Our journey takes us next to Souji-ji, a temple on the north east side of Osaka-fu and the 22nd temple on the route if you go in numerical order. There is a forest walking trail connecting this temple to last month’s Katsuo-ji. Souji-ji is the size of an unassuming city temple, but once inside, you’ll…
Dear Ava, Right from the get-go I’ve been wary of “omiyageâ€. I hate shopping for birthday presents, and now I have to buy obligatory gifts for co-workers I barely even speak to? I do enjoy a good Tokyo banana when it’s left for me, but I would opt out in a blink of an eye…
Japan has a rich culture of stage performance, from kabuki, bunraku and rakugo, to the more modern Takarazaka revue. Now, in Kyoto, a new type of show is entertaining spectators at the weekends. The exceptional, non-verbal show GEAR is a treat for all ages. In the future, in a dilapidated toy factory, the repetitive lives…
Seeing in the New Year from a mountain top ‘Leisurely’. Yes, I distinctly remembered that particular adjective being mentioned. ‘Easy’, yes, I think ‘easy’ was there too. It was just a shade away from ‘strolling’. Half-way up a boulder-strewn mountain slope in the pitch-dark, elbows and feet grimly jammed into crevices in the slippery rock,…
I’m going to prepare you for Valentine’s Day this year. In Japan the whole day revolves around chocolate. This recipe can be made for friends, co-workers, boyfriends and girlfriends so you’re either making tomochoco (å‹ãƒãƒ§ã‚³), giri choco (義ç†ãƒãƒ§ã‚³) or for your own true love, honmeichoco (本命ãƒãƒ§ã‚³). Whoever it is, this recipe is easy to do…
Last February I ventured north to Hokkaido for the famed Yuki Matsuri. Admittedly the sculptures were very impressive, the snow slides worth their two hour queues and the atmosphere buzzing. But even though I am a snow-junkie, the festival is not something I feel the need to visit again. The local food, however, demands a…
Where are they now? In the January issue we featured three inspiring Hyogo alumni who are finding their feet immediately post-JET. This month, with the dreaded recontracting papers handed in, I thought it apt to think about the potential long-term effects of our time here. As such I spoke to my cousin Jane, from…
I’ve never watched cooking shows with any degree of commitment, but I often use Food Network’s website for recipes; since contributions are almost entirely made by professional chefs with strong reputations, they are more likely to taste decent when a schmuck like me attempts to replicate them. Their large staff of celebrity chefs all have…
During winter vacation, I traded Hyogo’s rice paddies and fallen leaves for the pineapple fields and mangrove forests of Okinawa! Hoping to take advantage of off-season prices and fewer crowds, a fellow ALT and I embarked on a journey of island hopping, ocean kayaking, coral reef snorkeling, and a long list of other exciting activities….