As a photographer myself I am fascinated by very old photographs especially at the dawn of photography. I surfed into a goldmine of photos recently that combined my love of...

This year the Golden Week in Japan was a 10 day stretch of holidays due to the New emperor ascending to the throne and the change of eras from Heisei to Reiwa. For 3 of those days...

In Episode 19 of the Bon Bon Show, recorded February 1, 2026, Aaron and Kirk prove that picture books aren't just for children! We dive deep into the world of Japanese Train (Densha) Books and explore why these colorful pages are actually a goldmine for adult Japanese language learners and travel enthusiasts alike. If you are studying Japanese, planning a trip to Japan, or just love trains (Densha Otaku), this episode is for you.

The Gundam franchise has many different series. The one most dearest to my geeky heart is Gundam Wing – mainly because it was the one from my childhood. My friends and I all had...

I have been hopelessly addicted to playing Metroid Dread over the past 2 weeks and wanted to share my thoughts on this game on the Nintendo Switch by developers Mercury Steam. I...

It’s a beautiful spring day and I was excited to take the Fujifilm Instax SQ6 out for a spin to take some landscape test shots as promised in my unboxing video and blog post. I...

A Japanese government report shows that the number of suicides by students through high school hit an all-time high last year.

Anime Nation continues to grow from strength to strength. Now in its fifth year the annual anime and Japanese cultural expo did not disappoint for 2014. The new venue at the New...

Fukuoka Japan is home to Nanzoin a large Buddhist temple complex with a rich history. The highlight of Nanzoin is the reclining buddha but there are other various points of...

ジミー・クリフには30枚以上のアルバムがあるが、その人気が爆発したのは1972年発表のジャマイカ映画『ハーダー・ゼイ・カム』がきっかけだった。

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, but I am determined to get it done. My plan for 2025, according to my 2024 review, was: "I just want to shine my brightest and do my best in all my endeavors." I do believe I managed to do just that, so I am happy.

The Gundam Wing Leo is an iconic mobile suit from the Gundam Wing series. It is a mass-produced machine based on the more capable Tallgeese with various configurations making it...

Living While Black, in Japan has its own challenges, but they don’t include fearing for your life. That’s how I would write a one-sentence synopsis of a recent NPR documentary...

What are EkiTags, how do you collect them? Why are they cool? That and more will be covered in episode 18 of the Bon Bon Show.

The year is 2010, I am living paycheck to paycheck and I didn’t realize yet that I was stuck in a cycle that would not change. I was really passionate about all things “Japan” and...

Capsule hotels in Japan are awesome. They are a kind of overnight accommodation that feature rows of sleeping capsules stacked on each other. The fantastic thing about capsule...

Recently, I collected two Goshuin (shrine stamps) at Hiroshima Gokoku Shrine on the grounds of Hiroshima Castle the morning of my graduation from Hiroshima University to mark the...

When is a Jamaican not Jamaican? When he’s Jamaipanese. Actually, the young man in question is Kirk Brown. He’s a blogger with a difference. The only Jamaipanese man I know was waiting …

Japan is legendary when it comes to the probability of a lost item being returned. Lost and Found in Japan is its own subgenre at this point. Recently I had my second (but still...

The dreaded day I feared has arrived. I was stopped, searched, probed and embarrassed in a crowded Shibuya 50 metres from the Hachiko statue with what felt like thousands of pairs...

Let me start off by saying The Ghost on the Tokaido Inn is an awesome book. The experience reading it is everything and more than when I first acquired it, blogged about it and...