Justin Velgus

@justin.velgus

Justin Velgus (ジャスティンベルガス) is a long-term resident and promoter in the Tohoku region. He has been a content producer for JapanTravel.com since 2012 and was the Miyagi Prefecture Regional Partner 2013-2015.

Justin’s over 300 published travel and culture articles come from a background of studying in Akita, teaching English in Miyagi through the JET Program, and working for the government in Fukushima. He lives in the gyutan capital of the world, Sendai.

Justin is an expert in local culture and history. He was the first foreign volunteer at Sendai City Museum and regularly advises the local volunteer guide group GOZAIN , which he is a veteran member, on guiding techniques and hidden locations in the city even locals don't know about. In his free time he enjoys delivering original walking tours, such as his Dark Sendai Tour (ghost tour) or Kokubuncho Mystery Tour (redlight district tour). Justin is also a Certified Sake Professional.

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Nightlife

Thai Massage Sabaidee and Tea

The capital of Tohoku, Sendai, has no shortage of massage parlors. While prices and services vary, I found most of my massage shop visits lacked one thing: personality. Not so at Sabaidee and Tea (サバイディ＆ティー). From the store interior to the frien..

Miyagi 1

Culture

Sendai Daikannon

I have been in Sendai for three months and do my best to get out then share all the great places this city has to offer. But while I explored here and there around the city, I always felt like I was being watched. From the top floor of the school I w..

Miyagi

The Massive Sendai Daikannon Statue

The Sendai Daikannon Statue is one of the top ten tallest statues in the world. Located next to the Best Western Hotel in Sendai, the statue is a unique tourist destination. Don't just look at it, step inside. Pray at one of the 33 Kannon statues..

Miyagi 1

Culture

Sendai Top 10 Things To Do

If you are traveling through the northeast region of Japan known as Tohoku, you are likely stopping by or planning a trip to its largest city Sendai. With the city's bullet train, highway/night buses, and airport, this transportation hub quickly ..

Miyagi 1 6

Culture

Nihongami Beauty Parlor Sawada

The image of geisha and maiko of Kyoto’s Gion district running around narrow alleys to entertain high-class guests at tea houses is burned into the minds of anyone with even a remote interest in Japan. Even if you have not visited the area, man..

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Accommodation

Sendai Royal Park Hotel

Themed hotels, like themed restaurants, tend to gravitate to the bizarre or over-the-top. In Japan they tend to attract the otaku geeks or those seeking the crazier subculture. Knowing this, I was a little unsure on my way to experience a hotel featu..

Miyagi 47 4

Culture

Yamadera Retro Hall Museum

Plenty has already been written about a place where temples are built-in the mountainside, Yamadera, but what else can you do around town? After a bit of shopping and indulging in the famous soba, some visitors make the short trek to the Matsuo Basho..

Yamagata 1

Food

Fukushima Burger Summit, Koori Town

Since 2014, a brouhaha of burger masters and their foodie fans have gathered in Koori town, Fukushima Prefecture to decide the best burger in East Japan—often by eating as many burgers as humanly possible! It all started as a fun way to help Ea..

Fukushima

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Food

Fukushima Burger Summit, Koori Town

Justin Velgus Oct 26, 2017

Since 2014, a brouhaha of burger masters and their foodie fans have gathered in Koori town, Fukushima Prefecture to decide the best burger in East Japan—often by eating as many burgers as humanly possible! It all started as a fun way to help Ea..

Fukushima

Shopping

Sendai's Only Stamp and Coin Shop

Justin Velgus Mar 27, 2017

Money is power. It is also art, history, and a surprisingly fun and unique souvenir. For myself, an occasional collector of Japanese coins, I was frustrated at the lack of places that actually sell coins north of Tokyo. Much more common are advertis..

Miyagi 2

Activity

Aomori's Hypnotizing Lake

Giovanni Perez Jan 14, 2017

When I went to Aomori's Lake Juniko I was not expecting to be hypnotized. The image still teases me in my dreams. We have all heard Japan has amazing natural scenery, but Aoike Pond is literally paralyzing beautiful. I remember visiting like it ..

Aomori 3

Activity

Riding the Horse's Back

Brian Takahashi Jan 11, 2017

Nestled away along the coast of the Matsushima Bay sits a small set of peninsulas. Even though it is between Shiogama and Matsushima, it is technically owned by the city of Rifu. One of these peninsulas has a rather narrow pathway. It’s known a..

Miyagi 1

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