Mister Donut Croissant Doughnuts

Mister Donut Japan has released a new range of croissant doughnuts. The doughnuts went on sale on April 1 and are called “Mr. Croissant Donut”. The doughnuts are made from croissant dough that is fried and then oven baked. We like that sound of that! This gives the doughnuts a very light and flaky texture.

The Mr. Croissant Donuts come in three different flavours:

McDonald’s Japan Avocado Burger

McDonald’s Japan is offering a new limited edition avocado burger that is surprisingly good. The burgers come in three varieties: Beef, Chicken and Ebi (Shrimp). All the burgers feature large chunks of avocado and Italian style ciabatta bread. The beef version contains a spicy wasabi soy mayonnaise sauce, while the chicken and shrimp contain a Cobb salad style sauce.

The burgers went on sale April 17th and cost around 399 yen (USD$3.90) each. They will be available through late May.

10 Things You Need to Know Before Moving to Japan

Japan is an amazing country to live and work with polite, friendly people, fast modern & convenient transportation, fantastic service, and a high standard of living. It is also a mysterious ancient land that can bewilder many first-time visitors to the country. There is a lot you should know before moving to Japan and after contributing to an expat tip campaign, run by HiFX, I thought I would pass on some handy tips from my 10 years’ worth of experience of living in this land of the rising sun.

Here are some insider tips to help you quickly settle into Japan.

Golden Week 2014 in Japan

Golden Week in Japan is fast approaching. The end of April through around May 6th is called “Golden Week” in Japan and is a collection of four national holidays in the space of seven days. Golden Week in 2014 is based on two separate holiday periods from April 26 to April 27 with April 29 and from May 3 to May 6.

This time in Japan is a celebration of spring and the end of winter with a lot of festivals and historical events taking place.

Cherry Blossoms at Inaba Shrine Gifu

Inaba Jinja Shrine (伊奈波神社) is a Shinto shrine located at the foot of Mount Kinka in Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture. The shrine is one of the three major Shinto shrines of Gifu City, and is the biggest and most famous. It is a popular spot for hatsumode (first shrine visit of the New Year) and Shichi-Go-San. The shrine has a history of over 1,900 years and was first built in the year 85 AD when Emperor Keiko dedicated the land for a shrine. The god Inishiki-Irihiko-no-Mikoto is enshrined and worshipped here. The shrine was moved to its present location by the samurai warlord, Saito Dosan in 1539. Saito Dosan is widely credited with creating Gifu City as we know it today, and has his own festival on the first Saturday of April, that honours his brave feats. I hope to blog about the festival in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Japan and China Friendship Garden Gifu

The Japan and China Friendship Garden (日中友好庭園) is located right across the road from Gifu Park (岐阜公園) in Gifu City. The garden was created to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the friendship and affiliation between Gifu City in Japan and Hangzhou in China. It was also created to further improve the sometimes fragile relationship between these two nations.

Inside the garden is a small version of the West Lake of Hangzhou and some interesting Chinese style architecture including a Hangzhou gate and a pair of guardian lions. The pond and garden has been created to reflect the scenery of the four seasons.

Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival 2014

JAFA’s Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival is the biggest Japan festival in Adelaide, South Australia with a 19-year history. The day is filled with Japan-related performances, exhibitions, activities, stalls and plenty of Japanese food.

The event has won a number of prestigious community awards including: