Todai-ji or the “Great Eastern Temple” is one of the most famous landmarks in Nara. It ranked highly on my list of “must visit” places in Japan and after being greeted on my arrival in Nara by tricky but cute deer I made my way quickly to Todaiji which was already a sight to behold...

Machaco is a Japanese reggae singer I blogged about many years ago. I went on to meet her in person and she even welcomed me into her home and accompanied me to Nara and Kyoto during my trip to Japan last year. Machaco is an excellent singer not because she is my friend but because she really is talented...

Happy New Year! From Hiking the highest Mountain in Jamaica to My first trip to Japan, 2011 was a great year for my blog as well as myself personally. As 2011 draws to a close I thought I’d re-share some of the best posts published on Jamaipanese.com in 2011 so regular readers can revisit some...

While doing my calculations and working out my budget for my trip to Japan last year the second thing on the list after my plane tickets and before even accommodation and spending money was a Japan Rail Pass. The JR pass is a special railway discount pass that allows persons visiting Japan for a short...

This past year was a very eventful one for Jamaipanese.com and for me personally, definitely the most eventful year for a while if not the most eventful (and fulfilling) year in my life so far. At the begining of the year I started out wide-eyed and ready to make things happen and for the most part...

The photographer in me goes crazy whenever I see awesome photos by talented photographers. Flickr is a fertile “looking ground” packed with millions of awesome photos that I sometimes find myself lost in for hours on end. Combine the photographer in me with the Japan lover in me and you have...

Yakitori is one of those “regular” types of foods the (formerly) picky eater in me wanted to try when I arrived in Japan. After grabbing 3 different flights and making it halfway around the world from Kingston to Tokyo I met up with a Jamaican friend Dave and his Japanese friend in Yokohama super...

Every major tourist area has its main stop, that must see attraction all visitors must go to or their time in that particular area, town, city or country would be incomplete. Good examples are the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Statue of Liberty in New York. For Kyoto that place is Kinkaku-ji or the “Temple...

Nijo Castle is a massive complex in Kyoto Japan built in the early 1600′s as the home of the first Shogun of the Edo Period Tokugawa Ieyasu. The entire Nijo Castle grounds include various buildings, temples, gardens, moats, walls, ponds and watchtowers and unsurprisingly it is one of Kyoto’s...

Starting next month East Japan Railway Company (JR East) will be selling a new JR Kanto Area Pass available to holders of a non-Japanese passport arriving at Haneda or Narita Airport. The discounted pass is valid for 3 consecutive days and allows unlimited rides in Tokyo and the surrounding Kanto area...