I wake up early and ready to fly home. I’ve enjoyed Japan but there always comes that moment just before departure when you are ready to see those you love. I don’t sleep well because my missed flight from Chiang Mai is still firmly fixed in my memory. But I wake up on time, load…
Narita isn’t a bad place to end my trip to Japan. It’s quiet and quite cute in a touristy way. There are plenty of souvenir shops, bars and fast food outlets all in a compact area focused on the Naritasan Shinshoji temple. I head out on the bike for a ride around and to look…
I feel a mix of sadness and excitement as I set off into the morning sun on the final day of my bike ride through Japan. I’ve got the hang of cycling here now. I know what I like to eat for breakfast and when to ride on the footpath instead of the road. I…
So I spent four glorious days in Mito. And what a treat it was. On day one I slept and watched YouTube all day long. I only left the room to buy food. One day two I sleep in, soak in the bath for ages (that’s my favourite thing about Japanese hotels) and head out…
A girl runs up behind two friends and throws her arms around them giggling quietly. Smiles break out as those surprised turn to recognise her face. Conversation breaks out as it always does with teenagers. Two boys walk along. They are clearly childhood buddies from the way the taller one has his arm draped over…
Before I came to Japan an old Australian man scolded me for being unAustralian in visiting this horrible country. Why so horrible you might ask? Well for what happened in WWII. See, as we all know, the Japanese were on the other side of the battle. And, as I have seen at museums in Thailand…
I’m sitting in a hotel room eating breakfast listening to some music and generally relaxing before I head out to explore Mito courtesy of the Geocaching game. I feel relaxed after yesterday’s rest day though my lower back is still a bit sore when I make sudden movements. I guess that’s the price I pay for…
Some days I just need to rest. As in pretty much not get out of bed. I think it’s an important part of my travels to have these days out. And in Japan the rest days are even nicer with lots of cheap business hotels where one can have the privacy of your own room…
After a rainy night I wake to find that there are again plenty of fellow travelers at the michi-no-eki. I am pitched quietly away from the main crowd on a patch of fresh grass under a tree. I’ve run out of cocoa and tea bags so am grateful that the vending machine has hot milk…
I wake up early and set off into the spring snow. I can see why some years this pass is closed until the beginning of June; there is still plenty of snow on the ground even now in mid-spring. I’ve heard that this spring has been unseasonably warm in Japan so the passes have opened…
Looking For 42 