On a recent cycle ride around my neighbourhood of Bunkyo in Tokyo I came across a very high wall which seemed to be enclosing an enormous garden. On closer inspection it turned out to be Koishikawa Botanical Gardens (小石川植物園) which is operated by the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Science. Read more
One of the things I enjoy doing in Tokyo is browsing Google Maps for the Buddhist swastika symbol (卐) – not to be confused with the Nazi version – which show where temples and shrines are located. Since many of them can be hidden away down small streets and alleys it’s a great way to explore the neighbourhood. Read more
After visiting Green Island earlier in the year I took the train around the southern coast and back inland to Tainan (台南), the oldest city in Taiwan and former capital during imperial times. Being mid-spring the weather was pretty much perfect. Read more
Like the stream of identical salary men you see scurrying around at rush hour and the eclectic fashions on display at Harajuku, Tokyo’s skyline is a bit of a contradiction. One the one hand there are endless emotionless apartment blocks but on the other there are some of the most fantastical expressions of modern contemporary architecture in the world. Read more
If you love sushi then there’s no better place to enjoy it than in its birthplace – Japan. Ordering is pretty straight forward, especially if you go to a sushi train (回転寿司 kaiten-zushi), but if you’re a real fan and want to know some of the terminology used by professional sushi chefs then checkout the guide below. Read more