What Topics Does Jamaipanese Cover?

Updated

Jamaipanese.com is a personal blog by Kirk, a Jamaican writer living in rural Japan, and it has been publishing since 2006. Its content centers on four recurring themes: daily life and observations in Japan, video games, travel around the country, and collecting hobbies. If you are looking for first-hand accounts of life in Japan written from an outsider's perspective, or for game and travel notes with a personal voice, the blog is worth following. If you want news coverage, technical tutorials, or a single tightly focused niche, it is less suited to that.

Life in Japan from a Jamaican Perspective

The blog's identity is built on the author's position as a Jamaican living in Japan, and much of the writing returns to that vantage point. Posts cover everyday experiences of learning about Japan, personal milestones, and the adjustments that come with living somewhere very different from where you grew up.

A recurring thread is Japanese language study. Posts describe the author's relationship with studying Japanese as uneven over time, including preparing for the JLPT N3 and seeking out local opportunities to practice, such as a reading-focused book club in Shinjuku. For readers considering their own language goals, these posts frame study as a long, non-linear process rather than a smooth progression.

Video Games

Games are one of the most consistent subjects on the site, spanning current releases, retro revisits, and industry events.

  • Tokyo Game Show: The author describes TGS as loud, massive, hands-on, and unapologetic, and writes up highlights after the event wraps.
  • New releases: Posts cover titles such as Pragmata, described as a sci-fi action game with a "lone wolf and cub" story in deep space, and Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, noted as the author's first game in that spin-off series despite being a long-time mainline Monster Hunter player.
  • Retro and personal favorites: A post on replaying Super Metroid after two decades reflects on the game as an action-adventure masterpiece originally released on the Super Nintendo in 1994.
  • Adaptations and fandom: The author writes about watching the Sekiro: No Defeat anime in a theater, noting fandom of the original game measured in 100-plus hours across multiple playthroughs.
  • Lists and self-description: A "10 video games to get to know me" post uses games as a way to introduce the author's tastes, from MMORPG grinding to retro nostalgia.

Travel and Shrines in Japan

Travel posts tend to focus on specific places rather than broad itineraries, often with a cultural or pop-culture angle.

  • Nezu Shrine in Tokyo, visited during a break in summer heat after a typhoon.
  • Yasukuni Shrine, where the author collected goshuin (shrine stamps), including a summer special edition.
  • The life-sized RX-0 Unicorn Gundam in Odaiba, visited on its final day of exhibition — a piece of Tokyo pop culture the author treats as worth a deliberate farewell.

A related interest is EkiTag, a system of digital stamps that gamifies Japan rail travel. The author connects it to Japan's broader collecting culture, which runs from limited-edition anime merchandise to traditional shrine stamps.

Collecting Hobbies

Collecting is a thread that ties several subjects together.

  • Gunpla: Posts trace the evolution of Gundam plastic models since their 1980 debut and document the author's own kits.
  • Goshuin: The shrine stamp collection is treated as an ongoing project, with new additions written up as they happen.
  • Pikmin merchandise: The author describes going from a Pikmin newcomer to a full-blown fan, including the Pikmin Terrarium Collection.

What the Blog Is Not

Based on the published material, Jamaipanese is a personal blog rather than a news outlet, review site, or how-to resource. Posts are written in the first person and reflect the author's own experiences, preferences, and collecting habits. There is no indication of paywalls or subscription requirements in the available material, but that should not be read as a guarantee about access or pricing.

Who It Suits

If you want... Jamaipanese is...
First-hand notes on living in Japan as a foreign resident A good fit
Game impressions across new releases, retro titles, and events like TGS A good fit
Travel write-ups of specific shrines and pop-culture landmarks A good fit
Collecting content on Gunpla, goshuin, and game merchandise A good fit
Breaking news, structured reviews, or technical guides Not the focus

The simplest way to judge fit is to skim the recent post titles on the homepage — they cluster tightly around games, Tokyo-area travel, and collecting, so a reader who finds those subjects interesting will likely find the archive rewarding.