It’s Halloween weekend or, as my Japanese friend recently dubbed it, Hallo-weekend, and Japan is a place where Halloween is definitely not done by halves! The place to be at Halloween is Tokyo, and it’s the famous Shibuya Crossing which sees all the action with massive street parties, road closures and incredible costumes. Tokyo Fashion … Continue reading
After returning from my Mount Shosha adventure on 18th December I decided to explore Himeji a bit more, and went in search of some kind of reward for my morning’s efforts. I soon found what I was looking for: Jidai Cafe. Jidai Cafe is a tacky tourist trap of a cafe serving ninja themed food, … Continue reading
I had only been to Miyajima (宮島) once before, on 27th March 2006. Miyajima, the popular name of the island Itsukushima (厳島), is a small island in the Inland Sea, just off the coast of Hiroshima. I remember liking Miyajima, but I also remember dashing about like a mad thing because I had travelled from … Continue reading
It was my birthday yesterday and my mum, who clearly knows me well, decided to bestow upon me a whole heap of Hello Kitty! I got a Hello Kitty apron, chef’s hat, oven gloves, tea towels, cookies and cookie tin, mug with hot chocolate and a hand warmer! Everything’s so pink – seeing these cute … Continue reading
Continuing my Japan adventure, after spending a couple of nights of Kyoto I headed to Hakone for a night. Hakone is somewhere I’ve been wanting to visit for a while now, and I can’t believe it was never on my list whilst living in Japan. One night there would probably have been enough if I … Continue reading
I’ve been spending the bank holiday weekend here in the UK trying to catch up with life. I still have hundreds of photos to edit and upload, but I’m making progress. Today I’ve reached 16th May, which was the day I left my tour group behind and made my way to Takayama (高山) by myself. It … Continue reading
It’s time for Word of the Week again! Last week we looked at a Japanese word or phrase beginning with ‘o’ (お), and focussed on the phrase お疲れ様です (otsukaresama desu); a useful phrase said at the end of the day or after completing a task. This week I’m looking for a word or phrase beginning with ‘ka’ (か). A big … Continue reading
I love to wear bows in my hair, especially when I’m dressed up for an event, so I was delighted to receive this fabulous Hello Kitty hair bow from my friend for Christmas: I know what I’ll be wearing at the next Hyper Japan! The bow seems to be made by a company called Moon … Continue reading
Introducing… Chihiro! Chihiro is the latest addition to my Japanese doll family. Rather than being a traditional kokeshi (こけし) doll, Chihiro is a modern Momiji doll, and she’s a bit of a Hello Kitty fan if this fabulous Sanrio collaboration is anything to go by! I also got a Chihiro keyring and a Stella badge. … Continue reading
This coming year (as always) I’ll be keeping Japan close beside me as the months pass by. One of my Christmas presents was this cute Hello Kitty calendar: The calendar is simple, and very, very pink! Kitty wears a cute ballerina outfit, and she’s in a different pose each month. Kawaii! This is an official … Continue reading
Haikugirl's Japan 