After the rigmarole of getting my visa to go to China, you could be forgiven for thinking that getting on the train from Osaka to Shimonoseki (well, the first of three trains anyway) would be something of a relief. It wasn’t. It was about first equal for the hardest day of my life. Aaron’s flight … Read more
As I mentioned previously, food took a starring role in our exploration of Japan, and so I think Aaron was almost as excited as I was to get a chance to learn to cook some of our own. We signed up for a class with Emi Hirayama at Uzuki Japanese cooking and discussed with her … Read more
Japan has a recorded history that is nearly 2,000 years old. That’s a long time to develop a unique culture with its own styles of architecture, clothing, food, horticulture, religion and daily life. Unfortunately, Japan is also firmly situated on the Ring of Fire, making it home to a number of active volcanoes and shifting … Read more
Did I tell you Aaron wants to be a samurai? Or a ninja. Actually, preferably a ninja. But a samurai will do. I heard that a lot in the months leading up to our visit to Japan. Turns out neither group is recruiting. * You can, however, pay to dress up like a samurai and … Read more
Now I’m not exactly the biggest sports fan, being both unfit and uncoordinated, but I do try to adopt a ‘when in Rome’ policy while travelling. While living in Darwin, we went to an AFL match (still quite possibly the most ridiculous sport ever), and I went to see some muay Thai boxing in Bangkok. … Read more
In Sendai, the earthquake’s after effects lie mostly beneath the radar, out of tourist view. Hiroshima, on the other hand, has taken the biggest disaster in its history (indeed, one of the world’s greatest disasters) and created a memorial that would (and should) be impossible to miss. On 6 August 1945, US military forces dropped … Read more
On February 22nd, 2011 a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the South Island of New Zealand, killing 185 people and injuring many more. Buildings collapsed with people inside, sink holes opened up in the streets, and rescue teams from all over the world sent people to help. It was one of the biggest disasters in New … Read more
Speaking of unusual things about Japan, I didn’t mention this guy. He’s a kappa. And this is a kappa-ccino. And you thought the weird stuff was over. Now what, I hear you asking, on earth, is a kappa? Well, my friend, a kappa is a creature of Japanese folk lore. Roughly about the size of … Read more
I pondered that title for ages, but really, there’s just no other way to say it. Japan is weird. If the Goku statues in the airport didn’t give it away, there were plenty of other opportunities to work it out. One of the things Aaron most wanted to do in Tokyo was see the cosplay … Read more
Sadly, not a Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory tour golden ticket, but the Japan Rail Pass is still pretty awesome. Our JR Passes came with a pretty hefty price tag, but once they were in our hot little hands, we could travel all over the country, whenever we wanted, on almost any train (the fastest class … Read more