Verhalen & lijsten

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Reisverhalen, samengestelde lijsten en eerlijke kijk op Japan — van iemand die steeds terug blijft gaan.

Dagtrips vanuit Osaka: 8 uitstapjes (waarvan 3 die niemand noemt)
Lijst

Dagtrips vanuit Osaka: 8 uitstapjes (waarvan 3 die niemand noemt)

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 lezen
De beste dagtrips vanuit Tokio: de keuzegids
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De beste dagtrips vanuit Tokio: de keuzegids

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

11 min lezen
Beste sushi in Tokio: van kaitenzushi voor een habbekrats tot de toonbanken van Ginza
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Beste sushi in Tokio: van kaitenzushi voor een habbekrats tot de toonbanken van Ginza

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

4 min lezen
Lopende band sushi in Japan: de complete beginnersgids voor kaitenzushi
Ervaring

Lopende band sushi in Japan: de complete beginnersgids voor kaitenzushi

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

4 min lezen
Gion Matsuri: Kyoto's maandlange zomerfestival
Ervaring

Gion Matsuri: Kyoto's maandlange zomerfestival

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.

6 min lezen
Koyasan, Japan: hoe een nacht in een boeddhistische tempel echt is
Ervaring

Koyasan, Japan: hoe een nacht in een boeddhistische tempel echt is

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 lezen
Tokyo sushi omakase — chef plating nigiri at a counter, single piece on a wooden board
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Beste 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.

9 min lezen
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.

9 min lezen
Osaka food guide — Dotonbori neon, takoyaki griddle, kushikatsu skewers, Kuromon market
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Waar eten 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.

8 min lezen
Kyoto Michelin restaurants — kaiseki tatami room with seasonal courses, garden view
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Michelin-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.

9 min lezen
Tokyo Michelin restaurants — sushi counter, kaiseki tatami, French open kitchen, yakitori grill
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Michelin-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 lezen
Tokyo yakitori — chicken skewers over charcoal, counter omakase
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De beste yakitori van 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 lezen
Tokyo izakaya — counter drinks, sashimi platter, yakitori smoke, yokocho alley
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De beste izakaya van Tokio

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

8 min lezen
Kyoto kaiseki — Hyotei, Kikunoi, Kitcho Arashiyama tatami room with seasonal dishes
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De beste kaiseki van 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 lezen
Five cheap Japanese chain restaurants — gyudon, udon, conveyor sushi, Italian
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De 5 goedkoopste restaurantketens in Japan

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

8 min lezen
Tokyo ramen — tsukemen, shio, tantanmen across six neighbourhoods
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De beste ramen van Tokio

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

9 min lezen
Tokyo sushi — counter, omakase, fresh fish
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De beste 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.

5 min lezen
Kyoto food — kaiseki, yudofu, machiya
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Waar eten in Kyoto

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

5 min lezen
Tokyo food — ramen counter, yakitori smoke, sushi conveyor
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Waar eten in Tokio

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

8 min lezen
Bowl of Fuji Ramen Masterpiece tonkotsu — pale silky broth, shredded cabbage, chashu, marinated egg, nori
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De beste ramen van 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 lezen
Mountain mist over a traditional Japanese village
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10 verborgen-parel bestemmingen in Japan die de omweg waard zijn

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

2 min lezen
Forest temple steps surrounded by autumn maple foliage in red and gold
Ervaring

Herfst in Kansai: drie dagen, één zonsopkomst, tweeënveertig esdoorns

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 lezen
Cherry blossoms over a traditional Japanese garden
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Waar heen in Japan in 2026: een uitgesproken lijst

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

2 min lezen
Illuminated Tokyo Skytree above Asakusa rooftops
Ervaring

Een jaar Japan: wat ik leerde in 12 maanden reizen

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

3 min lezen