Collecting Every Yamanote Line EkiTag with a 1-Day Pass

Plans rarely go as expected when you are a serial collector of things (I blame my early exposure to Pokemon), but sometimes a

Japan Airlines Sky Museum and Hangar Tour

If you have been following my travels on Jamaipanese.com, you know I am a HUGE fan of Japan Airlines. Ever since my very first

Tokyo Metro Museum walkthrough and Ekitag

The first “subway” in Japan was a 2.2 km line between Ueno and Asakusa, two areas associated with working-class tr

Tokyo Game Show 2026 Highlights

Tokyo Game Show 2026 has officially wrapped up! I love TGS. It is loud, massive, hands-on, and totally unapologetic about bein

I watched the Sekiro No Defeat anime at the Theatre

I am a huge fan of the Sekiro Shadows Die Twice video game, if you could tell by the 100-plus hours on multiple playthroughs a

Saying Goodbye to the Unicorn Gundam in Odaiba

On its last day of being exhibited, I visited an absolute titan of Tokyo pop culture: the life-sized RX-0 Unicorn Gundam statu

Exploring Tokyo: Nezu Shrine

Summer is in full swing, but a recent typhoon brought the temperatures down enough for me to go frolicking in Tokyo. I went to

10 video games to get to know me

Whether I’m grinding away in an MMORPG for hours on end, getting utterly lost in a retro nostalgia trip, or tackling a bruta

Yasukuni Shrine Goshuin x 2 – Summer Special Edition

My Goshuin (shrine stamp) collection officially has a new addition! During a recent trip to the Chiyoda area of Tokyo, I visit

The Mandalorian and Grogu

The Mandalorian and Grogu movie is the latest addition to the Star Wars franchise, and much like my experience with recent reb

Playing Super Metroid Again After Two Decades

Super Metroid is an action-adventure masterpiece that originally debuted on the Super Nintendo back in 1994. I first experienc

EkiTag: Gamify Your Japan Rail Travels with Digital Stamps

Japan has a deeply rooted culture of collecting. Whether it’s limited-edition anime merchandise or traditional shrine stamps

Gundam Plastic Models and My Gunpla Kits

Since its debut in 1980, the world of Gunpla (Gundam Plastic Model) has undergone an incredible evolution. What started as sim

Pragmata: A Lone Wolf and Cub Story in Deep Space

Capcom has finally released the sci-fi action game Pragmata, and after spending significant time in its hauntingly beautiful w

Saturday Reading: Tadoku Book Club in Shinjuku

While living here in Tokyo, I’m always on the hunt for local spots that make practicing Japanese feel less like a chore and

Mission Start: Tackling the JLPT N3 this Summer

My relationship with Japanese study has been a bit of a rollercoaster. I’ve recently been posting a weirdly named vlog s

Pikmin Terrarium Collection

If you’ve been following my journey here on Jamaipanese.com, you know that I went from a Pikmin newbie to a full-blown f

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection

My 1st game in the MH Stories series. I am a not-so-casual mainline Monster Hunter fan. I tried MH Stories 1 and 2, but the ch

Studying Japanese with Games: MH Stories 3 Cutscene Breakdown

Recently I have been trying to start studying Japanese with video games again. Some would say I lack discipline, but I find st

20 Years of Blogging at Jamaipanese.com

When I started this blog in February 2006, it was intended to be an online journal where I keep track of my Japanese studies a

2025 Year in Review

2025 has come and gone, and what a year it was. Writing my 2025 Year in Review is a bit difficult (and late) this time around,

Kanji Starter – Kanji Pictographs Book

Kanji Starter by Daiki Kasuya had been sitting in my Amazon wishlist for years. Seeing it pop up on social media and most rece

I sort of met Goku

Goku; the hero of planet earth, originally sent from Planet Vegeta to conquer us, but now the greatest warrior in the universe

Japanese Folktales for Language Learners

The never-ending quest to improve my Japanese continues. After plateauing again because much of my brain power was focused on