Geschichten & Listen

Blog

Reisegeschichten, kuratierte Listen und ehrliche Einblicke in Japan, von jemandem, der immer wieder zurückkehrt.

Pizza at Pizza Studio Tamaki (PST Higashi-Azabu), Tokyo
Liste

Die beste Pizza in Tokio: 11 Adressen von Weltklasse

Tokyo holds the top two spots in 50 Top Pizza Asia-Pacific. The best pizza in Tokyo, from a 400 yen slice to an eight-course Neapolitan counter.

8 Min. Lesezeit
Kyoto in 2 Tagen: eine Route, die die Reisebusse schlägt
Reiseroute

Kyoto in 2 Tagen: eine Route, die die Reisebusse schlägt

A 2 day Kyoto itinerary timed around the crowds: Fushimi Inari at dawn, bamboo before 8am, Gion at lantern hour. With budgets and quiet swaps.

2 Min. Lesezeit
Tokio in 3 Tagen: eine Route, die den Massen voraus ist
Reiseroute

Tokio in 3 Tagen: eine Route, die den Massen voraus ist

A 3 day Tokyo itinerary sequenced around the crowds: Senso-ji at dawn, Meiji Jingu at opening, Skytree at dusk. With budgets, tips and quiet swaps.

2 Min. Lesezeit
Museums in Tokyo, from the national collection to digital art
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Die besten Museen in Tokio

The best museums in Tokyo, with the Monday closures and timed tickets that wreck itineraries. From the national collection to a free cabinet of curiositie

9 Min. Lesezeit
Beaches in Okinawa, from the main island to the outer islands
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Die schönsten Strände Okinawas

The best beaches in Okinawa, sorted by whether you can drive, need a ferry or need a second flight. With swimming seasons and the jellyfish-net dates.

8 Min. Lesezeit
Eating around Shinjuku Station, Tokyo
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Die besten Restaurants in Shinjuku

The best restaurants in Shinjuku, sorted by district and station exit. A 990 yen Michelin lunch, Omoide Yokocho eel and a depachika dinner.

9 Min. Lesezeit
Eating in Shibuya, Tokyo, from standing counters to a one-star kitchen
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Die besten Restaurants in Shibuya

The best restaurants in Shibuya, laddered by price from a sub-1,000 yen counter to a one-star kitchen. Where to eat instead of the chains by the crossing.

11 Min. Lesezeit
Wagyu beef in Tokyo, from yakiniku charcoal to teppanyaki
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Bestes Wagyu in Tokio: welches Format du buchst, und wo

The best wagyu in Tokyo starts with the format, not the restaurant. Yakiniku, teppanyaki, sukiyaki and steak compared, with 11 rooms from 790 yen upward.

9 Min. Lesezeit
Beaches in Japan, from Iwate coves to subtropical sand
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Die 11 schönsten Strände Japans

The best beaches in Japan run from Iwate to the subtropics. Eleven picks, and the eight-week swimming season that governs every one of them.

8 Min. Lesezeit
Tokyo coffee, from Showa-era kissaten to third-wave roasters
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Die besten Kaffeehäuser und Cafés in Tokio

The best coffee in Tokyo runs on two cultures: Showa-era kissaten and third-wave roasters. Eleven picks, their unwritten rules and what a cup costs.

9 Min. Lesezeit
Tokyo bar counters, from Ginza cocktails to a Golden Gai stool
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Die besten Bars in Tokio

The best bars in Tokyo, from world-ranked cocktail counters to a 490 yen standing sake bar. Plus the seat charges and booking rules nobody warns you about.

8 Min. Lesezeit
Japanese souvenirs worth the suitcase space
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Die besten Souvenirs aus Japan

The best souvenirs from Japan and the shops that sell them properly. Knives, matcha, stationery and sake, plus the tax-free rules changing in 2026.

14 Min. Lesezeit
Tokio im Oktober: was dich erwartet und warum es sich lohnt
Erfahrung

Tokio im Oktober: was dich erwartet und warum es sich lohnt

Tokio im Oktober: 17–25°C, wenig Andrang, das Kawagoe-Fest und frühes Herbstlaub in den Parks. Was du bekommst, was du verpasst, wie du planst.

8 Min. Lesezeit
Tagesausflüge ab Osaka: 8 Ziele (davon 3, die sonst niemand nennt)
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Tagesausflüge ab Osaka: 8 Ziele (davon 3, die sonst niemand nennt)

Kyoto, Nara and Himeji plus five quieter picks: a mountain with 30,000 cherry trees, Japan's best Edo merchant quarter, and a UNESCO cedar-stair shrine.

9 Min. Lesezeit
Die besten Tagesausflüge ab Tokio: der Entscheidungsguide
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Die besten Tagesausflüge ab Tokio: der Entscheidungsguide

Nikko, Kamakura and Hakone, each paired with a crowd-free alternative that scratches the same itch. Choose in thirty seconds, not thirty minutes.

10 Min. Lesezeit
Bestes Sushi in Tokio: wo du isst, von günstigen Kaitenzushi-Bändern bis zu Theken in Ginza
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Bestes Sushi in Tokio: wo du isst, von günstigen Kaitenzushi-Bändern bis zu Theken in Ginza

From Uobei's tablet-order conveyor belt and Katsu Midori to Toyosu market counters and an approachable Ginza classic. Ten picks, cheapest first.

3 Min. Lesezeit
Running Sushi in Japan: dein Guide für Kaitenzushi-Einsteiger
Erfahrung

Running Sushi in Japan: dein Guide für Kaitenzushi-Einsteiger

How kaitenzushi works: touch-screen ordering, plate-colour prices, and where to find the best conveyor belt sushi spots in Tokyo.

4 Min. Lesezeit
Gion Matsuri: Kyotos monatelanges Sommerfest
Erfahrung

Gion Matsuri: Kyotos monatelanges Sommerfest

Kyoto's oldest festival runs all of July, not just the 17th parade. The lantern-lit yoiyama evenings are quieter and often the better reason to come.

5 Min. Lesezeit
Koyasan, Japan: Wie sich eine Nacht in einem buddhistischen Tempel wirklich anfühlt
Erfahrung

Koyasan, Japan: Wie sich eine Nacht in einem buddhistischen Tempel wirklich anfühlt

What a shukubo stay at 800m actually involves: a 6am goma fire ceremony, shojin ryori dinner, and Okunoin cemetery after the day-trip crowds have gone.

9 Min. Lesezeit
Tokyo sushi omakase — chef plating nigiri at a counter, single piece on a wooden board
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Bestes Sushi-Omakase in Tokio

Six omakase counters from a ¥6,000 lunch to Ginza's top tables. What omakase means, how booking works, and which counters are actually gettable.

8 Min. Lesezeit
Tokyo street food — Tsukiji morning market, Ameyoko alley at dusk, depachika basement
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Tokio Street Food

Tsukiji at 07:00, Asakusa midday, Ameyoko at dusk, plus depachika basement halls. Six walks from famous to locals-only, with cash and timing notes.

8 Min. Lesezeit
Osaka food guide — Dotonbori neon, takoyaki griddle, kushikatsu skewers, Kuromon market
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Wo essen in Osaka

Takoyaki at Aizuya, okonomiyaki at Mizuno, kushikatsu at Daruma Shinsekai, Kuromon Market at dawn, and kappo counter-kaiseki, mostly at half Tokyo prices.

7 Min. Lesezeit
Kyoto Michelin restaurants — kaiseki tatami room with seasonal courses, garden view
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Michelin-Sterne-Restaurants in Kyoto

Kyoto's 2025 guide lists 93 starred restaurants, dominated by kaiseki. Seven picks across three tiers, from 3-star Hyotei to a 1-star Gion sushi counter.

8 Min. Lesezeit
Tokyo Michelin restaurants — sushi counter, kaiseki tatami, French open kitchen, yakitori grill
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Michelin-Sterne-Restaurants in Tokio

Tokyo leads the world with 170 starred restaurants. Eight picks across 3-star, 2-star and 1-star tiers, plus Bib Gourmand under ¥6,000 and how to book.

10 Min. Lesezeit
Tokyo yakitori — chicken skewers over charcoal, counter omakase
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Das beste Yakitori in Tokio

From Torikizoku's ¥328 skewers to the Michelin counters at Birdland Ginza and Torishiki Meguro. Tare vs shio, chicken-part vocabulary and how to order.

7 Min. Lesezeit
Tokyo izakaya — counter drinks, sashimi platter, yakitori smoke, yokocho alley
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Die besten Izakaya in Tokio

Where Tokyo actually drinks after work: four izakaya worth the trip, plus how to walk Omoide Yokocho, Golden Gai and Ebisu Yokocho.

7 Min. Lesezeit
Kyoto kaiseki — Hyotei, Kikunoi, Kitcho Arashiyama tatami room with seasonal dishes
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Das beste Kaiseki in Kyoto

Hyotei, Kikunoi, Kitcho and two more Michelin-starred kaiseki rooms, plus the lunch trick that cuts the price by 40 to 60 percent.

7 Min. Lesezeit
Five cheap Japanese chain restaurants — gyudon, udon, conveyor sushi, Italian
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Die 5 günstigsten Restaurant-Ketten in Japan

Matsuya breakfast, Yoshinoya gyudon, Marugame udon, Kura Sushi conveyor and the Saizeriya wildcard. Plus a plain guide to surviving the ticket machine.

7 Min. Lesezeit
Tokyo ramen — tsukemen, shio, tantanmen across six neighbourhoods
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Bestes Ramen in Tokio

Six Tokyo ramen counters eaten over three days: Fuunji's tsukemen, Nakiryu's Michelin tantanmen, and an honest Ichiran vs Ippudo answer.

8 Min. Lesezeit
Tokyo sushi — counter, omakase, fresh fish
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Bestes Sushi in Tokio

Six picks across three tiers: ¥90-per-piece standing bars near Tsukiji, an Akasaka omakase counter, and the three-Michelin room you can't easily book.

4 Min. Lesezeit
Kyoto food — kaiseki, yudofu, machiya
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Wo essen in Kyoto

Kikunoi kaiseki, Tousuiro yudofu, Pontocho obanzai, Nishiki Market at opening. Lunch at a kaiseki house costs half the dinner price.

5 Min. Lesezeit
Tokyo food — ramen counter, yakitori smoke, sushi conveyor
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Wo essen in Tokio

Eight cuisines, four chains, five neighbourhoods. From Fuunji tsukemen to depachika bento marked down at 19:30, with queues mapped.

8 Min. Lesezeit
Bowl of Fuji Ramen Masterpiece tonkotsu — pale silky broth, shredded cabbage, chashu, marinated egg, nori
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Die besten Ramen in Asakusa

Five minutes off Nakamise-dori, past the tourist tempura: Fuji Ramen, Yoroiya, Yukikage, Hayashida and Bibi, with what to order at each.

5 Min. Lesezeit
Mountain mist over a traditional Japanese village
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10 versteckte Perlen in Japan, die den Umweg wert sind

Takayama sake breweries, Onomichi's cat-filled temple walk, Kanazawa's geisha districts: ten places past the standard Tokyo-Kyoto loop.

2 Min. Lesezeit
Forest temple steps surrounded by autumn maple foliage in red and gold
Erfahrung

Herbst in Kansai: drei Tage, ein Sonnenaufgang, zweiundvierzig Ahornbäume

Three days chasing maple peak through Kyoto and Nara, plus the lesson that the official koyo forecast runs 48-72 hours behind reality every single year.

3 Min. Lesezeit
Cherry blossoms over a traditional Japanese garden
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Wohin in Japan im Jahr 2026: eine entschiedene Liste

Five places noticeably better than three years ago, including Kanazawa after the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension, and three now worth deliberately skipping.

2 Min. Lesezeit
Illuminated Tokyo Skytree above Asakusa rooftops
Erfahrung

Ein Jahr Japan: was ich in 12 Monaten Reisen lernte

Three trips across March, August and November: why Kyoto in cherry blossom season disappointed, and what to book differently next time.

3 Min. Lesezeit