Impressions of daily life in Japan
If you ever spend the night in a Japanese hotel or traditional ryokan, it is highly likely that you will be confronted with what I like to call 'the Japanese breakfast experience'. While most Westerners will already consider a bowl of cereal a heartening breakfast, the Japanese are a bit more thorough when it comes... Continue Reading →
Nara is an ancient city not too far from Nagoya. At one point it was the capital of Japan (from 710 to 785). The most famous sites include the largest wooden structure on earth (Todaiji Temple), a 15m Buddha statue and the second tallest pagoda of Japan (Kofukuji Temple). But never mind all that, because... Continue Reading →
During our recent trip to Hokkaido (see post about Hokkaido) we covered quite some distance by car. At one point we drove all the way from Hakodate to Kushiro, about 585 kilometers in one day. A large part of this route included highway, which is closed off by toll booths at the beginning and end.... Continue Reading →
During our recent trip to Hokkaido, we enjoyed a host of new culinary experiences. The most spectacular one was without a doubt the sashimi dish that came with the fish's still moving head in the middle. I'm not squeamish about food, but this did make me think twice before digging in. But then again, it's... Continue Reading →
As some of you may or may not have noticed, I have been afk for while. For the non-geeks among you: afk means away from keyboard. The reason was our trip to Hokkaido, the northern most island of Japan. Like many Japanese companies, Toyota had decided to send all of their employees on a mandatory... Continue Reading →
Two weeks ago, friends of ours took us to see the historic town of Arimatsu.It still has a lot of Edo period buildings. Located on the Tokaido (ancient road from Tokyo to Kyoto), Arimatsu is famous for 'shibori' or tie-dyed cloth. The cloth is tied up with rope before dying, thus preventing certain parts of... Continue Reading →
The Japans 