Kobe By Night
Kobe by the sea is famous outside of Japan almost exclusively for its beef. But inside the country, it’s known for much more. It’s home to some of the most fashion conscious people in Japan, and as a result there are literally miles of shops vying for their yen. Great news for Katy (and terrible ...
You Buddha Believe it
You wait a month for a UNESCO World Heritage site, and then three come along at once, or in the space of a week, at least. Today we were in Koya-san, a holy site for Buddhists of the Shingon sect. A place of worship for over 1200 years, it was founded by the enigmatic Kukai, ...
Farewell To Autumn
Just a few days ago, we were sweating it out on the coast of Shizuoka. I spent half the day surfing; the other half trying to fend off the humidity. It was so warm that autumn hadn’t really taken hold – the ocean was still perfectly bearable (granted, with a wetsuit) and the leaves hadn’t ...
A Little Prince, Weird Eggs and a Journey to Another World
The Little Prince (or Le Petit Prince, to give him his original, French name) gets around a bit. He’s the star of what people say is a children’s book, but, like the greatest stories, it’s not exclusively for younger readers. Katy didn’t meet the little wanderer until she was well into her teens. The moment ...
Fuji-itis
There is a mental condition of which you may not have heard: The Paris Syndrome. The symptoms are thus: Japanese tourists save up for a couple of years and use all of their scant holidays to travel half way around the world to the French capital. En route they read and reread their guide books ...
Monkey Business
When Katy and I first met we went through our favourite movies together, as new couples tend to do. There was plenty of crossover. Katy: “Have you seen Amelie?” I had seen Amelie. “Have you seen Garden State?” I had, even though I couldn’t remember much about it. “Have you seen Baraka?” I had not, ...
Kusatsu: It’s Not Just For Christmas (or Autumn Part Two)
The town of Zao Onsen, back in Yamagata prefecture, was a nice wee place – we just happened to arrive there at the wrong time of year. So it was with some trepidation that we arrived in Kusatsu in Gunma. On a grander, slightly more Swiss scale, this is a very similar town. Healing waters ...
The Dear Green Places
Tokyo might be full to bursting with people, and real estate may be eye-wateringly high, but the city has done an admirable job of defending its green spaces. With almost 40 parks and gardens, if you look hard enough its still possible to find a bit of peace, enjoy a cool drink under a tree, ...
Autumn – Part One
Because we’re loving sorts, today we thought we’d bring you two blog posts. This first one is because we literally couldn’t contain the pictures we took of our first autumnal colours today. This time of year is especially exciting for us as it’s been a very, very long time since we saw anything like it. ...
The Ice Monsters Cometh
In a mountain town in Yamagata, people go about their daily lives as if everything is normal. Men repair potholes; women linger in shops, waiting for customers; mile after mile of soba is served in little restaurants. No one seems worried by what’s to come, and yet they know – they must know – what ...