It snowed last night in Tokyo!

It doesn’t snow very much in downtown Tokyo, but it did last night!

Gallbladder Surgery at a Japanese Hospital

Last month, I was hospitalized for the second time in Japan, this time for gallbladder surgery. Just like before, I was very happy with my care, and I’ve been meaning to write about my experience. Also like before, I understood Japanese, and so most of the hospital experience was in Japanese unless my friends were visiting, which means that I can’t comment on the English side of things. In this piece, I will:

• explain when the gallstone problem started
• describe the surgery and aftereffects
• reveal what it cost on Japanese national health insurance
• share my thoughts as a whole

6 Delightful Pancake Shops In & Around Tokyo

Tokyo has so many good pancakes!

Not just IHOP-style breakfast pancakes with butter, but extravagant, BIG dessert pancakes with fruit, and sometimes ice cream. They’re not so much for breakfast as for snack and dessert (and even dinner!), and they go for around 1000-1500 yen.

I’ve collected these places over the last two years I’ve been in Tokyo, and I’m hoping this can be a go-to list for people visiting Tokyo, who want to try something new and different but don’t know what. For people living here, you might get some fresh ideas!

Take note that some of these shops have more than one location.