Before the Beginning Tokyo Marathon 2015
Unless you’ve ever run a marathon yourself, you’ve probably no idea of all the stuff happens before the race even starts – the mammoth task of organising 35,000 people to line up – all the stuff before the beginning. Follow me on: Facebook | Twitter | Youtube | The first task for runners is […]
The march Japan doesn’t want you to see.
It’s August 15th – anniversary of the end of World War II. Hundreds of riot police line a Tokyo street leading to the controversial Yasukuni shrine – a shrine which remembers Japan’s war dead, including over 1000 men convicted as war criminals, 14 of which are ‘Class A’. On TV there is a lot of […]
The Daddy Chronicles
The Daddy Chronicles – Part One Today I start a long term blog project called ‘The Daddy Chronicles’. This will be a regular feature on my blog where I light-heartedly look at the ups and downs of being a new dad. Here is part one… Follow me on: Facebook | Twitter | Youtube | Be […]
Here we snow again
The weather is capricious at the best of times, but in recent weeks it has seemed to be on a whole new level of unpredictability. Blizzards in North America, Storms in the UK, and in Tokyo temperatures that go up and down like a yo-yo. It seems whatever supreme being that controls the weather is […]
One Night in Shibuya
Shibuya is one of the hearts of Tokyo. An area constantly teaming with people. In the daytime and evening the hustle and bustle never seems to stop, but at night it goes a little more to extremes from very crowded to very quiet. Many people who read my blog won’t have experienced Shibuya at night, […]
Alone in Public 2
This is Part Two in the series ‘Alone in Public’. You can see part one here Tokyo is home to over 12m people, all cramped into small apartments and offices. It’s difficult to find a space to be alone. Some overcome this by shutting themselves away in their rooms and almost never coming out, others […]
Getting customers for Tokyo’s ‘invisible’ restaurants
Many Tokyo restaurants and bars are invisible. That doesn’t mean that they have discovered a scientific way for you to see through them. Rather it means that because space is at a premium in Tokyo, most bars and restaurants can be found in basements and on upper floors in buildings rather than at ground level. […]
Heart Beaters – the drummers of yoyogi park
Like a beating heart, near the centre of Yoyogi park you will find the drummers. They can be found every Sunday in the same spot jamming with a multitude of different drums. Some are regulars, some simply bring along a drum to join in the spontaneous and improvised beats that greet your ears as you […]
Hello Hanami – Cherry blossom time in Tokyo
Like Christmas, cherry blossom time comes but once a year, and the Japanese celebrate it with an equal amount of enthusiasm. Hanami, or the tradition of picnicking under the cherry blossom, is everywhere. From groups of mothers with their children to groups of company workers drinking late into the evening. For those not fortunate enough […]
Alone in Public
Tokyo is home to over 12m people, all cramped into small apartments and offices. It’s difficult to find a space to be alone. Some overcome this by shutting themselves away in their rooms and almost never coming out, others have just found a way to cope with it, but some simply find a way to […]
