This post mainly covers Japan-related travel writing, all the best pieces I have that don’t pertain to movies (which receive their due elsewhere in my Movie-Lover’s Guide to Japan portfolio). There are 125 links here, some inbound, others outbound to Explore.com and two GPlusMedia sites, GaijinPot and Japan Today. In 2023, I poured more effort into the site you’re now reading, The Gaijin Ghost, while expanding the focus of my freelance assignments to include other places in Asia and America.
Gaijin means “foreigner” in Japanese, with GaijinPot catering to the melting-pot readership of foreigners in Japan, and The Gaijin Ghost existing as my personal portfolio: the internet ghost of an American expat named Joshua Meyer.
Copywriting and Editing
With work for hire, I usually have a byline, but you’ll also find some links below to GaijinPot Travel entries that I ghostwrote. I say “ghostwrote” just because it goes along with The Gaijin Ghost theme, though it was really more copywriting than ghostwriting. Whatever you want to call it, there’s no byline for those entries. Ditto for the many semi-anonymous blog posts and photo gallery descriptions that I’ve penned on this site.
Squarespace’s Avenue template doesn’t allow author names to display. Off-site, however, even when there’s no byline, you can still see my name credited on some inline photos (and in other cases, the lead photo, where I’ve added the occasional bit of paid photography to my writing resume).
During the first stretch of the pandemic, from April 2020 to January 2021, I worked as a freelance editor for GPlus on the Japan Tourism Agency’s 2020 signage project. In addition to signs, this involved editing pamphlets, museum captions, and online guides to landmarks in the cities of Tokushima and Nagaoka.
Here are two examples of documents I edited for the JTA, both related to summer festivals. One is about the famous Nagaoka Fireworks show. Another is about the popular Awa Odori dance event and the culture behind it (which can also be experienced in Koenji, Tokyo).
Japan
Kyushu.
The Best Train Station Bento Boxes for Your Journey Across Japan (Explore Article)
Kanto and Kansai.
Mount Fuji.
Visit the Beautiful Japanese Island Where Hundreds of Friendly Deer Roam Free (Explore Article)
Itsukushima, or Miyajima, in Hiroshima Bay.
This Makeshift Japanese Theme Park Is a Must-Visit for Foodies (Explore Article)
Okonomimura in Hiroshima.
This Country Has Three Cities Trending for Travel in 2024 (Explore Article)
Sapporo, Osaka, and Tokyo.
The Year in Review (And an Announcement for 2024)
Hike to a Breathtaking Mountain Top at This National Park in Japan (Explore Article)
Mount Fuji in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.
2 Cities in Japan Just as Fabulous as Tokyo (Explore Article)
Yokohama and Nagasaki.
10 Overlooked Highlights of Kobe, Osaka, Chiba, Shizuoka, and More
Photo Highlight: Sawtooth Mountain’s ‘View from Hell’
The ‘Be Kobe’ Monument and Port of Kobe Earthquake Memorial
Tottori Sand Museum (GaijinPot Travel Entry)
The Tottori Sand Dunes and Sand Museum (Photo Gallery)
Sapporo, Tokyo, Yokohama, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, and Nagasaki.
Fukuoka, Japan (Photo Gallery)
Tokyo
Meguro River Cherry Blossoms and the Starbucks Reserve Roastery (Photo Gallery)
Two of the World's Most Popular Museums Are Paradise for Instagrammers (Explore Article)
teamLab Borderless and teamLab Planets.
Photo and Video Highlights: Rainbow Bridge Sunset and Fireworks
This City Has the Most Michelin-Starred Restaurants in the World (Explore Article)
The Michelin Files: A Yakitori and Curry Shop Starter Pack
The Michelin Files: A Ramen and Gyoza Shop Starter Pack
Photo Highlights: Skytree After Dark
Photo Highlight: Koenji Awa Odori Returns
Tokyo’s Mexican Breakfast Options (Plus, a Trip to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery)
Tokyo from the Bike Lane: A New View of the City
Photo Highlight: Crossing the Rainbow Bridge
Digital Art and Robots from Toyosu to Odaiba
Japan National Stadium / Meiji Jingu Gaien (Photo Gallery)
Japan National Stadium and the 2011 Tohoku Disaster
10 Highlights of Tokyo in 2022
Furusato Matsuri (The Hometown Festival) at Tokyo Dome
Tokyo 2022: Part 2 (Photo Gallery)
Tokyo 2022: Part 1 (Photo Gallery)
5 New Places to See in Tokyo on Your Next Trip to Japan (GaijinPot Article)
Tokyo: 2020–2021 (Photo Gallery)
Tokyo: 2019–2020 (Photo Gallery)
21st Century City: Two Decades of Tokyo’s Ever-Changing Skyline (Japan Today Article)
Shin-Kiba (GaijinPot Travel Entry)
Photo Tour of Kappabashi Kitchen Town
Mount Takao - Hachioji, Tokyo (Photo Gallery)
Tokyo Station
The Tokyo Station Hotel: Review and Photo Tour
The Tokyo Station Hotel (Photo Gallery)
Tokyo Station and Marunouchi (Photo Gallery)
Central Tokyo
Photo Highlight: Imperial Palace Moat, Elevated View
The Michelin Files: Sushi Yoshitake, Tokyo’s Only Three-Star Michelin Sushi Restaurant
The Tokyo International Forum (Photo Gallery)
Photo Highlight: Rainy Yurakucho Evening
Inside Budokan, Tokyo’s Historic Music and Martial Arts Venue
The Tokyo Imperial Palace (Photo Gallery)
Nihonbashi
The Michelin Files: The Tokyo Pizza Restaurant That Ranks Among the World’s Best
Discovering Tradition Mixed With the Ultra-Modern in Nihonbashi (Japan Today Article)
Nihonbashi (GaijinPot Travel Entry)
Nihonbashi, Tokyo (Photo Gallery)
Shibuya
Photo Highlight: Shibuya Halloween Crackdown
Photo Highlight: Portable Shrine at Jingumae Crossing
Photo Highlight: The Shibuya Nebuta Festival
Shibuya, Tokyo: 2018–2019 (Photo Gallery)
6 Spots to Get a Bird's Eye View of the Shibuya Scramble Crossing (GaijinPot Article)
Shibuya - Yoyogi Park and the Meiji Shrine (Photo Gallery)
Shibuya - Harajuku and Omotesando (Photo Gallery)
Shibuya, Tokyo (Photo Gallery)
Shinjuku
This Train Station Known as a Gateway to Tokyo Is the Busiest in the World (Explore Article)
Photo Highlights: Two Autumn Leaf Light-Ups
Tocho on Thanksgiving (With Memories of New York)
Photo Highlight: Shin-Okubo to Shinjuku
The Kabuki Hall Food Court [Updated With New Info on Robot Restaurant]
Shinjuku - Park Hyatt Tokyo (Photo Gallery)
Nishi-Shinjuku, Tokyo (Photo Gallery)
South of Shinjuku Station (Photo Gallery)
#Kabukicho - Tweetstorm Travel Guide (Blog Version)
Minato
Tokyo Tower and Minato (Photo Gallery)
Tokyo Midtown / The National Art Center (Photo Gallery)
Roppongi Hills: 2015–2016 Events (Photo Gallery)
Roppongi Hills, Tokyo (Photo Gallery)
Aomori
5 Cool Things to Do in Aomori City (GaijinPot Article)
The Aomori Nebuta Festival (Photo Gallery)
Kanagawa
Photo Highlight: Hasedera Temple Hydrangeas
Kamakura, Japan (Photo Gallery)
The Lantern Festival 2023 in Yokohama Chinatown
Shizuoka
Photo Highlight: Climbing Mount Fuji
Year’s First Sunrise: On Top of the World With Mount Fuji
Fujinomiya (GaijinPot Travel Entry)
Kunozan Toshogu Shrine (GaijinPot Travel Entry)
Shimizu Port (GaijinPot Travel Entry)
Yamanashi
The Gaijin Ghostwriter - Fuji Five Lakes
Beyond Death and Pain: The Truth About Japan's 'Suicide Forest' (GaijinPot Article)
Kyoto
Fushimi Inari Taisha: Climbing Kyoto’s Famous Mountain Shrine
Kyoto: Cherry Blossom Season, Part 2 (Photo Gallery)
Kyoto: Cherry Blossom Season, Part 1 (Photo Gallery)
Ginkakuji Temple and the Philosopher’s Path in Kyoto
Sakura and Bricks from Nanzenji Temple to the Keage Incline
Autumn in Kyoto, Part 2 (Photo Gallery)
Autumn in Kyoto, Part 1 (Photo Gallery)
Nara
Deer and Cherry Blossoms at Todaiji Temple in Nara
Osaka
Osaka: Namba, Tennoji, and Bay Area (Photo Gallery)
Osaka Castle, Umeda, and Northern Osaka (Photo Gallery)
Osaka Castle (By Day and Night) and the Tower of the Sun
The View from Abeno Harukas, Now Japan’s Second-Tallest Building
Nagasaki
Why Solo Tourists Can't Visit One of Nagasaki's Top Tourist Attractions (Explore Article)
Hashima, a.k.a. Gunkanjima (“Battleship Island”), in Nagasaki.
The Nagasaki Lantern Festival (Photo Gallery)
Nagasaki, Japan (Photo Gallery)
Sapporo
4 Tips for Getting the Best Out of the Sapporo Snow Festival (GaijinPot Article)
Susukino: Sapporo's Realm of Ramen and Ice - In 500 Words
The Sapporo Snow Festival (Photo Gallery)
Asia & America
Cruise Into These Two Port Cities for Some Haunted History (Explore Article)
New Orleans and San Francisco.
The Skeptic’s Guide to Enjoying the Denver Airport Conspiracy Theories
Chewing Gum Is Banned in This One Asian Country (Explore Article)
Singapore.
Why You'll Want to Add the World's Most-Visited City to Your Bucket List (Explore Article)
Hong Kong.
Revenge Trip Needed
Since this is a photoblog, most of what’s included in my travel portfolios are articles about places that I’ve not only visited, but also photographed. However, I didn’t really have a decent digital camera on my phone until mid-2010 when I moved to Japan. These are just some articles covering places that were formative travel experiences for me before I left the states. They’re places I’d eventually like to revisit, but for now — with no good-quality pictures of my own — I’ve had to rely on stock photos.
See the World's Largest Urban Bat Colony Take to the Skies in This US City (Explore Article)
Austin, Texas.
See a Taping of These Shows in New York and You Might Appear on TV (Explore Article)
The Unique Rotating Bar in New Orleans You Should Add to Your Bucket List ASAP (Explore Article)
The Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone.
The Empire State Building in New York City.
Visit One of the Largest Bookstores in the World at This West Coast Destination (Explore Article)
Powell’s City of Books in Portland, Oregon.