This week we have watched, from afar, the devastating news of a terrorist attack in the heart of Manchester. The act of terror hit the heart of a city of glorious people, where community spirit and collective care is so strong. The attack was shocking, as any news of terror and murder is, as it…
Author: Lorrie
スペースワールド
We recently visited the now infamous Space World スペースワールド in Kitakyushu. Space World made global news in December 2016 when it controversially used frozen fish in its ice skate rink to make people feel like they were skating on the ocean. A few days later it was back in the news again announcing its closure…
Wisteria Garden Part 2 and Another Date Weekend
So, as ‘wisteria garden part 1’ suggests, we took a second shot at wisteria heaven. The second shot was a little more successful than part one, this time at least the garden was not a stick garden at least. There was even evidence that at some point earlier in the week there had been a…
Rusty Baths and Dolphins
Iki island has an onsen town full to the brim of public bathhouses. On our recent holiday, we got to enjoy them all! We enjoyed an indulgent week of lounging in onsen baths full of rusty coloured water. They were extremely relaxing and cheap! It was much better than using the cold showers at our…
Para, Para, Paradise
The beaches of Iki island are true paradise! Two of them are in Japan’s top one hundred beaches, and it’s not hard to see why. Tsutsukihama is a 500m beach of white sand with a glorious turquoise sea, not tarnished in anyway. Behind the beach is a pretty pond and stretch of green parkland. Backing…
Monkeys and Gun-Houses
Iki island is reasonably rural and unknown. It has a past they would rather not talk about (which involved dolphin slaughter, but there is now a dolphin reserve on the island) and currently there is ample nature but little in terms of the convenience Japan is famous for. For us, this was just perfect as…
The Quidditch World Cup
Our golden time 2017 was spent on the delightful Iki island, my new favourite place in Japan. It really was heavenly with clear skies, blue seas, ample wildlife and lush mountains and rice paddies. We needed to keep the costs down on our holiday at a traditional time of higher rates. So, we decided to…
The First Term
April marks the start of a new school year in Japan. The teachers have been shuffled around, the desks moved, and new books purchased. I have never been through an experience like the start of the new academic year in Japan. Teachers in Japan at the end of May learn of the fate: have they…
Japanese Warriors and Grandmothers
On turning 30, we had not realised that our hobbies would branch out to include activities inspired by Japanese warriors and Japanese grandmothers. Each week we practice Kyudo, or Japanese archery. This is a surprisingly difficult form of archery, which follows a specific etiquette and process. We have also developed a taste for a hobby…
Sunday Strawberries
As spring broke, the cherry blossoms departed, and the temperatures rose, we had a gentle afternoon of all-you-can eat strawberry picking. The all-you-can eat fruit picking is an unusual concept for us, but strawberries….wow, are they delicious. I am pretty sure they have always been tasty, but in Japan they seem to be more juicy…