Long-form
The parts the guides miss.
Pieces that don't fit a spot card — bus-pass traps, plush-toy economics, the data behind why Kansai is undercovered in English. New writing publishes when there's something worth saying, not on a calendar.
6 in the queue 0 live yet first piece publishes June 2026
Topics
Practical Data Money Culture Seasonal Field notes-
01
Practical 8 min read ComingWhy the Kyoto bus pass is a trap in 2026
The ¥700 day pass that locals stopped using, the lines you actually wait in, and the three subway routes that make it irrelevant.
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02
Data 12 min read ComingWhere the English information actually exists
Of 680 Kansai spots in this database, only 41% have English coverage online. Here is which ones, and what that tells you.
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03
Money 6 min read ComingWhat changed with the JR Pass affiliate program (2025)
Commission halved overnight. Why this matters for travel sites — and for the rail-pass advice you should now be sceptical of.
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04
Culture 7 min read ComingMaiko Pikachu, Takoyaki Pikachu, and the economics of regional plush
Why Osaka gets the kimono Pikachu and Tokyo doesn't — and the reason this exists at all.
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05
Seasonal 10 min read ComingThe hidden cherry-blossom calendar (no, not Maruyama Park)
Six places in Kansai where the bloom peaks five days later than Kyoto, and the crowds never arrive.
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06
Field notes 9 min read ComingI visited the Kaiyodo Figure Museum in Shiga so you would know it exists
The world's figure collectors call it a holy land. The English internet barely mentions it. Here's what's actually there.
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