vibrant city. However sometimes I feel other parts of Japan become lost in it's shadow. There are so many other gorgeous and exciting places in this country! One of these places is Kansai! Kansai is definitely different from the rest of Japan, especially Tokyo and the Kanto region. So why should you consider Kansai as your travel destination or potential Japanese home? Oh I am so glad you asked...