Narita – not just an airport…

Well readers, I have almost caught up with writing about my final Tokyo-area trip. On April 21st, I woke up with a heavy heart because it was my last full day in Japan. 😦 Due to flight times, and worrying about earthquakes/blackouts etc, I decided it was probably best if I spent the day based … Continue reading →

Hello Kitty on Vacation!

My friend went to Las Vegas for her winter vacation, and look what she brought back for me! It seems even Ms. Kitty White likes to get away sometimes. I’m wondering now if I might be able to collect Kitty goods from around the world?! This is a Show Me Japan entry. Don’t forget to … Continue reading →

A trip to the mall…

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 →

100,000 Views!

I used to hate statistics at school, but since I’ve been blogging I have grown to love my stats page. Today, Haikugirl’s Japan reached 100,000 all-time views, so I’m blogging today to say a big… THANK YOU to everyone who reads this blog. Knowing that I have readers inspires me to keep writing. This blog … Continue reading →

Hatsumode (はつもうで): Gosha Jinja (五社神社) & Kamoe Kannon (鴨江観音)

Last year and the year before I spent my winter holiday in Japan and experienced the many traditions that come with celebrating New Year in Japan. One that I particularly like is “hatsumode” (はつもうで), which is the first shrine visit of the year. Actually, some people prefer to go to temples, and I decided to … Continue reading →

Challenge for 2011: Post A Week

I was browsing WordPress.com just now when I came across this interesting blog post: Challenge for 2011: Want to blog more often?. To be honest, I already blog quite a lot, I think, but I do like a challenge – especially a blog related one! The post suggests either signing up to WordPress’ “Post A … Continue reading →

Missing Japan…

I just spent ten days back home in England, and the timing was just right to get me thinking about the things I will and won’t miss about Japan when I leave (which is in a little over 100 days, by the way…). So, here’s a short summary of my musings so far: Things I’ll … Continue reading →

My Japanese Advent Calendar – December 25th

Merry Christmas! メリークリスマス! I’ve enjoyed putting together these daily “Japanese Advent Calendar” posts and now, as a final Christmas Day post, here is a little video I put together of X’mas in Japan, 2008 – 2010. So, that’s it. Christmas is over for another year. Actually, it seemed to be over before it had even … Continue reading →

Japan Firsts (Japan Blog Matsuri)

This month’s Japan Blog Matsuri theme is “Japan Firsts” and, as the end of the year is the perfect time for reflection, I thought I’d stop and think back to some “Japan Firsts” of my own. People often ask me how and when I first became interested in Japan. It’s a difficult question to answer … Continue reading →

Toyohashi: old and new

Since I’ve been in Japan, I’ve been lucky enough to have been “adopted” into a wonderful family, who I’ve had many adventures with. Today, I was invited to Toyohashi for a little pre-birthday lunch. One of Toyohashi’s specialties is dengaku.  Dengaku, which I adore, is grilled tofu with miso paste. It’s simple, traditional and vegetarian! … Continue reading →