This week we went on a bike ride to Himi in Toyama Prefecture with some of Zeb’s cycling teammates, and stopped mid-ride for giant choux cream puffs! We also talk about why Kanazawa is the “Ice Cream Capital of Japan”, and Annie finished her ice cream bike route with 12 different stops. Plus, did you know that the Toshogu Shrine in Nikko recently released a new Gundam model, themed after Tokugawa Ieyasu’s armor?

Annie’s Full Ice Cream Bike Route: https://youtu.be/aYVjxeBvhFE?si=bC8KvIySJduPLzM9

Kanazawa as Japan’s Ice Cream Capital: https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13059206

Japanese Ice Cream Association: https://www.icecream.or.jp/

New Tokugawa Ieyasu Gundam: https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15326358

Listen to the end of every episode to hear our Japanese "words-of-the-week," and head to @ramblingramsbothams on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes photos.

Have a question or idea? Send us an email at ramblingramsbothams@gmail.com, or visit our website: https://www.ramblingramsbothams.com/

This week we talk about the holiday Tanabata, a new rule from Yamagata Prefecture about laughing once a day, and ice cream flavors. Would you try miso and cheese ice cream? What about mountain vegetable ice cream? Plus, how do you get rid of trash and recycling when living in Japan?

The “laughing once a day ordinance”: https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15336010

Listen to the end of every episode to hear our Japanese "words-of-the-week," and head to @ramblingramsbothams on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes photos.

Have a question or idea? Send us an email at ramblingramsbothams@gmail.com, or visit our website: https://www.ramblingramsbothams.com/

This week, Japan is releasing the newly designed bank note bills! What’s printed on the new yen bills, and how does this affect vending machines? We also talk about visiting the new Disney Sea park area (and how to get into Fantasy Springs), and our experience with annual health checks in Japan. How are the tests different than checkups in the US?

New banknotes: https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14899860
More about Disney's Fantasy Springs: https://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/topics/info/fantasysprings.html

Listen to the end of every episode to hear our Japanese "words-of-the-week," and head to @ramblingramsbothams on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes photos.

Have a question or idea? Send us an email at ramblingramsbothams@gmail.com, or visit our website: https://www.ramblingramsbothams.com/

Did you know the first convenience store came to Japan 50 years ago in 1974? This week we’re talking about how the conbini arrived in Japan, the first item that was sold, and how it changed the way you can get cash, pay bills, and enjoy snacks.

We’re also talking about the differences between the words “popular” and “famous” in Japanese and English, residence tax in Japan, and how Himeji Castle might be quadrupling their ticket prices…but only for foreigners?

More about the 50th anniversary of 7/11 in Japan:

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15269912

More about Himeji Castle Ticket Prices:

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15309703

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/foreign-tourists-could-be-charged-6-times-more-than-locals-to-enter-japan-s-famed-himeji-castle

Listen to the end of every episode to hear our Japanese "words-of-the-week," and head to @ramblingramsbothams on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes photos.

Have a question or idea? Send us an email at ramblingramsbothams@gmail.com, or visit our website: https://www.ramblingramsbothams.com/

This week we talk about how Zeb’s longest bike ride yet took him from the Sea of Japan across to the Pacific Ocean! He rode 500km (314 miles) to the tip of the Kii Peninsula in Wakayama Prefecture in one day. What would he change about the cycling route next time? What did he eat to fuel a 20 hour bike adventure? What were his biggest takeaways from the ride?

During our weekend in Kushimoto, Wakayama, we also got to see Honshu’s southernmost point, Japan’s tallest waterfall, and the shortest river. While in the area we saw the third of the Kumano Kodo main shrines, Nachi Taisha. Annie also rode her bike in Fukui Prefecture near the Tojinbo Cliffs and on the scenic shrine island of Oshima.

Listen to the end of every episode to hear our Japanese "words-of-the-week," and head to @ramblingramsbothams on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes photos.

Have a question or idea? Send us an email at ramblingramsbothams@gmail.com, or visit our website: https://www.ramblingramsbothams.com/

The weather has been so nice recently that we decided to record this week from our neighborhood park - hopefully you can enjoy some of the ambiance of suburban Japan along with us! This week we’re talking about Zeb’s 500km single day bike ride plan, Annie’s scenic hydrangea temple route, visiting a moss village, and getting to chat with Zeb’s JET Program replacement.

Listen to the end of every episode to hear our Japanese "words-of-the-week," and head to @ramblingramsbothams on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes photos.

Have a question or idea? Send us an email at ramblingramsbothams@gmail.com, or visit our website: https://www.ramblingramsbothams.com/

It’s an exciting time for incoming JETs, since they’re starting to learn their placements in the program! This week we talk about trash balloons making news headlines, the Kunrei vs. Hepburn debate for romanizing Japanese writing, kaga yuzen fabric dying method, and what we wish we knew about the JET Program before arriving in Japan.

Listen to the end of every episode to hear our Japanese "words-of-the-week," and head to @ramblingramsbothams on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes photos.

Have a question or idea? Send us an email at ramblingramsbothams@gmail.com, or visit our website: https://www.ramblingramsbothams.com/

This week Annie's cousin visited Japan and we spent a weekend in Tokyo together! We recorded some throughout our trip, and have more of a "field trip style" episode this week. Join us as we visit the stairs from the "Your Name" anime movie, see a college friend's hometown, ride in a rickshaw, go thrift shopping, enjoy a few museums around Tokyo, and see the Tokyo Coffee Festival.

Listen to the end of every episode to hear our Japanese "words-of-the-week," and head to @ramblingramsbothams on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes photos.

Have a question or idea? Send us an email at ramblingramsbothams@gmail.com, or visit our website: https://www.ramblingramsbothams.com/