“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” – Lin Yutang Sitting at my desk, on my last day of school, I can’t help but recall all the major ‘lasts’ from my life; Uganda, Placement Year, University, and how recent, yet… Continue reading Japan: Final Farewell Thoughts
Category: Lifestyle
Kuju: Climbing 久住山
Kota had the wonderful idea of meeting at 9am at his work office somewhere in Taketa – this off the back of a night in Mie trying to finish off all the alcohol in my apartment before moving out the next day! By 8am we were off, checking in the Everyone konbini for some hiking… Continue reading Kuju: Climbing 久住山
School: Oita Sofukan High School
Oita Sofukan High School October 2015 – January 2016 Oita Sofukan is a strange school, even by Japanese standards, much more like UK college than anything else here. Classes run for 90 minutes, from around 8am to 8pm and students attend if/when they can/want. There’s no uniform, there’s a canteen, you wear outdoor shoes indoors… Continue reading School: Oita Sofukan High School
豊後大野市: The Bungo-ono Guide
Situated in the southern part of Oita prefecture, in March of 2015 the city celebrated its 10 year anniversary since combining 7 small towns and villages: Mie, Ono, Asaji, Inukai, Ogata, Kiyokawa, and Chitose. While they have combined to form one “city,” they each retain their own identities as towns, including their addresses and tourist… Continue reading 豊後大野市: The Bungo-ono Guide
大分市: The Oita City Guide
Oita City. The name has a certain grandeur to it. But to for all intents and purposes, Oita city is a city by name, and not much else, when compared to its neighbour Fukuoka. But nevertheless, being my home for 18 months, I’ve decided to pull together a Molkie-Specific guide on how to pass your… Continue reading 大分市: The Oita City Guide
London: Stranger in Familiar Lands
Christmas 2015 saw my first return to the UK since moving to Japan 17 long months ago – so what did we learn about the UK? Well… English Only Please Even at the airport, all signs are in English! It was almost embarrassing! Having spent months reading (I used reading very generously) signs in English,… Continue reading London: Stranger in Familiar Lands
How2: A Brit driving in Japan
Many people are oftern concerned about driving in a foreign country. Luckily for British people (and many others) Japan has made the right decision of driving on the left hand side of the road. Similaries We both drive on the left hand side of the road! By virtue of this, you won’t embarrass yourself like… Continue reading How2: A Brit driving in Japan
How2: Konbini Design
Konbinis are the lifeblood of Japan. Seldom can you travel more than a few miles without seeing one, and so common are they that in towns and cities you can often stand outside one and spot another in the distance. They offer food and drink, emergency supplies like spare underwear, electronics and magazines, as well… Continue reading How2: Konbini Design
Kyoto: A Step Back in Time
Kyoto – The cultural capital of Japan. Spared by the Americans during the bombing of Japan, today it is a throwback to traditional Japan and home to thousands of shrines and temples. From Mie to Oita, Oita to Osaka, Osaka to Kyoto took nearly the whole day! It was funny running into the other Oita… Continue reading Kyoto: A Step Back in Time
Tokyo: Conquering Mr. Fuji
For the final instalment of my adventurous Summer holidays, it was time to climb Fujisan! Famous from its appearance in ukiyo-e block prints, its a iconic status can only be matched by anime and crazy Japanese electronics. Thursday: Arigatou Mr Robotou Always a joy to shorten the work week, I woke up at 0515 on a Thursday morning,… Continue reading Tokyo: Conquering Mr. Fuji