Japan budget
Japan is expensive, that’s what you hear. Well, not that much, actually. Twenty years of deflation have left a mark in their price levels. As did the recent depreciation of the Yen against the Euro, losing 40% within a couple of months. If you have visited London, New York or San Francisco, you won’t find […] Read More
Tremendous Tokyo
Here’s my best-of-Japan, a mix of Tokyo and Osaka: Best part/scene/place: It is hard to decide, as Tokyo has so many different scenes, from the Hanami at the Meguro Kanal, to the bars of Shinjuku, to the Harajuku in the Park. Whatever you are looking for, you will find it in Tokyo. Best drink (alcoholic): Sake. What […] Read More
Back to Tokyo
I hopped onto the Shinkansen again this morning, speeding back the 894.2 km in around 4h45, which includes the little stop in Osaka. It’s an amazing technology, and such a smooth ride. Time flies. The tracks run through what is I guess the most populated areas of Japan, honestly it seems like one big continuous […] Read More
That day
When I was a kid, I read this book with stories from the children in Hiroshima who survived the explosion, at least long enough to tell their story. Where they were on what they simply called ‘that day’, what they did when they saw that bright light, when they flew through the air, when they […] Read More
Okonomiyaki
Ok, I hereby officially declare this blog a food and temple blog. Now that this is out of the way, here’s the latest culinary discovery: Okonomiyaki. I had already seen them being prepared at the late night hanami in Osaka, but they were all made with meat – I asked. It turns out, they are […] Read More
Miyajima Island
After the sad first day in Hiroshima, I needed something uplifting. A trip to nearby Miyajima Island, best known for its floating torii gate at the entrance to the Itsukushima Shrine. The torii is the traditional Japanese gate usually found at the entrance of a Shinto shrine This one is special though, and it might easily be one of the most […] Read More
