Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think.
Last month I spent an extended weekend on the tiny island of Naoshima, in the Seto inland sea. Naoshima became a well known cultural spot in Japan after the Benesse corporation (owner of the Berlitz language schools) had Tadao Ando design and build two museums for contemporary art. I usually dislike museums because they feel [...]
Soul Bubbles has been released in Japan under the name “Awatama”.
A weekend trip to Yakushima island, home of Mononoke Hime’s forest.
Spent a few days in Kyoto.
Had never seen it in autumn.
Felt like sharing the beauty.
Today I was in the city of Nara – about half an hour by train from Kyoto – where I visited the Todai-ji, a temple which is said to be the largest wooden building in the world and is home to a huge 15 meter bronze Buddha.
I also spent a little time at the local [...]
I think I’ve just had the ultimate Tokyo experience…
About half an hour ago, northern Japan was hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. There were a few casualties. I was woken up by a loud squeaking noise coming from the windows. At first, I thought it was the window cleaning guys. But then the squeaking got [...]
…can you have lunch at a “dog cafe”, were the owners have a small sandwich while their dogs feast on designer cookies while waiting for their beauty session at the dog grooming shop. I even saw an impeccably dressed guy spoon feed his (pictured below) chihuahua. Then he let the dog lick him on his [...]
Some Japanese like dogs…
…and some don’t.
Just from looking around, it is fairly clear that Japan has a thriving gaming culture.
I am not just talking about local specialties like Shogi or Pachinko but of a broader understanding and acceptance of gaming as a normal part of life. It is ingrained deeper than anywhere else I’ve been. Mario and other gaming icons [...]
I only visited two museums during my whole stay in Japan: the Ota Memorial Museum of Art and the Ghibli Museo d’Arte. The first one is a tiny place where you take off your shoes before going in and has a rotating collection of ukiyo-e. By an immense stroke of luck, while I was in [...]
