Tag Archives: Tokyo

Tokyo Sounds

Posted on July 23, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

By pure serendipity I happened to stumble upon a documentary about the catchy little melodies that the train stations in Tokyo play when a train pulls in to a platform. This lucky find happened before I visited Tokyo, so I … Continue reading →

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How we live now

Posted on July 18, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

The Economist offers up its annual assessment of the world’s most livable cities and the absolute hellholes to avoid. I’m not surprised to see Copenhagen at the top of the list once again, but I have reservations about Vienna being number … Continue reading →

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Tokyo Free Wi-Fi

Posted on June 24, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

In Japan, public phones have fallen from about 580,000 in 2002 to around 100,000 today. Yet many remain legally maintained for disaster communication, providing a vital connection when mobile networks fail. Now, they are taking on new roles. Tokyo and … Continue reading →

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Tokyo: Beyond the cat cafe

Posted on April 13, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Tokyo is famous for it’s unusual themed cafes. When I visited the city, I saw everything from a hedgehog cafe to a tiny pig cafe, and even a cafe where all of the waitstaff were robots. So it’s no surprise … Continue reading →

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Tokyo Renaissance

Posted on February 13, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Regular visitors to Travel Between The Pages are well aware by now of my deep fascination with all things Japan. So, it will come as no surprise that I am sharing this fabulous animated film from Ted-Ed on the amazing … Continue reading →

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Train Etiquette

Posted on December 20, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

They take train etiquette very seriously in Japan. Seibu Railway Company operations are concentrated in northwest Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture; the name “Seibu” is an abbreviation of “west Musashi”. The railway recently published a new series of travel etiquette and safety posters that are … Continue reading →

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How it’s done

Posted on August 19, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

The 90-minute video below demonstrates the making of a batch of woodblock prints “from blank paper to finished print” from the printer’s POV. It is a fascinating look at the complex process. In the video below, Tokyo-based printmaker Dave Bull … Continue reading →

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Coffee with a bullet

Posted on June 18, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Regular visitors to TBTP know that I am an annoying coffee geek. When I combine my coffee fascination with my love of travel, I can be insufferable. When I found myself up early for a trip to Nagoya from Tokyo … Continue reading →

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Minding Your Manners

Posted on June 1, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I’ve just returned from an amazing three-week trip to Japan and was delighted and overwhelmed by so much that I encountered, including the fabulous graphic design work everywhere. Passing through Kyoto Station I spotted a clever ad campaign while heading … Continue reading →

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Tokyo: Thin is in

Posted on April 27, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Looking for hotels in Tokyo, I ran across the 9-story Rakuragu hotel which squeezes in an ultra-narrow site in the Nihonbashi district of Tokyo. Located near the iconic Tokyo Station, the skinny hotel has just 14 rooms, its design prioritizes outdoor … Continue reading →

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