I’m a Japanese local — and I’ve spent time living abroad.
While I was overseas, I kept meeting people who had this dream: “One day, I want to visit Japan.” Their eyes would light up talking about it. They loved Japan deeply — often more passionately than I expected. And many of them knew things about Japanese culture that even I had never thought much about.
That experience made me think differently about my own country.
When I came back to Japan, I realized: I’m in the perfect position to share this place. Not as a tourist guide, but as someone who actually lives here — and who knows what outsiders are really curious about.
The Japan Notebook is my way of bridging that gap. Every article is written from the inside — the things you only notice when you live here, the details that don’t make it into guidebooks, the quirky and wonderful parts of everyday Japanese life that make you go, “Wait… that’s a thing?!”
Japan rewards curiosity. The deeper you dig, the more fascinating it gets. And once you know these things? You’ll love Japan even more.
That’s exactly what this blog is for.
About the name
246 (nyoro) — ニョロ
“246” comes from National Route 246, the road that runs through my hometown in Japan. “Nyoro” (ニョロ) is just how you’d say those digits out loud in Japanese — and yes, it’s a little silly and a little cute. Non-Japanese speakers seem to find it oddly fun to say. That feels right for a blog about the fun, unexpected side of Japan.
Got a question, a tip, or just want to say hi? Head over to the Contact page — I’d genuinely love to hear from you.