A Wild Sheep Chase in Koenji
We’re nearing the end of Golden Week (黄金週間) in Japan – a cluster of national holidays which effectively give most people the week off work. Last weekend…
Read articleDisappearing Guangzhou – Part 2
As luck would have it, on the second day of my new years trip to Guangzhou I came across another fascinating old district not far from Shamian…
Read articleDisappearing Guangzhou – Part 1
Over the past few years I’ve visited Guangzhou (广州) countless times for both work and travel, but besides the excellent cuisine, never found it particularly inspiring – it’s…
Read articleLearning To Walk Again
As if being reborn and able see the world through the eyes of a child again, the first few months living in a new country is…
Read articleTokyo Sakura – Part 2
With the weather in Tokyo fluctuating wildly between heat and rain the last couple of weeks, most of the sakura is now over but here’s a…
Read articleTokyo Hanami – Part 1
From the end of March to early May, sakura (さくら cherry blossom) bloom all over Japan, and I was lucky enough to arrive in Tokyo at…
Read articleJapan in a Day
I’m really looking forward to seeing Japan in a Day which opened last week at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Following last years YouTube film Life…
Read articleThe Dark Side of K-Culture
A few years back I wrote an article asking whether you could identify a persons race by by looking at their facial structure. To my surprise…
Read articleStreets of Sheung Wan
To the west of Hong Kong’s frenetic Central district lies its quiet neighbour Sheung Wan (上環), one of the earliest places to be settled after Hong Kong became…
Read articleWalled Villages in Sha Tin
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the shore of Guangdong in southern China suffered from pirate attacks. Locals built walled villages in order to defend themselves…
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