Impressions of daily life in Japan
Ask anyone to name something typical of Japan, and it is highly likely that they will say 'sushi'. After my return to Belgium, I have often been asked if Japanese people really eat sushi every day. The answer is no! Japanese cuisine is incredibly varied and there is so much more to it than just... Continue Reading →
I adore Japanese manhole covers. They are just so beautiful! Here's the one for Toyota City: It features the symbol of Aichi prefecture in the middle, surrounded by sun flowers. Toyota City has adopted the sunflower as its symbol flower. Likewise, the manhole cover for Takayama features rhododendron flowers, which are symbolic for the city... Continue Reading →
I really miss living in Japan. I left the country a little over a year ago and at first I didn't miss it too badly. It was nice to experience all the familiar things in Belgium again. But recently my Japan deprivation has been getting worse. How can I tell that it's getting really bad?... 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 →
After having lived in Japan for over a year, a bowl of matcha green tea seems like the most normal thing in the world to me. But I can still vividly remember the first time I came into contact with this magical substance. Matcha tea is produced by drying and grinding green tea leaves into... 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 →
The Japans 