Believe or not Jamaipanese.com turns 6 today! My blog blog just keeps getting more awesome as I enjoy writing and sharing posts related to my interests and life. It is unfortunate that so many blogs are kicking the bucket as some bloggers become inactive, but thankfully Jamaipanese.com evolves with me...

I’ve read about and seen many dreamy photographs on the many Japanese castles all over the country but in the end I only managed to see one castle while in Japan – Nagoya Castle. It was at night, I didn’t even go on the grounds but just driving pass late at night and seeing it as I...

Tokyo is a massive city with skyscrapers that touch the sky and a frantic buzz that goes on 24 hours a day all day everyday. Meiji Shrine is a huge temple, complex, forest and Shinto shrine in the heart of Tokyo that offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. In the later days of my trip...

I really like fun J-Dramas where the characters do fun and crazy stuff, especially when it is out of the norm. Hammer Session is one of those because it definitely goes outside the bounds of what I call a traditional J-Drama. Plot Imagine a guy who can convince you to do or act just about anyway he...

It was that time of year again when the Japanese Embassy in Jamaica had their Calendar exhibition and although I was there in 2009, 2010 and 2011 I still enjoyed it again this year. It felt even more special as many of the friends I have met  through the exhibition were seeing me for the first time...

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...

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...

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...

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...