Today I learned #001
How to Read a Japanese Sake Label in 30 Seconds
Four numbers and one grade word are all you need to decode a Japanese sake bottle on the shop floor. A field-notes guide from one editor in Tokyo.
#drinks#sake
◇ Field notes · Vol. 001
Stuff about Japan you didn't know.
Things that should already be databases but somehow aren't. Daily field notes from one editor in Tokyo.
- Today How to Read a Japanese Sake Label in 30 Seconds
- Yesterday Sake Serving Temperatures, Explained (and Why Hot Isn't Just for Bad Sake)
- Two days ago Japanese Sake Just Made the UNESCO List. Here's Why It Matters.
- TILs
- 66
- Micro-seasons
- 24
- Database entries
- 100+
By one editor in Tokyo. Updated weekly.
No "top 10" lists. No SEO farm. One editor in Tokyo, writing what gets ignored.
◇ Latest field notes
Today I learned #002
Sake Serving Temperatures, Explained (and Why Hot Isn't Just for Bad Sake)
Japan has ten named serving temperatures for sake, each with its own character. Here's the spectrum from yuki-bie to tobikiri-kan — and why hot sake is not a cover-up.
#drinks#sake
Today I learned #003
Japanese Sake Just Made the UNESCO List. Here's Why It Matters.
On 4 December 2024, UNESCO inscribed traditional sake-making with koji mold on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list. What that actually changes for travelers and brewers.
#drinks#sake
Today I learned #004
What Is a Japanese Snack Bar (Sunakku)? A Foreigner's Etiquette Guide to Japan's Most Misunderstood Drinking Room
Field-notes on Japan's snack bars (sunakku) — what the ¥3,000 cover actually buys you, how to read the door before walking in, and the unwritten rules that keep the mama on your side.
#tokyo#nightlife
Today I learned #005
Tokyo Last Train Survival Guide: When It Leaves, and the 4 Real Options When You Miss It (2026)
Tokyo's last train leaves earlier than visitors expect — usually 0:00–1:00. Field-notes on actual cut-off times, plus the 4 honest options (manga kissa, karaoke, taxi, capsule hotel) with 2026 prices.
#tokyo#nightlife
Today I learned #006
Omoide Yokocho vs Golden Gai: Which Shinjuku Alley Should You Pick?
Two famous Shinjuku alleys, two completely different nights. Field-notes comparing Omoide Yokocho (Piss Alley) and Golden Gai on price, vibe, food vs drinks, and which fits your trip.
#tokyo#nightlife
Today I learned #007
Tokyo Tachinomi: 7 Standing Bars Locals Actually Drink At (Not the Tourist Ones)
Field-notes on Tokyo's tachinomi (standing bars) — what they cost, how the no-chair rule works, and 7 neighborhood spots where ¥1,500 buys you a real local night without an English menu.
#tokyo#nightlife
Today I learned #008
What a real tea ceremony looks like in Kyoto — 45 minutes on Ninenzaka
Most 'tea ceremony' listings in Kyoto are kimono shops with a 10-minute matcha bolted on. Camellia Flower in Higashiyama is the actual thing, scaled small.
#tea-ceremony#kyoto
§ Long reads
Guide · No.01
7 English-Bookable Sake Brewery Tours in Japan, Ranked (2026)
Seven English-bookable sake brewery tours, field-checked for 2026. Free Kobe museums, ¥550 English slots, snow-aged tastings — what Kyoto-bound travelers miss.
#drinks#sake
Guide · No.02
5 Bookable Deep Japan Experiences for Repeat Visitors (2026)
Five hand-checked, bookable Japan experiences for travelers on their third trip — tea, knives, Zen, cooking, and kyudo. Real operators, 2026 prices, English on the host side.
#cultural-experience#repeat-visitors
Guide · No.03
First Time in Japan? 30 Tiny Things to Notice (That Most Guidebooks Skip)
Observation-style guide to a first trip to Japan. The bowing taxi door, the station jingles, the manhole covers — 30 small details to actually pay attention to, written by a Japanese local.
#first-time-japan#travel
¶ The database
The lists I keepthat nobody else does.
Filterable. Tagged. Updated monthly. Built with the same care as a stamp collection.
- ◇ 500+
Konbini snacks
What Japanese under-30s actually buy.
Browse → - ◆ 120
Ekiben
Station bento, station by station.
Browse → - § 80+
Sento
Public bathhouses, mapped by ward.
Browse → - ¶ 60
Vending machines
Every weird machine, with photos.
Browse → - ※ 40
Tokyo nightlife
Standing bars, listening rooms, jazz kissa.
Browse →
※ About
One editor. No agenda. No "top 10" lists allowed.
I'm an engineer in Japan. After my second trip's worth of weird notes piled up in my notes app, I built this. It's the second-trip site. The one you read after Tokyo Cheapo.
Read the full About →