The thoughts and adventures of a pathological book-buyer about to navigate the highs and lows of life in Japan
I’ve always loved thrills. However, as I dangled by a single rope on the lip of a 20-metre waterfall, water crashing down around me and a dark plunge pool looming under my red-booted feet, I was truly beginning to question my life choices. Continue reading Going with the Flow
The scenes I witnessed this weekend could have been taken straight from feudal Japan, when the country was closed off to most of the world and split into warring lords and samurai. I wouldn’t have been surprised if I’d looked over the castle wall to find ninjas climbing towards me, or found women in elaborate kimono navigating the diagonal stairs. I’d stepped back in time to Fukushima’s samurai past. Continue reading Time Travel and Falling Ninjas
I’d forgotten how much Japan loves stairs. You can’t avoid them – at the train station, in shops, at every shrine or temple you visit – and there are often hundreds. On this particular weekend, my senpai and I found ourselves climbing the ‘1000-step staircase to paradise.’ We didn’t exactly feel paradisiacal. Continue reading The Joys of Stairs
This post may not be safe for young children, but I’ll make sure to blur the photos where need be. My weekend began with me wearing a giant inflatable ball and charging into my friends, and ended with me watching men in nappies fight over money, glory and of course, alcohol. Continue reading My First Karaoke ft. Grown Men in Nappies
Flowers are important here in Japan. The flower they’re most famous for is cherry blossom, but it’s not April yet, and there are many other flowers that bloom around Japan in summer. We drove into Kitakata, a.k.a. land of ramen, in search of sunflowers. Continue reading Hanging with the Sunflowers
Some days I lounge about doing absolutely nothing, and other days I squeeze in a million things and spend every moment wide awake. This was one of those days, and it began with a group of lovely housewives. Continue reading Lanterns and Lifelong Dreams
A fish with heart-shaped markings swims in the Bishamon-numa, one of the five-coloured lakes that lie beneath Mount Bandai. If you catch sight of this elusive fish, you will find true love. Or at least, that’s how the legend goes. Continue reading Cupid is a Carp
Our senpais joked with us new JETs that we’d brought bad luck with us. First, a strong earthquake hit as soon as we landed in Japan, then a village nearby caught on fire, and finally our first weekend plans were thwarted by a lightning strike. Continue reading When Lightning Strikes
I found Germany a little strange at first when I moved there, but Japan is on another continent, and that adds a whole new layer of quirky! Or, as my senpai here calls it, ‘Japan logic.’ Continue reading Fukushima and the Giant Peach
My first three days in Japan were a blur of small talk, speeches, tactical napping, more speeches, and bonding with people I’ll never see again. Continue reading Tokyo Orientation: Fresher’s Week 2.0
A Book Lover's Travels 