Day by Day Japan plans a first trip to Japan the way a friend who lives here would: one day at a time, with the trains and the prices written down.

Each route is a real day or weekend: where to go first, how long the walk or the train takes, what the ticket costs and where to eat on the way. Prices come from the operator's or the place's own published fares and carry the date they were checked; where we have not checked a price, the route says so instead of guessing. If it rains, the route has a plan B.

Around the routes sits the week in Japan. Every few hours the site reads the Japanese city and food press and the English-language desks in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Fukuoka, and puts the places they name on one map. Headlines stay in the language they were written in, every story links to its source, and we quote no more than a line.

The routes and notes are written by one editor under a pen name, Sora Nakamura, drafted with AI assistance from checked material and read before they go out. Day by Day Japan is independent: no advertisers, no affiliate links, no bookings.

← Day by Day Japan Archive

Unseen JapanTokyo

Shake (鮭) vs. Salmon (サーモン): How Norwegian Salmon Became a Sushi Staple in Japan

September 23

Curious why there are two names for salmon in Japanese? There's an interesting historical (and scientific!) reason behind that.

Sushi & seafood Food conveyor belt sushi food food safety

Read at Unseen Japan ↗

One letter a week, in your inbox.

Latest

Shake (鮭) vs. Salmon (サーモン): How Norwegian Salmon Became a Sushi Staple in Japan

Related

Tokyo建築デザイナー・関祐介に聞く「全国また行きたい酒場」 BRUTUS

Eat【ルッコラの苦味がアクセント】甘く香ばしいコーンバターとベーコンのちらし寿司は、クラフトビールが進む旨さ dancyu

Official高知「ひろめ市場」のおすすめグルメ16選！鰻祭ややいろ亭などを紹介＜2026＞ Jalan Net News

Official和歌山ラーメンならココ！絶対に食べたいおすすめ4店を厳選＜2026＞ Jalan Net News

GoHamarikyu Gardens: Tokyo’s Historic Garden Near Tsukiji Outer Market JW Web Magazine

GoTsukiji Outer Market: Tokyo’s Historic Fish Market JW Web Magazine