Kobe Luminarie Light Festival
Kobe Luminarie is an annual light festival held in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, every December since 1995. It commemorates the Great Hanshin earthquake of that year. This stunning, multicoloured display attracts…
Exploring
5 Days In Kyushu – Itinerary
Thinking of visiting Kyushu? Here’s my 5-day itinerary – a whistlestop tour of a few highlights of Kyushu, including recommendations for sights, restaurants and hotels for each day, with photos….
3 Months In Japan – Without A Plan
3 Months In Japan – Without A Plan In a few days my wife and I will be returning to the land of the rising sun. To live there for…
Fantastic Interactive Map of Japan – Get Exploring!
Next up for me is a visit to the southern island of Kyushu, where I’ll be taking in Fukuoka (for the first time) and Nagasaki, among other lesser-known towns and…
Interview With Travel For Stamps
Interview With Travel For Stamps Tifanee Baker who runs the travel blog Travel For Stamps has just published an interview with me on her blog. It’s about my global travel…
Bus Ride Through the Mountains of Miyagi Prefecture
Join me on a bus ride through the mountains of Miyagi Prefecture. It’s a sunny day in May when the bus departs from the remote Zao Fox Village, weaving its…
Uonotana Fish Market, Akashi
You may have heard of Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, but there’s another, lesser-known fish market that’s well worth a visit – and you won’t see any foreign tourists…
Lunch, Sweets, Coffee and Naramachi (Nara)
Naramachi is the former traditional merchant’s quarter in Nara – the old capital of Japan. Spending time, slowly walking around its narrow streets is evocative, like stepping back in time….
Senkoji Ropeway Cable Car, Onomichi City
Senkoji Ropeway Cable Car, Onomichi City Onomichi City is in Hiroshima Prefecture, on the main island of Honshu, facing the Inland Sea. It’s a gateway to a series of small…
Walking Around Ainokura Village, Gokayama
Walking Around Ainokura Village (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Gokayama, Toyama Prefecture Ainokura is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site in the mountains in the Gokayama area of Toyama Prefecture, on…
A Walk Around Nakanoike Ryokuchi Park, Ashiya
Nakanoike Ryokuchi Park In this short film, we take a relaxing stroll through the suburbs of Ashiya to Nakanoike Ryokuchi Park. Ashiya is our home when we are in Japan….
N700A Shinkansen Departing Shin-Osaka Station
The N700 series is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train with tilting capability developed jointly by JR Central and JR-West for use on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines since…
Goshikizuka Mounded Tomb, View of Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Kobe
Goshikizuka Mounded Tomb, also known as Sentsubo Kofun, is an ancient burial ground between Kobe and the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (which can be seen in the film). Goshikizuka Mounded Tomb…
Exploring Kyoto’s 15 Storey Train Station
Kyoto, the former Imperial capital of Japan with its amazing wealth of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, is on many people’s ‘to do’ list when travelling in Japan. Most arrive…
A Secret Tour of Tokyo National Museum
Noh Mask, Edo period, 18th Century The very first time I went to Japan it was mainly for leisure, but also partly for business. I was working in intellectual property…