Appetite For Japan

Whilst this blog is largely dedicated to aspects of Japan that you’ll find in Japan itself, this time I’m going to write about a slice of Japan that took place in none other than Sydney, Australia this week. As mentioned in previous posts, travel company Contiki recently produced a show inspired by Japan’s famous Robot Restaurant. The pop-up experience, Robots Unrivalled, was to celebrate Contiki’s new 13 day tour, Japan Unrivalled.

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February 23, 2015June 24, 2015 appetiteforjapan

Japan Unrivalled for Less: how to do Contiki’s new tour without the price tag

Contiki recently released their latest tour package – a 13 day tour of Japan called Japan Unrivalled. To promote the

Food theme parks Food theme parks Museums and exhibitions Outside of Tokyo Theme cafes, restaurants and bars Theme dining Theme parks Weird Japan

February 21, 2015June 12, 2016 appetiteforjapan

Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum: not your average themed restaurant

A couple of years ago I read about a ramen museum in Yokohama and added it to my 2013 Japan itinerary. We ran out of time, so put it on our itinerary again in 2014. This time we actually made it! Officially it is called Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum, but is also referred to as the Yokohama Ramen Museum. I loved the idea that a country could be so fond of one of its dishes that it would dedicate a whole museum to it. I’d heard that it was really great, and I had images in my mind of a big museum all about ramen, with some food tasting at the end. This sounded like something a little different, I was pretty excited.

Theme parks Tokyo Disney Dining Tokyo Disney Resort

February 14, 2015June 12, 2016 appetiteforjapan

11 Amazing Popcorn Flavors: the official Appetite for Japan TDR popcorn guide

I’ve been to Tokyo Disneyland and Disneysea a number of times, and every visit involves a lot of eating. One of the best snacks you’ll find at Tokyo Disney Resort (TDR) is the popcorn which comes in many, many flavors. I’ve tried at least 11 different flavours (possibly more – I wasn’t counting when I first began), so I’ve put together a list of these 11 popcorn flavours, along with my ratings, with five stars being the highest rating.

Contiki tour Japan Unrivalled includes Asakusa

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February 7, 2015June 12, 2016 appetiteforjapan

DIY Travel: five reasons why you should plan your own adventure

With all the publicity that Contiki has raised with their stunt, Robots Unrivalled* (bringing out scaled-down Robot Restaurant show for two nights in Sydney, Australia) for their new Japan tour package, Japan Unrivalled, I’ve been thinking about the pros and cons of tour groups vs planning your own trip.

Anime and gaming shopping Anime and gaming theme cafes Cafes Final Fantasy Museums and exhibitions Other anime and gaming Popular Culture Shopping Theme cafes, restaurants and bars Theme dining Theme parks and exhibitions

January 31, 2015June 12, 2016 appetiteforjapan

Artnia: the egg-shaped Square Enix store and cafe

Located in an egg shaped building in Shinjuku, Artnia is both a cafe and Square Enix merchandise store. For those who are not familiar with Square Enix, this is the company responsible for Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and other games. Restaurants, bars and cafes associated with games (as well as anime) are amongst the things that Japan does best, and Artnia is no exception.

Bars Theme cafes, restaurants and bars Theme dining Weird Japan

January 24, 2015June 12, 2016 appetiteforjapan

Planetarium Bar Tokyo: Japan’s darkest bar

Planetarium Bar (プラネタリウム BAR) is one of a number of venues that comes up on those lists of “Top 10 Weird Themed Bars in Japan” and “Top 5 Crazy Cafes in Tokyo”, but not many people seem to have actually visited this one. When I read about such venues on these types of lists and then I visit the bar/restaurant/cafe for myself, I’m often surprised at how different the place is to what I was expecting. Well, Planetarium Bar was certainly no exception to this rule!

Featured Places of interest Theme cafes, restaurants and bars Theme dining Weird Japan

January 17, 2015June 12, 2016 appetiteforjapan

Shinjuku Robot Restaurant: Japan’s craziest venue

Shinjuku Robot Restaurant. Where do I even begin? It is easily the most over-the-top, outrageous show I have ever been to.

Fast food Halloween

January 10, 2015June 12, 2016 appetiteforjapan

Kuro Burger: Burger King’s limited addition black burger

One of the highlights of travelling to Japan around Halloween is that the food gets even more interesting. I’m not sure whether Burger King’s KURO burger was specifically for Halloween, but it was available from 19 September 2014 until early November. At the same time, McDonalds had its own black burger which was discontinued on 1 November (the day following Halloween – I learnt this the hard way and missed out!). So whether they were released to coincide with Halloween or not, I think the burgers certainly have a bit of a Halloween flavour (see what I did there?).