Wow…my last post was in January, and now it is (almost) April. What have I been doing with myself?! Oh yaaahhhh…second term, three thesis chapters, the mother visiting Japan for the first time, organising summer field research only to have that unravel at the hands of a casual global pandemic. Wow, what a first three…
Category: Travel / holidays
Christmas 2019: The UK Chapter
This year finally had my winter holiday in the UK! This was the first time I had arrived back in the UK since I left in August 2016. My first observation, nothing much has changed – the motorway leaving Heathrow Airport quickly instructed us it was 50 miles an hour for the next 100 miles…yep,…
Onjuku – Chiba Prefecture
In August, to celebrate the birth of my beloved, Dan, we took a long weekend trip to the area of Onjuku. Onjuku is in Chiba Prefecture on the east coast of Japan, with the beautiful sparkling sea of the pacific ocean to enjoy. We visited on a bank holiday weekend, seemingly with the rest of…
Revitalising in Paradise
In July 2019 I took a week long trip to Miyakojima, in Okinawa. This was a solo holiday, and my first solo holiday for some time. I needed some space from Tokyo (not my wonderful Dan of course!) and some time to relax and rest – my first in a while! The island is in…
Four Years
27th May 2019 saw Dan and I celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary. However, perhaps even more significantly, 2019 marks our tipping point. We have known each other for half of our life times this year, and so from here on in we have spent more time together than apart. That feels pretty special. Of course,…
Golden Week 2019: Waterfalls, New Friends, and Animals
After our big hike on the Monday of Golden Week, Dan and I decided to chill for the rest of the week. This was partially encouraged by the very typical bank holiday weather – the world over it seems to rain on bank holidays – but also because we truly had exhausted ourselves with the…
Golden Week 2019: Agano Hikes
Golden Week of 2019 was a pretty special one. This year it was ten days in a row, to celebrate the abdication of the Emperor Akihito, with his son, Naruhito, taking up the position. This is the first abdication in Japan since 1817, so it is a unique chance to be able to experience it. Ten…
Actual Gyoza Gorging: For Dan
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…
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…