Japan is a place where people will pay a eighty bucks for a melon, five dollars for a chocolate truffle, and fork over hundreds for less than a pound of beef. I’ve never before witnessed such absurdity in pursuit of exclusivity. But I don’t blame them for it, either; not after trying Kobe beef in …

When people dream of visiting an island paradise, rarely do their minds drift beyond the possibilities of the South Pacific or the Caribbean. So here’s another possibility, with just as many beaches and tropical fruits, and some impressively good chocolates: the southernmost islands of Okinawa, Japan. In Okinawa in winter, the climate is warm and …

Japan is known for its innovation in technology, but a tastier field of Japanese innovation is in their fine chocolate sector. There’s a good reason Belgian chocolate manufacturer Callebaut chose to debut their famed Ruby Chocolate in Japan. While Japan’s fine chocolate culture is still relatively young, it’s been on the up & up for …

“In the US you have to build in a place where there’s enough foot traffic to support your business, but in Japan, people will go to you if you have something that’s really worthwhile.” -Greg D’Alesandre In the land of the rising sun, where Hello Kitty & cat cafes co-exist with hostess bars & EDM …

Of all the chocolate destinations I’ve traveled to, Japan has continued to have the most complicated backstory. From pocky sticks and Meiji “THE Chocolate” bars to world-class chocolateries & craft chocolate makers, Japan’s got a little something for everyone. But the development of all this chocolate infrastructure has been a slow process, constructed over the …

Tokyo is undeniably the hub of Japanese craft chocolate culture. Both in terms of the number & density of makers and the variety of styles, origins, and approaches, the Tokyo chocolate scene is bursting with opportunities for indulgence. After visiting the best Tokyo restaurants— themselves among the best in the world— you now have over a dozen …

To whomever actually reads the introduction, in many ways this is a list of places I want to travel to in the near future (a few of which I’ve already been to). But this is mostly an article for you, the reader, who visits this site for insight into how the research I’ve done has …

For anyone accustomed to the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, Fukuoka is a completely different experience. It’s got those trademark sky-high buildings that characterize all of Japan, but with a fraction of the population density. Their chocolate scene, too, counts itself with many fewer chocolate shops of any kind, and just 2 chocolate makers close …

Japan’s quietly growing craft chocolate scene is a direct contrast to the futuristic image it projects. The country’s had an astounding number of chocolate makers set up shop over the last half decade, but most of them are in cities & settings we haven’t heard of: Onomichi, Kitakyushu, Niigata, Iizuka. There are a fair number in Osaka …

Kyoto chocolate, just like Kobe beef, is not binge-friendly. Hovering around $3USD per truffle, I’d advise you to keep an eye on your wallet. However, the chocolate shops in Kyoto are mostly clustered in and around the downtown area. So if you decided to take a chocolate tour of Kyoto using this map, I can …