On Saturday 28th November I strapped my hiking shoes on once again and set off for an autumnal hike in the northern mountains of Kyoto. My plan was to take the train from Kyoto to Kurama (鞍馬), then hike to Kibune (貴船) before returning to Kyoto by train. Kyoto is a great city, but in … Continue reading
It’s time for ‘Japan by Prefecture‘ again! This is the series that aims to provide the highlights of each prefecture of Japan, along with my personal favourites and suggestions from readers. This week, we’re looking at Tottori (鳥取県). Tottori Prefecture is part of the Chugoku Region (中国地方) and the capital is Tottori (鳥取市). I’ve not been to Tottori Prefecture, and didn’t … Continue reading
昔々あるところに Mukashi mukashi, aru tokoro ni… Once upon a time, in a certain place… I woke up in a land full of fairytales – Tono (遠野) in Iwate Prefecture. My guide, Matsumoto-san, came to pick me up from my hotel around 10:30am, and she brought with her a fantastic taxi driver, Suzuki-san, who was tasked with … Continue reading
After reading The Legends of Tono by Kunio Yanagita and Tales from a Mountain Cave by Hisashi Inoue I knew I simply had to visit Tono (遠野) in Iwate Prefecture. So, on Friday 30th May I continued my Tohoku adventure and headed towards Tono. After quite a bit of hanging around due to local line trains … Continue reading
I’ve never been much of one for hiking and the outdoors, but that all changed on May 17th when I visited Kamikochi (上高地). Taking a much-needed weekend off from my work duties in Japan, I met my friend and we travelled together to Kamikochi for a spot of hiking and fresh air. I think it … Continue reading
I have just spent the most incredible 4 weeks in Japan. As I’ve been travelling I’ve tried to feed you little snippets of what I’ve bee doing via this blog, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, but I have in no way covered it all. As time goes on I will be posting about certain aspects of my … Continue reading
Yesterday I forgot to post something, so I’m going to give you some bonus extras today! Here are a couple of images from yesterday’s adventures in Tono, home of the mythical ‘kappa’ and many other folktales…
“Mukashi mukashi, aru tokoro ni…” (昔々あるところに。。。) – Once upon a time, long long ago… That was how my Sunday evening at Café Kino in Bristol began. I attended an event called ‘Myth and Music of Old Japan‘ by Mukashi Mukashi, a group of four musicians with one storyteller. All around the small stage in the over-crowded café … Continue reading
In November I reviewed Tales from a Mountain Cave by Hisashi Inoue (井上 ひさし) (translated by Angus Turvill) (click here for my review) and I said that next on my reading list would be The Legends of Tono, or ‘Tono Monogatari‘ (遠野物語), by Kunio Yanagita (柳田 國男), the book which inspired Tales from a Mountain Cave. The Legends of Tono, … Continue reading
Do you know the story of the revenge of the Forty-seven Ronin (四十七士) which took place in Japan at the start of the eighteenth century? It’s not a story I know well, but I’ve spent the last few days reading various accounts of it. Why? Because Keanu Reeves’ new movie 47 Ronin came out on … Continue reading
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