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Kanna Livingston Archive

Medicine pill tablets in their pill packs, which is in a mini shopping cart with a blurred view of a pharmacy drugstore's shelves in the background.

Complete Guide to Over-The-Counter Medicine in Japan

July 6, 2020 • Kanna Livingston • No Comments • Living in Japan
  Japanese drugstores, or yakkyoku, can be daunting.  Even if you feel pretty good about your Japanese ability, …
A lot of Penguins at the Osaka Aquarium in Japan.

7 Things to Do in Osaka with Kids (Babies & Toddlers)

July 27, 2019 • Kanna Livingston • No Comments • Places to Visit
Leaving the house when you have young children can be stressful. If you ever find yourself in Osaka …
A wide shot of the area around Osaka Station. Many tall buildings and roads can be seen.

7 Amazing Places to Stay Near Osaka Station

June 30, 2019 • Kanna Livingston • No Comments • Places to Visit
To say that Osaka Station is a busy place is a huge understatement. It’s the busiest railway station …
Japanese Beer cans in a supermarket in Japan.

The Best Japanese Alcohol: 8 Drinks You’ll Want to Try

August 15, 2018 • Kanna Livingston • No Comments • Unique Japanese Products
Japan is a great place if you like to drink. Izakayas, or Japanese-style pubs, aren’t hard to find. …
A shot of the many buildings in a busy city at night, with the lights in the buildings lit up.

How to Find an Apartment in Japan

August 13, 2018 • Kanna Livingston • No Comments • Living in Japan
Looking for an apartment in Japan? Be prepared for a long and complicated process involving tons of paperwork. …
A plate with 3 pieces of taiyaki on it, which is Japanese cakes with filling inside that is shaped like a fish.

10 Cool Japanese Kitchen Gadgets

May 6, 2018 • Kanna Livingston • No Comments • Unique Japanese Products
Do you like to cook? Do you love it when you make a dish and your friend’s taste …
A close-up of a bed with white sheets and pillows. There are four, white, folded towels with flowers on top placed on the bed.

The 6 Best Places to Stay in Akihabara: Minutes Away from the Station

May 3, 2018 • Kanna Livingston • No Comments • Places to Visit
Famous for both its abundance of electronics shops and for being the anime/manga center of Tokyo, Akihabara is a …
A close-up of Pocky style snack sticks of different colors (black, pink, and green) in a pile on top of a grey surface.

The 10 Best Japanese Snacks You’ll Want to Try

April 14, 2018 • Kanna Livingston • No Comments • Unique Japanese Products
The world of Japanese snacks is colorful and playful… and sometimes quite bizarre.  Snacks can come and go …
In the background, a metal teapot and candles are on a wooden mat that has a cloth with flower patterns on it drapped across part of it. In the foreground are two black cups; one filled with green tea (left) and the other filled with green tea powder (right).

The Complete Guide to Japanese Tea

March 31, 2018 • Kanna Livingston • No Comments • Food Adventures
From traditional tea ceremonies that artfully prepare matcha to the palate cleansing konacha served at sushi restaurants, tea …
A white ramen spoon is resting on a black tabletop filled with soy sauce. Grains of rice are scattered around it.

The 10 Best Japanese Seasonings

March 27, 2018 • Kanna Livingston • No Comments • Food Adventures
Despite my Japanese heritage, I’ve always shied away from cooking Japanese food. The subtle, complex flavors intimidated me. …
A clear bowl of soy sauce. Soy sauce from a spoon is being poured into this bowl from above. In the background, soy beans can be seen scattered all around.

The Complete Guide to Shoyu: Japanese Soy Sauce

March 27, 2018 • Kanna Livingston • No Comments • Food Adventures , Useful Japanese Lessons
Japanese soy sauce, or shoyu, is an essential part of Japanese cuisine. Without this sauce, many of your …
A black bowl filled with ramen noodles, sliced mushrooms, red peppers, and green onions. A pair of chopsticks is resting on the lip of the bowl. Red peppers, mushrooms, and a bottle of soy sauce can be seen blurred in the background.

The 10 Best Japanese Instant Ramen

March 27, 2018 • Kanna Livingston • 1 Comment • Food Adventures , Unique Japanese Products
You probably reach for instant ramen when you’re too tired to cook. I don’t blame you. Instant ramen …
A woman holding up a burning torch in front of a red circle that symbolizes the flag of Japan.

Tokyo Olympics 2020 Hotels – The Best Places to Stay

March 19, 2018 • Kanna Livingston • 2 Comments • Places to Visit
7 Best (And Closest) Hotels for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Where will you be for the 2020 Tokyo …
A desk that has notebooks, colored pencies, pens, a laptop and smarltphone, headphones, a clock, push pins, a plant, paper clips, and other office supplies spread out on top of a desk.

The 10 Best Japanese Stationery You Need In Your Life

March 15, 2018 • Kanna Livingston • 2 Comments • Unique Japanese Products
A pen is just a pen, right? Nope. Not when it comes from Japan. A pen transforms into …
A long kitchen knife on a stone slab. In front of it is a row of nigiri sushi (salmon, unagi, maguro, hotate, ebi).

Best Japanese Knives: Complete Buying Guide

December 29, 2017 • Kanna Livingston • No Comments • Unique Japanese Products
It’s often said that knives are the most important tools in your kitchen.  That’s why so many chefs …
A middle aged, male doctor touching a man's leg while he is lying down. The doctor is smiling at the man in bed.

Going to the Doctor in Japan: A Quick Guide

December 26, 2017 • Kanna Livingston • No Comments • Living in Japan
Useful Japanese Phrases for When You Go to the Doctor Going to the doctor in Japan can be …
A black and silver-ish rice cooker with steam coming out from the top.

Best Japanese Rice Cookers: A Complete Buying Guide

December 25, 2017 • Kanna Livingston • No Comments • Unique Japanese Products
  Are you looking to add a new rice cooker to your kitchen?  It’s probably no surprise that …
A grayish rice bowl with white stripes is filled with steaming hot rice. A pair of brown chopsticks is holding a little bit of rice over this bowl.

How to Cook Japanese Rice

December 25, 2017 • Kanna Livingston • 3 Comments • Food Adventures
The secret to cooking Japanese rice is all in the prep. If you want delicious, fluffy rice, follow …
The outside of a 7-Eleven convenience store in Japan.

10 Best Conbini Foods from Japan (Convenience Stores)

November 13, 2017 • Kanna Livingston • No Comments • Fun Stuff
On a recent trip back to Japan, I overheard two young Japanese women talking about what they’d missed …
A group of young men and woman standing next to each other, giving a peace sign with their fingers and posing for the camera.

Useful Phrases for Meeting People in Japan

November 5, 2017 • Kanna Livingston • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
One of the best ways to learn the Japanese language and culture is to make Japanese friends.But for …
Small, square-shaped white flash cards with Japanese kanji written on them. Each card has one character written on it with a different colored pen. They are scattered all over a desk.

The Most Useful Kanji for Tourists Traveling in Japan

October 9, 2017 • Kanna Livingston • 2 Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
Visiting Japan and don’t have time to learn 2,000 kanji? That’s the number of kanji that are commonly …
A young Asian male and female taking a selfie with a smartphone in front of the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, Japan.

9 Cultural Mistakes Foreigners Make in Japan and What To Do Instead

October 4, 2017 • Kanna Livingston • 1 Comment • Living in Japan
Let’s face it – if you’re new to Japan, you’re probably gonna make a few cultural mistakes. And …
Three young, Asian women are sitting down at a table eating food and laughing.

20 Cool Japanese Slang Words Being Used Right Now

October 3, 2017 • Kanna Livingston • No Comments • Useful Japanese Lessons
When you’re learning to speak Japanese, it can sometimes feel like you’re learning more than just one language.  …
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