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
☆★☆ WARNING☆★☆ This is a long post full of lots of pictures that WILL make you wish you were in Tokyo! Sunday 8th June came and I had one final day left of my month-long trip to Japan. I was in Tokyo, and decided to spend the day in my favourite parts of the city: … Continue reading
I know it’s a cliché, but I couldn’t leave Tokyo without spending some time sitting in Starbucks and staring at the Shibuya Crossing… Tomorrow I’ll be heading back to the UK after what has been the most incredible 4-week trip. I have taken over 7,000 photos, so please bear with me whilst I sort through … Continue reading
Last week’s post was about umeboshi (うめぼし / 梅干), so this week I need to start with し (shi). Following a suggestion from none other than my Mum, I have decided to write about… Shibuya (しぶや / 渋谷) Shibuya was pretty much the first stop on my self-made tour when I visited Japan for the first … Continue reading
I’m not even going to entertain other possibilities for this week’s A-Z of Japan post. There is only one thing that L could be for… L is for… Lost in Translation! (Source) I know some of you reading this will disagree with me but, in my opinion, Lost in Translation is one of the best … Continue reading
The obvious choice for H in my A-Z of Japan would of course be haiku (俳句). However, B was for Basho, so I’ve already covered that. Another popular choice would be Hello Kitty, but she gets so much coverage. I also considered hanami (花見 / cherry blossom viewing), but it’s something I’ve talked about a lot before. So, … Continue reading
I’ve been back in England since Friday and I can’t tell you how much I miss Japan. However, I was lucky enough to have a week of fabulous adventures in and around Tokyo before I left, and now it’s time for me to start sharing those adventures with you. I’ll start at the very beginning … Continue reading
I’m happy to report that on the surface life seems almost “normal” in Tokyo. The biggest difference I have noticed is that a lot of lights are switched off – in trains and stations, and most notably by the famous Shibuya scramble crossing. It makes Tokyo feel a little more subdued, and just a touch … Continue reading
Ueno: Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! We arrived in Tokyo early afternoon on Thursday, and checked in to our LOVELY ryokan near Ueno (I’ll say more about this in another post). Not wanting to waste the day, and both feeling excited to be in Tokyo, we set off to explore Ueno Park. I … Continue reading
Haikugirl's Japan 