One of the (many, as you can probably guess by now) things that I love about Japan is that it is still a culture that appreciates and enjoys reading. Back home in Australia book stores are disappearing one by one, and we’re down to just one major book store chain…
Read MoreFor the last couple of days now I’ve been largely stuck indoors, as a typhoon came raging past. It didn’t hit Tokyo proper, but it caused an absolute mass of rainfall and powerful, gusting wind, and it was simply too uncomfortable to go outside in for any great length of…
Read MoreAfter indulging the very high-tech Miku obsessive in me for a couple of days by attending both her expo and concert, I felt a compelling need to get away from all that and back to nature. And when you’re based in Tokyo that means a couple of hours drive to…
Read MoreEveryone should go to a Hatsune Miku concert when they visit Japan. I have honestly never had more fun at any event, concert, or experience than I did for those two hours. I got there early, keen to make sure that under no circumstances whatsoever would I miss even a…
Read MoreFor all the crazy stuff that I’ve been getting up to while in Japan (and will continue to get up to, what with Disneyland and Tokyo Game Show ahead), I have to admit that the Miku Expo and concert was the thing I was most looking forward to. With the…
Read MoreIn my last Loot from Japan update, I showed off the massive boost I’ve done to my Miku figurine collection. For my second I’d like to show off more Miku loot. This time around, though, it’s all about the music. In Australia, if you were to walk into a CD…
Read MoreAs an Australian, I like to think I’m fairly resilient to the heat. After all, in Australian summers, the temperature lifts to over 40 degree Celsius regularly enough, and sits in the high thirties for most of it. It’s not exactly the Middle East, but it’s warm enough. But Japan…
Read MoreJapan, and especially Tokyo, has such an incredible range of art galleries, zoos, museums and exhibitions that it’s a pity that the city doesn’t have the same reputation for “culture” as those in parts of Europe. Where people plan entire trips to see the galleries and museums of Paris, Moscow,…
Read MoreAs the second part of my little day trip out of Tokyo, I headed into Odawara city. There was a very simple reason for this: I badly – badly! – wanted to see Odawara castle. Related reading: The first part of the day’s history tour. Anyone who has played one…
Read MoreAfter enjoying all that new Japan offers (Akihabara, baseball, and vocaloids), I wanted to do indulge my love of the other side of Japan I so love – its history and breathtaking landscape. So, we bundled into a car and set off on a road trip to Odawara. And it…
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