A long-married Japanese couple who travel a lot but sightsee little. Hotel lounges, izakaya within walking distance, konbini dinners — with real menus and real prices.https://walkingdistancejapan.com/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/usa/kuhio-avenue-food-hall-chee-hoo-combo-nori-bar/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/usa/kuhio-avenue-food-hall-chee-hoo-combo-nori-bar/Four meats and three sides from Chee Hoo BBQ came to $31.87 to go in May 2026. L.A. Brisket has better meat; this one is a walk away. Plus a Nori Bar poke bowl that tasted Japanese.Wed, 14 Oct 2026 23:34:09 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/thailand/conrad-bangkok-executive-lounge-okonomiyaki-night/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/thailand/conrad-bangkok-executive-lounge-okonomiyaki-night/In April 2026 the Conrad Bangkok Executive Lounge cooked Osaka-style okonomiyaki to order. A blog had called it so-so; for us it was a hit. Plus soba, natto, and asking for soy sauce.Tue, 13 Oct 2026 14:32:46 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/usa/ala-moana-food-court-takeout-four-counters/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/usa/ala-moana-food-court-takeout-four-counters/Four counters at Ala Moana Center in May 2026, $113.24, eaten in our Waikiki condo over several days. The steak dressing ended up on the vegetables, and the garlic rice beat the brisket.Fri, 09 Oct 2026 14:20:08 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/mexico/vidanta-nuevo-vallarta-craft-beer-ipa-salum/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/mexico/vidanta-nuevo-vallarta-craft-beer-ipa-salum/HUAMA Cervecería at Salum lists a draft IPA. On 13 July 2026 the tap was dry again and a bottle was 140 pesos, more than four Coronas. We passed and took 300 pesos of tacos back to the room.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 09:15:54 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/thailand/conrad-bangkok-executive-lounge-khao-soi-thai-buffet/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/thailand/conrad-bangkok-executive-lounge-khao-soi-thai-buffet/Fourth lounge breakfast at Conrad Bangkok, April 2026: massaman beef curry, beef pad krapow, and khao soi gai, which we agreed was the best noodle dish of our stay. We nearly forgot it.Tue, 06 Oct 2026 09:15:01 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-okinawa-chatan-cat-road-aeon-snacks/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-okinawa-chatan-cat-road-aeon-snacks/Day four in Chatan: a cat cafe we backed out of, goats on the way and four cats on a seawall path, the Aeon souvenir shelf, and a lounge so full strangers sat at the next table.Thu, 01 Oct 2026 09:17:13 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/mexico/mexican-red-wine-prices-vidanta-mercado-gourmet/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/mexico/mexican-red-wine-prices-vidanta-mercado-gourmet/The cheapest Mexican reds we found at Mercado Gourmet inside Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta on 11 July 2026 cost 585, 675 and 785 pesos. Expensive. The best value of the day was a 185-peso Cobb salad.Tue, 29 Sep 2026 10:42:37 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/thailand/conrad-bangkok-executive-lounge-taco-station/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/thailand/conrad-bangkok-executive-lounge-taco-station/One evening in April 2026 the Conrad Bangkok Executive Lounge turned cocktail time into a Taco Station. Grilled fish was clearly the best of three fillings; our nachos experiment failed.Mon, 28 Sep 2026 09:29:14 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/thailand/conrad-bangkok-executive-lounge-breakfast-a-la-carte/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/thailand/conrad-bangkok-executive-lounge-breakfast-a-la-carte/Two made-to-order dishes per person. The Isaan Benedict was a hit; the sticky rice was hard and the green curry so sweet we left half. The buffet cabbage stir-fry did better. April 2026.Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:11:36 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/thailand/conrad-bangkok-executive-lounge-cocktail-time-gemini/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/thailand/conrad-bangkok-executive-lounge-cocktail-time-gemini/Cocktail time runs 17:30 to 19:30. We asked Gemini which cocktails were not sweet, drank the New York Sour it talked us into, and went straight back to white wine. April 2026.Tue, 22 Sep 2026 09:24:44 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/mexico/vidanta-nuevo-vallarta-final-bill-21-nights/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/mexico/vidanta-nuevo-vallarta-final-bill-21-nights/Checkout after 21 nights at Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta, July 2026: a seven-page paper bill, 32,971.11 pesos, 900 pesos of default donations, and a 240-peso car wash that was really the laundry.Sun, 20 Sep 2026 09:31:40 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/costs/fukuoka-airport-souvenirs-ana-festa-kikuhira/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/costs/fukuoka-airport-souvenirs-ana-festa-kikuhira/Two shops side by side at Fukuoka Airport, August 2026: 22 items for ourselves, ¥15,202 on the receipts, ¥14,702 paid. The packet ramen we buy every Fukuoka trip, ume hijiki, mentaiko.Tue, 15 Sep 2026 09:27:56 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/mexico/vidanta-nuevo-vallarta-restaurants-takeout-prices/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/mexico/vidanta-nuevo-vallarta-restaurants-takeout-prices/What we carried back to our room from nine kitchens inside Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta in July 2026, from a 955-peso paella we wanted without its lobster to a 185-peso Cobb salad we bought five times.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 09:39:07 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/mexico/cirque-du-soleil-ludo-vip-seats-nuevo-vallarta/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/mexico/cirque-du-soleil-ludo-vip-seats-nuevo-vallarta/What the VIP ticket bought on 17 July 2026: a welcome cocktail, a tumbler, a three-course dinner printed on an edible menu, and champagne with no cap. The price, the menu, and our verdict.Sat, 12 Sep 2026 14:45:00 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-fukuoka-sea-hawk-mizutaki-gameni-night-five/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-fukuoka-sea-hawk-mizutaki-gameni-night-five/The last cocktail time of five was the Hakata one — gameni, pork kakuni, mizutaki, cold Goto udon — and five nights produced five different sets. Plus what the rock bath sign says. August 2026.Sun, 06 Sep 2026 14:46:44 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-fukuoka-sea-hawk-lounge-moving-fifth-floor/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-fukuoka-sea-hawk-lounge-moving-fifth-floor/We walked past the new space behind the fifth-floor Chinese restaurant: partitions, nothing visible inside. Plus night four in the lounge, and a shumai that changed between breakfast and evening.Sat, 05 Sep 2026 14:34:42 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-fukuoka-sea-hawk-lounge-egg-royale-tonchan/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-fukuoka-sea-hawk-lounge-egg-royale-tonchan/Breakfast Today's Plate was Egg Royale, the soy sauce turned out to be vinegared, and at cocktail time we were told the lounge might go to one hour per party. August 2026.Fri, 04 Sep 2026 14:35:46 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-fukuoka-sea-hawk-gym-cocktail-time-night-two/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-fukuoka-sea-hawk-gym-cocktail-time-night-two/The gym is on the fifth floor with a full set of weight machines. On night two the Executive Lounge swapped all four hot dishes for Western ones: saffron soup, ratatouille, spare ribs, fritter.Sat, 29 Aug 2026 14:22:45 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-fukuoka-sea-hawk-executive-lounge-breakfast/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-fukuoka-sea-hawk-executive-lounge-breakfast/Free with lounge access: more than twelve vegetables at the salad bar, Saikyo-miso salmon and shio-koji mackerel, and a black-soybean natto called Kurosengoku. August 2026.Fri, 28 Aug 2026 14:21:51 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-fukuoka-sea-hawk-cocktail-time-panoramic-suite/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-fukuoka-sea-hawk-cocktail-time-panoramic-suite/Cocktail time opens at 17:00 with four hot dishes, six wines and a Fukuoka sake. Plus what the 23rd-floor Panoramic Suite is actually like: old fittings, few sockets, glass on two sides. August 2026.Thu, 27 Aug 2026 14:27:04 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/new-chitose-ana-suite-lounge-flight-home/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/new-chitose-ana-suite-lounge-flight-home/The last day of five nights in Sapporo, 25 April 2026 — what the ANA Suite Lounge at New Chitose stocks, the one pairing that did not work, and what four evenings of drinking came to.Thu, 20 Aug 2026 14:27:31 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/mexico/nuevo-vallarta-resort-supermarket-prices/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/abroad/mexico/nuevo-vallarta-resort-supermarket-prices/Inside the resort at Nuevo Vallarta: a 100 ml Häagen-Dazs is 125 pesos, the cheapest red over 500. What we bought on 8 July 2026, what the 3x2 wine corner saved, and what we will not buy again.Wed, 19 Aug 2026 15:13:13 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/craft-beer-house-baku-naha-lamb-menchi-katsu/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/craft-beer-house-baku-naha-lamb-menchi-katsu/A craft beer bar on the second floor in Kumoji, Naha: three IPAs, a hibiscus sour ale, an ¥880 lamb menchi katsu and ¥5,730 for two on a Thursday in March 2026 — and what the menus say in English.Wed, 19 Aug 2026 05:15:18 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/costs/sapporo-five-nights-food-and-drink-cost/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/costs/sapporo-five-nights-food-and-drink-cost/Five evenings out and one travel day at ¥0, itemised from the bills: the cheapest night was ¥5,740, the dearest ¥15,330, and what made the difference was not the drinking.Wed, 19 Aug 2026 02:30:19 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/sapporo-on-foot-from-the-prince/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/sapporo-on-foot-from-the-prince/Two five-night stays in 2026, one hotel with no lounge, and every bar, izakaya and restaurant we walked to — what each one is, what we ordered, and what it cost.Wed, 19 Aug 2026 01:14:52 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-okinawa-chatan-no-sightseeing-day/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-okinawa-chatan-no-sightseeing-day/Day five of five: breakfast after we overslept, a cat cafe we had given up on the day before, forty minutes on a treadmill, and why we spend a hotel credit down to the last yen.Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:41:04 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/uchoten-sapporo-omu-katsu-pinot-wine-tasting/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/uchoten-sapporo-omu-katsu-pinot-wine-tasting/A ¥1,200 omu-katsu at Uchoten in Sapporo tastes like okonomiyaki, and my wife called it an invention. Then a wine shop we pass most days was pouring a supplier's tasting: seven glasses, ¥10,700.Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:18:59 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/nepalica-sapporo-clay-pot-biryani/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/nepalica-sapporo-clay-pot-biryani/A Nepali place near the Sapporo Prince Hotel — momo, seseri, a Wednesday-and-Saturday biryani set at ¥7,980 for two, and the coriander one of us pushed aside. Prices as paid, June 2026.Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:11:32 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/beer-bar-north-island-sapporo-four-ipas/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/beer-bar-north-island-sapporo-four-ipas/A Hokkaido brewery runs this bar ten floors up in the Tanukikoji arcade. Twelve taps the night we went, four IPAs in 430 ml glasses, garlic-pickled nagaimo, and ¥5,740 for two in June 2026.Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:07:08 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/yakitori-s-sapporo-skewer-by-skewer/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/yakitori-s-sapporo-skewer-by-skewer/A one-man counter in central Sapporo hands each skewer over as it comes off the grill. We ordered the chicken and pork lists bar sasami, plus a tsukune — eleven skewers, ¥10,600 for two in June 2026.Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:47:08 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-tokyo-bay-executive-lounge/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-tokyo-bay-executive-lounge/Cocktail time ran 17:00 to 19:00 on our February 2026 stay and was short on salty food, so we bought dinner at the deli downstairs and carried it up to the lounge. What the ¥5,000 credit bought.Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:41:00 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/lungo-carnival-honten-sapporo-genshiyaki/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/lungo-carnival-honten-sapporo-genshiyaki/The main branch stands whole fish upright in sand next to a basket of charcoal. A kilo of steamed oysters is ¥1,210, the rosemary mackerel split our vote, and the wine bar afterwards takes cash only.Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:38:59 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/orizzonte-sapporo-wood-fired-pizza/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/orizzonte-sapporo-wood-fired-pizza/A Sapporo Italian with a wood oven, where the pizza comes out thin and crisp rather than Neapolitan. What we ordered, what each plate cost, and the world-championship story we could not stand up.Tue, 18 Aug 2026 10:13:48 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-okinawa-chatan-breakfast-buffet/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-okinawa-chatan-breakfast-buffet/Salad-corner excess and natto on rice downstairs, then a second breakfast on the ninth floor for the two Okinawan soups the buffet stopped serving.Tue, 18 Aug 2026 10:10:19 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/susukino-craft-beer-oysters-gyoza/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/susukino-craft-beer-oysters-gyoza/Three places in one April evening, ¥16,131 for two: nine tasting glasses at a 33-tap beer bar, steamed Hokkaido oysters that beat the price, and a gyoza chain we probably will not go back to.Tue, 18 Aug 2026 10:05:54 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/sapporo-prince-hotel-breakfast-buffet/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/sapporo-prince-hotel-breakfast-buffet/In April 2026 the egg station, the soft serve and the Ainu fish soup were gone, and the ikura bowl had to be requested. Two months later it had changed again — here is what is on it.Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:44:17 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/izakaya-chiba-sapporo-sake-nomihodai/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/eats/izakaya-chiba-sapporo-sake-nomihodai/The ¥2,500 plan pours 55 sake from all over Japan for 120 minutes, but last order lands at 90. We drank ten, cleared the cost at glass five, and would go again — with a plan.Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:42:15 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/la-vista-hakodate-bay-breakfast-buffet/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/la-vista-hakodate-bay-breakfast-buffet/Three bowls of rice each on morning one, a separate-bowl fix on morning two, and two seafood izakaya nights that ended with us ordering everything grilled.Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:37:18 GMThttps://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-okinawa-chatan-executive-lounge/https://walkingdistancejapan.com/stays/hilton-okinawa-chatan-executive-lounge/Orion on tap, a food lineup that repeats every other day, and the karaage that ran out on night three. What the ninth-floor lounge actually puts out, and who it is worth booking for.Tue, 18 Aug 2026 08:57:17 GMT