Did a global pandemicruin your Japan travel plans? You can still get up close and personal with Japan from the comfort of your couch or bed. Watch Japanese movies, learn the language, and study some basic Japanese culture while quarantined. You’ve got time.
10. Stream Japanese movies and series
Being stuck at home is the perfect time for binge-watching. Why not check out what Japanese moviesare available for streaming? Japanese movies have become more mainstream since the ’90s and continue to surge in popularity because of anime movies like Your Name, but also classic Japanese horror movieslike Ringu (The Ring). You can even watch cult-classic Ju-On(better known in the west as The Grudge) on YouTube.
GaijinPot picks
- Queer Eye: We’re in Japan!: Awell-loved show about the Fab Five giving lifestyle makeovers to Japanese everyday heroes, filmed around Tokyo in January 2019
- Battle Royale:This dystopian movie where high school-aged children have to fight each other to the death was released eight years before The Hunger Games
- My Neighbors the Yamadas:See the day-to-day life of a conventional Japanese family in this Studio Ghibli flick. It’s streaming on Netflixin countries outside of North America and Japan
Need more ideas? Check these out:
GaijinPot picks
- Classic and Traditional Japan: @antonio_sbarra
- Rural Towns & Culture: @thehiddenjapan
- Tokyo Street Fashion: @tokyofashion
- Sweets & Treats: @tokyosweetsproject
Need more ideas?
Follow @GaijinPotfor posts that will give you the travel bug, teach you Japanese, and more!
2. Make origami
Folding origami can be time consuming, but that works in our favor here.
The most famous origami creation is the paper crane. In Japanese culture, folding 1,000 cranes grants the folder one wish. This tradition was made famous by Sadako Sasaki, an atomic bomb victim in Hiroshima who folded hundreds of origami cranes as she wished to live. Learn how to make a paper craneand more fun shapes on Youtube.
GaijinPot picks
- Hopping Frog: They really hop!
- Sumo Wrestlers: Pair two wrestlers against each other on an overturned box, and tap on the box to make them fight
- Picture framesor paper boxes: Practical and stylish
Need more ideas? Check this out:
1. Plan your future trip
Nothing lasts forever, not even the coronavirus (hopefully). Think positive and look towards the future by planning a trip to Japan for later. Even if you never actually take the trip, planning is half the fun and you’re bound to discover something new during your research.
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Of course, the best place to discover unknown and unforgettable places in Japan is over on GaijinPot Travel.
GaijinPot picks
- Start with our Top 10 Travel Destinations In Japan For 2020
- Check off Japan’s sightseeing essentials
- Discover the 23 UNESCO World Heritage Sitesscattered across the country
- Get off the beaten path
Need more ideas? Check these out:
How are you spending your time at home? Let us know in the comments!
