Shogun Ieyasu was a canny chap. When he became Shogun in 1603 he forced all the great lords to spend every second year with him in Edo, or Tokyo as it is now. This meant that they spent huge amounts of time and money travelling with their vast retinues along the road between Kyoto and… Continue reading Bears and eel chips
Category: Countries
A series of unfortunate events …
There’s a very strict code of conduct associated with being Japanese; they’re the greatest rule followers I’ve ever known. But unless you’ve grown up with these rules, it can be very difficult to a) remember them, or b) notice them in the first place. But I suppose that the good thing about being a foreigner… Continue reading A series of unfortunate events …
Investigating the Nagoya food scene
Every country has its own love-it-or-hate-it foodstuff. In England it’s Marmite, in Malaysia it’s Durian, and in Japan the polarizing comestible is called natto. It’s made from fermented soya beans and, according to Wikipedia, ‘is an acquired taste because of its powerful smell, strong flavor and slimy, sticky texture.’ After coping with the smell of… Continue reading Investigating the Nagoya food scene
The philistine’s guide to Japanese culture
I’ve now done some reading up on Japanese culture and history, so I feel slightly less ignorant than I did a few weeks ago, when I went to the National Musuem. Ooh! It’s Morecambe and Wise, I thought – I now know that they are, in fact, 6th Century tomb figurines. And what I initially… Continue reading The philistine’s guide to Japanese culture
Tokyo food tours
I’ve come to appreciate, during my travels, that signing up for a food tour in a new place pays back dividends. The guide takes you to all sorts of wonderful hidden-away spots, explains the whole food scene and generally equips you with enough know-how to go solo afterwards. So when I got to Tokyo I… Continue reading Tokyo food tours
The dawn of a new era
The new Emperor of Japan ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne today which signalled the first day of a new era. Whilst they do use the year 2019, they also use their own system based on the number of years the Emperor has been on the throne. When I got my ID card, I was surprised to… Continue reading The dawn of a new era
The obedience of rain
In Japan, if the weather forecast says it’s going to rain, then it rains, and if the forecast says it won’t rain, then it doesn’t. Having spent time in both Norfolk and Malaysia, where it rains if it feels like it, and nobody has any idea what the weather will be like in five… Continue reading The obedience of rain
My new favourite city – Kyoto
I’ve had three weekends in Japan so far, and have chosen to spend two of them in Kyoto; I absolutely adore it there. Everything is exquisite – the temples, the gardens, the little streets with wooden houses, the little waterways lined with cherry trees, the tiny craft studios and cafes – it has to be… Continue reading My new favourite city – Kyoto
Kyoto – getting naked with the natives
I decided to hop on a bullet train and spend my first weekend in Japan in Kyoto. It’s about 90 miles away, but as the train gets up to 175 mph, the journey only takes 35 minutes and there’s a train every ten minutes or so – what an amazing service! It’s fairly expensive –… Continue reading Kyoto – getting naked with the natives
Yay! It’s Cherry blossom time!
I arrived in Japan on Tuesday, and I have to say that it’s a lot more foreign than Malaysia. On the bullet train from Tokyo to Nagoya I felt just like Harry Potter on the Hogwart’s Express when the trolley lady arrived with the refreshment trolley; I had absolutely no idea what anything was, and… Continue reading Yay! It’s Cherry blossom time!
Getting into hot water
One of the strangest things about North Island is suddenly coming across a patch of ground that’s smoking – or hearing a glooping and plopping noise coming from a muddy puddle, which is bubbling away happily all by itself. The volcanic hot springs are wonderful. You can either pay to go to the pools –… Continue reading Getting into hot water
Hobbits
Hobbiton was at the top of my list for NZ North Island. Having seen lots of countryside locations where Lord of the Rings had been filmed, I was now keen to see something that had been built especially for the film. Hobbiton is big business, with 3,000 people a day visiting in peak season. Although,… Continue reading Hobbits
Starstruck in Marlborough Country
Touring the vineyards in Marlborough made me feel like a film fan doing the Hollywood celebrities’ tour, ‘Ooh, look – it’s … Villa Maria/Wither Hills/Brancott!’ as famous name after famous name rolled by, and I leapt out of the car to snap a pic. With my liver’s best interests at heart, we didn’t stop at… Continue reading Starstruck in Marlborough Country
Mad museums on South Island
I have to say that some of the strangest museums I’ve been to are here in New Zealand. They have the world’s only steampunk museum on South Island, with some very unusual displays … sort of Dr Who meets Narnia in Steptoe’s yard – But the descriptions were the highlight for me. This – if… Continue reading Mad museums on South Island
In which I discover that Fox Glacier isn’t a mint, after all
Apparently, there’s an entry on many a bucket list which reads, ‘heli hike on a glacier’. It’s not on my bucket list because I’d never even heard of heli hiking before I got to New Zealand, and once I found out about it, I wasn’t really sure how hiking on a glacier differs from slithering… Continue reading In which I discover that Fox Glacier isn’t a mint, after all
What sound does a Sound make?
Fiordland, in the south-west of South Island, is full of Sounds. To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure what a Sound (with a capital ‘S’) actually is, so I had to look it up. It turns out that a Sound is a large sea/ocean inlet, formed when the sea fills a valley, so it’s surrounded… Continue reading What sound does a Sound make?
Albatrosses and Orcs
We landed in New Zealand at Christchurch, and the temperature was 32 degrees. We just accepted it, having become used to Malaysian and Australian weather – but it turned out to be a fluke, and as we drove south to Dunedin the temperature dropped by more than 20 degrees, until it was just ten above… Continue reading Albatrosses and Orcs
Doing shots in Tasmania
This is a shot – Tassie style – It’s an oyster shot – – sake with wasabi, pickled ginger and a plump, fresh Tasmanian oyster … delicious! The seafood here is so good – – I devoured these six scallops cooked with brioche crumbs and herbs in about three minutes, in a little restaurant on… Continue reading Doing shots in Tasmania
Melbourne: trees in skirts
Having spent a few days in Melbourne, I feel just that little bit hipper and cooler. I’ve been hanging out in bars with uber-cool names like … which has a series of unusual collages on the walls – And Melbourne’s the sort of city where you can get a Shiatsu massage in the market –… Continue reading Melbourne: trees in skirts
Question: What’s the weather like in Perth?
Answer: It’s Perth-fect! I’ve never been in such a perfect climate … wall-to-wall sunshine with horizon-to-horizon blue sky all day, every day, and with a slight breeze to stop it getting too hot. This is what the sky looks like all the time – So … apart from the flawless weather, what else is Perth… Continue reading Question: What’s the weather like in Perth?