For my birthday, I turned 25 for the 7th year in a row (I know, it’s a miracle…) Dan and I went to Takezawa in Saitama. Now, this was a trip I had very little hand in planning (alarm bells). So imagine my delight when we arrive in Takezawa area at the local train station…
Category: Country living
New Home, Brave New World
My posts have been lacking of late. This has not been because of a lack of care or concern for Our Japan Story, but rather because of the start of a brave new chapter in our, frankly wonderful, life in Japan. When Dan and I made the decision to move to Japan in August 2016,…
And Mountain (Toyama)
Dan and I decided to spend our first Christmas after three years in Japan. Partly a decision fuelled by funding, but also we had been lucky enough to get an Airbnb voucher to use in Japan after a failed holiday in the summer. This meant we had £350 to spend on accommodation anywhere in Japan…the…
That Beach Over There
On the 16th June Dan and I hosted a beach party. I mean, there was little hosting to be had really, but we selected a spot on the beach and people joined us from across the prefecture to relax in the sun and swim in the sea. Coming from the UK, it is a pretty…
Life on Mars
Mount Aso would make the perfect location for filming of a space adventure. It was as close as I could imagine walking on Mars would be, with nothing green, but a sea of reds, whites, blacks, golds, and browns. In our quest to get as up close and personal with the volcano as safely possible,…
Golden Week 2018 Photo Gallery
The Golden Week of 2018, so called because of several well-placed bank holidays in Japan, we chose to complete a mini tour of Kyushu island. The journey took us to one of the most active volcanoes in Japan, Mount Aso, and then down to the so-called sunniest city in Japan, Miyazaki. Here are a few…
The Bright City Lights
Dan and I live close to the large city of Fukuoka, with a booming population of 1.5 million. We are pretty lucky as we can hop on a bus near my main school and arrive in Fukuoka just over an hour later. So, we frequently do… This valentines / just another day to make the…
Coffee Tour Kokura
As we have already established, Dan loves coffee. So, one sunny weekend at the start of the glorious spring season in Japan, we took to Kokura to have a little coffee tour. We started out taking a 1 hour trek through suburbs, past factories, down back allies, to find coffee shop number one. It sat…
Setsubun
Setsubun, the day before Japan welcomes spring, and a chance to banish demons and wish for good luck in the coming year. This year we celebrated (for the first time) with our friends at our local shrine in Ayaragi. To ensure good luck for the year, any new years eve decorations need to be burned…
Onsens – Keeping Warm in Winter
Onsens are a big part of the Japanese lifestyle and a great way to keep warm in the cold Japanese winters. They are popular throughout Japan, which has its fair share of natural hot springs because it sits on a fault line. However, for those who are not experienced in the onsen, they are a…