Selena Hoy
I'm a writer.
Curious enthusiast based in Tokyo. I write about food, culture, recreation, art, business, and travel in Japan and beyond.
PROJECTS
discover.silversea.com
A Day in the Life of a Japanese Geisha
“Let’s play a game!” exclaims Fukuya as she pours me another drink. She and her companion, Teruha, stand at the front of a room in the Hachioji area of Tokyo in Japan on each side of a small taiko drum. “Does everyone know how to play rock-paper-scissors?” she asks. Everyone does. She then explains the rules as rock-paper-scissors with a twist— literally. She and Teruha demonstrate playing the game to a steady beat. The loser of each round must spin in a circle while the winner beats the drum...
mabuhay.ink-live.com
Tokyo Green Day
FOB piece on vegetarian/vegan restaurants in Tokyo for Mabuhay magazine.
life.intercontinental.com
Sushi Past to Present: The story of Edomae Sushi
Sushi is deceptively simple. It’s a compact morsel of vinegared rice and fish taking only one or two bites. Perhaps the most well known style of sushi is nigiri-zushi, or hand-pressed sushi, also known as Edomae-zushi. But what exactly is Edomae-zushi, and what does it mean now that Edo, the old name for the capital, has become Tokyo?
The idea of fermented rice and fish is an old one, coming over from the Asian continent centuries ago. Fish was packed in rice and salt to keep it from spoiling...
BBC Good Food
Top 10 foodie things to try in Tokyo
Discover the top 10 essential foods to try on your next trip to Tokyo, with Good Food's guide to the best Japanese delicacies.
Taking a trip to Tokyo and want to eat your way around the city like a local? Let your tastebuds explore these local delicacies and tick Good Food's personal favourites off your list.
10 must-try foods to eat in Tokyo
1. Pour over coffee
Japan does coffee in that meticulous Japanese way – with care, love, and exquisite attention to detail. Now you can get quality espr...
The Independent
Forest bathing: The Japanese background to the latest wellness fad
Forest bathing: The Japanese background to the latest wellness fad
roadsandkingdoms.com
Walking Tour: An Afternoon in Koenji
There’s an expression in Japanese: Aji ga aru, which means “It’s got flavor.” It describes something that’s a little used, a little time-worn, but better for it. That describes Western Tokyo. The stations along the Chuo line are surrounded by shotengai—pedestrian shopping alleys packed with tiny independent shops and restaurants—which makes strolling a special pleasure.
We’ll be walking around the Koenji area, but don’t bother getting started early: Koenji doesn’t really get going until after...
The Atlantic
In Japan, Small Children Take the Subway and Run Errands Alone ...
In Japan, Small Children Take the Subway and Run Er...
discover.silversea.com
Living Pictures: The Philosophy Behind the Most Beautiful Japanese Gardens
Japan
The Japanese garden is rightly famous for its understated beauty, from the perfectly raked gravel of Zen temples to the serene tea houses reflected in mirror-like ponds. The gardeners themselves treat these gardens as a canvas, using the seasons as paintbrushes and employing minimalism to dictate a sense of balance. From the meticulous pruning, leaf by leaf, of each bush, to the weeding of a neighborhood flower patch with a pair of chopsticks, gardening in Japan is an exercise in medita...
mabuhay.ink-live.com
Kakigori Grows Up
Front of book piece for for Mabuhay Magazine (Philippine Airlines)
aspire.ink-live.com
A Perfect Day in Sapporo
A Perfect Day in Sapporo for Hong Kong Airlines' Aspire Magazine
life.intercontinental.com
Sip Your Way Through World-Class Whisky in Osaka
Sake (Nihonshu) may be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of alcohol in Japan, or perhaps shochu, sake’s cheerful cousin. But Japan has become a powerhouse in the world of whisky in recent years, and the accolades keep rolling in. Japanese bottles picked up the World’s Best Blended Malt (Taketsuru 17) and World’s Best Single Malt (Hakushi 25) at the World Whiskies Awards this year, while Hibiki 21 took home trophies from the 2017 International Spirits Challenge, including the t...
dwl.gov-online.go.jp
Mottainai: Reduce, reuse, recycle, respect
Highlighting JAPAN Vol.122 JULY 2018
The mottainai movement in Japan and how it was helped along by Kenyan activist Wangani Maathai.
BBC Good Food
Cultural etiquette guide to Tokyo
Learn how to live like a local in Tokyo and get to grips with key Japanese customs. Discover how to handle your chopsticks and the best way to show your foodie appreciation.
These handy hints from Japanese locals cover everything from slurping your noodles as a sign of appreciation to making sure your special socks are prepared for an outing. Make sure you read up before your trip to eat, drink and live like a local.
How to tip in Tokyo
Tipping is almost never done in Japan. You can show your...
allabout-japan.com
A Whirlwind Weekend in Miyagi
But with the Tohoku Shinkansen, these days it’s actually possible to visit on a lark. Indeed, a once arduous journey now takes approximately 90 minutes from Tokyo to Sendai on the Hayabusa bullet train, and I thought about that struggle as the landscape flashed before my eyes. You could even come here on a day trip, and I’ve done just that, though I don’t recommend it because there’s so much to explore in this beautiful, relatively unvisited part of the country.
Got to do a ceramics workshop ...
roadsandkingdoms.com
In Transit Tokyo
Touchdown Tokyo! You’ve made it… to the airport. Tokyo is serviced by two major airports: Narita (NRT) and Haneda (HND). If you’re flying into Tokyo, you’ll certainly come in to one of these two. Regardless of which you use, you’ll likely find that service is great, the space is clean, and the lines move fairly fast. At both airports, I’ve found that I can often be on my way within ½ an hour of landing, and both are directly linked to rail transit and have free wifi.
Narita Airport
Narita han...