It was Tuesday 15th December when I found myself getting spirited away once more and having a real adventure. After taking the ferry from Miyajima to Miyajima-guchi, the train to Hiroshima, and a bullet train to Fukuyama, I then took a bus in to what felt like the middle of nowhere, to Tomonoura (鞆の浦). Tomonoura … 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
Moving on from Matsuyama and back to the mainland, on Sunday 13th December I took the ferry to Hiroshima (広島), one of my favourite cities in Japan. I don’t know what it is about Hiroshima, and I’ve only been there a few times before, but I absolutely love it. It’s a well-designed city, and I like … 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 Hiroshima (広島県). Hiroshima Prefecture is part of the Chugoku Region (中国地方) and the capital is Hiroshima (広島市). When I first planned to visit Japan back … Continue reading
One of my birthday presents from my mum was the DVD of The Wolverine featuring the wonderful Huge (oopsie!) Hugh Jackman. Although I enjoyed the first X-Men movie (and did have a bit of a fantasy about joining being one of the X-Men in my youth…), I haven’t really followed the films since that first … Continue reading
It’s time for A to Wa of Japan again! Last week’s post was about things beginning with め (me) and we looked at Meibutsu (名物). This week we are looking at things beginning with も (mo). A big thank you to those who joined in with suggestions this week: Nippaku suggested Momotaro (桃太郎 / the legendary Peach Boy); Japan Australia suggested momo (もも … Continue reading
It’s time for A to Wa of Japan again! Last week’s post was about things beginning with む (mu) and we looked at Murasaki Shikibu (紫 式部).This week we are looking at things beginning with め (me). A big thank you to those who joined in with suggestions this week: Zooming Japan suggested Meguro (目黒 / an area of Tokyo), and mentaiko (明太子 / … Continue reading
It’s time for A to Wa of Japan again! Last week’s post was about things beginning with ま (ma) and we looked at Mamachari ( ママチャリ).This week we are looking at things beginning with み (mi). A big thank you to those who joined in with suggestions this week: UK Seikatsu suggested Mishima Yukiko (三島由紀夫 / an author), Miura-hanto (三浦半島 / a peninsula located … Continue reading
A year ago today I was a jumble of nerves and anticipation because, a year ago tomorrow, I was due to fly to Japan to start my new life as an English teacher in Nagoya. It feels strange to look back at my early posts from my hotel room – I was half on holiday … Continue reading
Usually, national holidays fall on a Monday and I lose out because that’s my day off anyway. But, this time I was lucky. Today is Autumn Equinox day, and so I was granted a beautiful long weekend. And beautiful it was, because I decided to make the most of it and flee to Hiroshima! As … Continue reading
Haikugirl's Japan 