I didn't quite manage that daily update thing, did I?  I have a darn good excuse though.  I got a phone call last Friday from a friend who works for a rock magazine in Tokyo.  She needed a photographer for a visual kei fashion show and concert on Saturday.  At first I said no, owing to having private lessons to teach (and also a terrible fear of ( Read more... )

Well, I guess my favourite place not in the guide books would be Ina, but I'm not sure that counts as a place to visit, rather a place to return home to.  So, I guess the best place I've been to which IS in guide books but is a relatively little-visited place is Sado Island, about an hour and a half off the coast of Niigata in the Japan Sea.


( Read more... )

First off, I've been watching the Chilean miners being rescued since it started at lunchtime and it has made my day being able to see these men come out of the ground.  I normally feel quite misanthropic towards humans in general, but seeing such hard work and effort from people in Chile and the co-operation from countries around the world to get ( Read more... )

Since coming to Japan almost four years ago (November 6th will be my 4-year Japanniversary) I've lived in various locations.  Ina, Omori, Yokohama; but my current home is about 10 minutes on the Chuo line out of Shinjuku in Asagaya.  I moved here in May this year, and have always felt quite amazed by how quickly I got used to living here.  Ina took ( Read more... )

( Read more... )

I thought this would be an interesting thing to do as I speed towards the anniversary of my fourth year in Japan.  I pinched it fromhinoai .  I'm gonna start tomorrow.

Day 01 - A picture of you "in Japan". (doing or wearing something "Japanese")
Day 02 - Describe your neighborhood in Japan.
Day 03 - Most interesting person you met.
Day 04 - What's your ( Read more... )

The weather this morning was amazing.  Just as I left for work, the first rumbles of thunder were heard overhead and the rain came gushing down.  I quickly swapped into my skull-print wellington boots and headed out into the storm.  By the time I got to the station (4 mins) the rain was pelting down and the thunder overhead was AMAZING!!!  We must ( Read more... )

Right now is my favourite kind of time.  It's pouring down with rain outside, with occasional bursts of thunder and lightning. I'm listening to Late Junction on Radio 3, and my house is filled with the smell of cooking chickpeas.  After the 36 degree heat of yesterday, today is a much welcomed relief for me.  All I need now is some hot chocolate ( Read more... )

I should be going to bed as I have high school tomorrow, but there's clearly not enough time in the day and I still haven't sewn up the hem on my trousers.  Could be a total waste of time as rain in hurling down at the moment, and may well be tomorrow also, it being a Wednesday when rain usually seems to be falling.  In fact, last Wednesday the dry ( Read more... )

( Read more... )