The final 24 hours in Ustunomiya were not quite as relaxing as the first two. The main reason for this is the significant lack of vegetarian gyozas. Whilst Dan was able to gorge himself on these delicious Japanese treats, I had to stick to Western avocado salads and chips. Don’t get me wrong, as a…
Category: Travel around Japan
Gyoza Gorging: Utsunomiya
I recently learned about a place in Tochigi Prefecture, which is about two hours north of Tokyo on a local train or one hour north if you splurge for a Shinkansen. It is infamous in the local area for having an abundance of gyozas to gorge on. After hearing about the area I came home…
Tama Zoo, Tokyo
Dan and I love a zoo. That much is known. We recently discovered Tama Zoo, about one hour West of central Tokyo. It is set in hilly grounds and has a wide range of animals, including an excessive amount of Giraffes (there were about 15!). You can explore the zoo on foot, and walk about…
Tokyo Hikes: Keeping Costs Down
Tokyo is an exciting and substantial city to live in. It is bucking the trend in Japan as a city which is constantly growing and gaining more talent. Whilst the rest of Japan declines, young people flock to Tokyo for opportunities and the promise of a ‘high life’. This high life is not for everyone….
Toyama Glass Museum
In Toyama city there is a unique and modern library building. This building houses the Toyama Glass Museum, which features work from local glass artists and the infamous Dale Chihuly. Chihuly has exhibitions all over the world and, rather surprisingly, also in Toyama! So on one of our colder and less ‘outside’ winter holiday days…
Christmas Day 2018
In 2018 Dan and I spent our first Christmas in Japan after over two and a half years of living here. We spent it on Toyama in our unique Airbnb. Our actual day started off slowly with a late wake up, a bit of book reading (I indulged in a festive bit of Bridget Jones’…
Shirakawa
Shirakawa-Mura is an area in North Gifu prefecture, which borders Toyama, and is the home to some unique thatched houses, which are, of course, a World Heritage Site. The houses were nice and the town was very quaint. However, the best bit…the best bit was the drive there! Over rolling mountains and around beautiful green…
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…
Night Kayaking
A few months ago we were supposed to enjoy a week long holiday in Hokkaido. However, before we could travel, the Japanese government changed the law which impacted on our accommodation, and so the holiday was cancelled. This led to many boohoos on our end, but also resulted in $100 voucher for an ‘Airbnb Experience’….