And so the final day of my 2015 Japan trip came. 20th December – my birthday – and I was determined to celebrate in style! That morning I woke up to the most gorgeous view of Mount Fuji as the sun rose above the harbour – what an incredible start to the day! I met … 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
19 days into my 34 day trip and it was time to head to Kobe (神戸), the sixth largest city in Japan. I’ve been to Kobe only once before, in 2009, and I remember thinking it was a city I should come back to explore in more detail someday. Unfortunately Sunday 6th December was not … Continue reading
It’s time for A to Wa of Japan again! Last week’s post was about things beginning with た (ta) and we looked at takoyaki (たこ焼き) and taiyaki (タイヤキ or タイ焼き). This week we are looking at things beginning with ち (chi). A big thank you to everyone who joined in with suggestions this week: lovelycomplex22 suggested chirashizushi (ちらし寿司 / scattered sushi); Japan Australia suggested Chiba … Continue reading
It’s time for A to Wa of Japan again! Last week’s post was about things beginning with け (ke) and we looked at Kesennuma (気仙沼). This week we are looking at things beginning with く (ku). A big thank you to everyone who joined in with suggestions this week: shiotadesu suggested Korilakkuma (コリラックマ / Rilakkuma’s little female friend), Kodomo no hi (子供の日 … Continue reading
Welcome to the last post in the series of Weekly Shiritori! Last week’s post was about Shimane (しまね / 島根), so this week I need to start with ね (ne). A big thank you to everyone who joined in this week (and all year!) – UK Seikatsu who suggested Nebuta-matsuri (ねぶた祭り), neon (ネオン), which is not an original Japanese … Continue reading
This month’s J-Festa is all about “Winter in Japan“. Since the announcement of the theme, I’ve been trying to decide what to write about. I lived in the Chubu region of Japan, so I haven’t experienced harsh winters. It snowed a couple of times, but it was light snow that didn’t last long. It was … Continue reading
Whenever I hear that someone is going to Japan I get so excited for them and want to share advice about all the wonderful things to do there. One thing I would recommend to all visitors is to try to check out a festival (matsuri/祭り) while you’re there. All throughout the year there are various … Continue reading
…or so they said! 😉 I looked out of the window last night and thought, “That looks like snow!”. Throwing on a jacket over my pajamas and grabbing my camera, I dashed out into the night. I didn’t expect there to still be snow in the morning! ☆★☆ ☆★☆ I know it’s not exactly epic … Continue reading
What better activity on a cold January day than a trip to the mall? I usually take the bus to the mall but, despite the freezing cold wind it was a bright sunny day when I woke up, so I decided to attempt walking there this time. It was about three miles from my apartment, … Continue reading
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