Welcome to my website!

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I am passionate about travelling around Japan. For the past 15 years, I have taken my family and friends on countless unforgettable journeys around the land of the rising sun. My interest lies in their local and experimental cuisine, the wide of variety of ingredients grown in Japan, and whatever that is related to the Japanese culinary arts.

 

Everything started for me in Tokyo, in 1999. To be honest, it was not love at first sight. My family and I struggled to find places to dine at, especially in places like Omotesando where numerous lovely restaurants and diners are hidden away in the back alleys of Ura-Omotesando and Cat street. Language posed as another barrier, creating many moments of frustration. 

 

I took up Japanese as a third language, hopeful that it might open doors - or rather, get us seats in little cute homely diners or elusive appearing restaurants. As I navigate through the restaurant scene, I have been taking notes and sharing them with friends. They have been encouraging me to write about my newly amassed knowledge.

 

Fast forward to 2014: I published my first restaurant guide, ‘Hungry in Tokyo’, which is designed to help both first-time and seasoned travellers find the next meal, wherever they may be, in Tokyo. The book focuses on popular destinations, where people are more likely to be at. At the back of the book, there is a chapter on phrases one can use in restaurants, and a vocabulary list to help one decipher the menu or the supermarket.

 

Encouraged by the support and inspiration of those around me, I made a life-changing decision to leave my medical speciality training program. Following that, I went on to write ‘Hungry in Kyoto’, and ‘Hungry in Osaka’ with my wife. After finding homes for the 2000 copies of ‘Hungry in Tokyo’, we worked on creating the massively-overhauled second edition which was released in 2019. 

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A huge part of me wishes to share the hidden gems of Japan with the world, and you, my reader. I’ve created a travel blog to share my detailed travel itineraries, my road trip adventures, and anything that I come across related to Japanese food.

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Stay tuned!

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