When I moved to Japan in 2013 I spent the first six months taking intensive Japanese classes at a language school in Tokyo. During that time I got frustrated with the quality of the teaching materials and in particular the explanation of grammar rules which I found over-complicated things for the average student who just wanted to get a hang of the basics. Read more
At the tail end of fall last year I had a chance to visit Hondo-ji Temple (本土寺) near Kita-Kogane Station in Chiba, renowned for its spectacular autumn foliage. While I had missed the best of the seasonal colours, strolling around the grounds still made for a nice half-day trip. Read more
For the past few years I’ve enjoyed the spectacular autumn leaves in Tokyo by exploring the city’s many pristine parks but for the prior season I decided to head out of the metropolis to Okutama (奥多摩), a mountainous region located west along the Tama River. Read more
After my successful initial camping trip to Mount Daibosatsu I felt confident enough to try something a little more ambitious so got working on a plan for a multi-day hike/camp to Yatsugatake (八ヶ岳), a volcanic mountain range on the border between Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures. Read more