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, ...
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 ...
Day One – Toyama
There was part of me that thought we might get an easy start to life as travel volunteers. That part – the fool – was completely wrong. Between jet-lag interrupting our sleep (again) and the possible consumption of one sake too many the night before, the start of our real journey crashed in on us ...