• Strine Sports

    Trekking Up Takao

    For the last day of the 2023 new year’s break, Kangaeroo and Co. headed up to the delightful Mount Takao in Hachioji. Leaving late in the morning, a short trip by bus and train had us at the foot of the mountain. A healthy walk of little over an hour had Kangaeroo at the peak. Normally, Mount Takao affords an amazing view of Mount Fuji. But this time, the clouds that frequently cover the iconic Japanese mountain won the day, but the view was still magnificent. A bowl of soba noodles on the top of the mountain, then back down…

  • Strine Tucker

    Ramen Cake Will Make You Do Your Noodle!

    Nationwide all-you-can-eat sweets franchise Sweets Paradise make amazing cakes decorated to look like main meals but almost indistinguishable from them until tasted. Sweets Paradise makes an assortment of foods that look like main dishes but are actually cakes, including bowls of noodles, omelets, katsudon and eel. What’s more, the prices are extremely reasonable, at around 1,200 yen, which is about half what you’d normally pay for a similarly sized cake anywhere in Japan. Sweets Paradise has outlets throughout Japan, but also sells its wares online.