Impressions of daily life in Japan
When we think of sumo wrestlers, we usually imagine very big, even fat, men. Like Kotoshogiku for example: Weighing in at 176 kilograms, Kotoshogiku is a formidable man. There is, however, one exception to the rule of big sumo wrestlers. With only 93 kilograms, Czech born Takanoyama doesn't have a gram of fat on him.... Continue Reading →
When I first started with this blog, I warned myself not to expect too much of it. Sure, it would be great to attract readers that aren't just friends and family. In fact, it would be downright wonderful to get a decent number of page views and some comments on my posts. But since I... 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 →
There are few Japanese animals as fabled and feared among expats in Japan as the poisonous Japanese centipede (called mukade in Japanese). Proof of this widespread fascination is the number of people who find their way to this blog on a daily basis, looking for mukade information. Having been a Japan geek long before moving... Continue Reading →
One of my favourite restaurants in Toyota City is a tavern (or in Japanese, an izakaya) called Tsubasaya. They have a blog where they post pictures of their guests. In the first two months of our stay in Japan, I had managed to end up on their blog twice. The first time was at the... 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 →
The Japans 