Adventures in Aomori / Part 2: An Unexpected Party
by joostay
Daily life in Tokyo, Japan | IKIMASHO!
Categories: Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: asia, blog, blogger, design, family, food, japan, japanese, photography, travel, travel writer
Tag: design
Adventures in Aomori / Part 1: Heading North
by joostay
Part 1: Heading North | IKIMASHO!
Categories: Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: aomori, asia, blog, blogger, blogging, design, japan, japanese, photography, tokyo, travel, travel writer, travel writing
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Park Hyatt Saigon, Vietnam
by joostay
Pure colonial elegance in bustling Ho Chi Minh City | IKIMASHO!
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: 5 star, asia, blogging, design, food, ho chi minh city, hotels, interior design, lifestyle, luxury, photography, Saigon, se asia, space, travel, travel writer, travel writing, vietnam
Chewed and Spat Out by District 4, Ho Chi Minh City
by joostay
Exploring Saigon’s Doan Van Bo Alleyways – once notorious for their criminal gangs and mafia personnel.
Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, design, photography, Saigon, se asia, street, travel, travel writer, travel writing, urban, vietnam, Vietnamese
Fine Dining in Tokyo: Quintessence (3 Michelin stars)
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan.
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Luxury Travel • Tags: design, food, japan, japanese, luxury, Michelin, tokyo, travel writer, travel writing
A uniquely Japanese Friday / 日本独特な金曜日
by joostay
Getting more than we bargained for on a simple Friday night | IKIMASHO!
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, culinary, design, festival, food, japan, japanese, summer, tokyo, travel writer, travel writing, Zen
Ramen: Mitsufuji, Midorigaoka (Michelin Bib Gourmand)
by joostay
Michelin rated ramen in a quiet area of central Tokyo | IKIMASHO!
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, design, food, foodporn, japan, japanese, photography, ramen, tokyo, Travel blogger, travel writer
Monkeying around in Sarushima /猿島でサルごっこ
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, asian, blogging, Boats, design, japan, japanese, photography, sea, summer, sun, tokyo, travel, travel writer
What is visiting Tokyo really like?
by joostay
IKIMASHO | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: architecture, asia, design, festivals, food, japan, japanese, summer, sun, tokyo, travel, travel tips, travel writer
A Summer Saturday at Ikuta Ryokuchi Park / 生田緑地で夏を楽しむ
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: architecture, asia, design, japan, japanese, nature, photography, summer, tokyo, travel writer, travel writing, Zen
A walk around: Mizonokuchi, Kawasaki
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, design, japan, japanese, kawasaki, photography, tokyo, travel writer, travel writing
Todoroki Valley: Tokyo’s Backyard / 等々力渓谷東京の庭
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, design, japan, japanese, photography, setagaya, Todoroki Valley, tokyo, travel writer
It’s been a while, Asakusa / 久しぶりに浅草を冒険
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: architecture, asia, colour, design, ikimasho, japan, japanese, photography, tokyo, travel writing
A walk around: Monzen Nakacho, Tokyo
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: architecture, asia, design, japan, japanese, old, photography, street, tokyo, travel, travel writer, urban
Karasumori Inari Shrine Grand Festival
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Traditional Festivals • Tags: asia, blog, design, festivals, japan, japanese, matsuri, photography, summer, tokyo, travel writer, travel writing, travelling, Zen
Sayonara Sakura. A Spring Trip to Enoshima. さよなら桜
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan.
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, design, ikimasho, japan, peace, photography, tokyo, travel writer, travel writing, Zen
Oiran Dochu Procession, Yoshiwara, Tokyo
by joostay
A return to the red-light district of the old Edo era | IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Traditional Festivals • Tags: asia, design, festival, japan, photography, tokyo, travel, travel writing
My Secret Place / 私の秘密の場所
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan.
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: architecture, asia, blog, design, escape, ikimasho, japan, japanese, photography, quiet, tokyo, travel writer, travel writing, Zen
Fine Dining in Tokyo: The Strings by InterContinental Tokyo
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Luxury Travel • Tags: architecture, asia, design, five star, food, food photography, Food Writing, hotel, Hotel Review, interior design, japan, japanese, luxury, photography, se asia, tokyo, travel
A walk around: Sugamo, Tokyo
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: architecture, asia, design, japan, japanese, old tokyo, photography, Shitamachi, street, street photography, tokyo, travel, travel writer, urban, Urban Development
Delusions of Grandeur
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: architecture, asia, daily life, design, japan, japanese, photography, street photography, tokyo, travel, travel writer
Welcoming Spring at Sankeien Garden, Yokohama / 横浜の三溪園で春を迎える
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: beauty, city, design, japan, japanese, lifestyle, nature, photography, temple, tokyo, travel writer, urban, yokohama, Zen
Temples, Trains & Trees: Station Hopping on the Oimachi Line
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: architecture, asia, design, interior design, japan, japanese, local life, Oimachi Line, photography, temples, tokyo, trains, travel, travel writer
A walk around: Shoin Jinja-mae, Tokyo
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: architecture, asia, colour, design, japan, japanese, neighbourhood, photography, rural, tokyo, travel, travel writer, urban
The Wooden Train / 木製の電車
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, blog, daily life, design, ikimasho, japan, japanese, photography, short story, tokyo, travel, writing
As the snow fell / 雪が降った時
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, blog, design, ikimasho, japan, japanese, lighting, photography, snow, tokyo, travel, travel writing, winter
Winter Sun in Shinjuku Gyoen / 新宿御苑での冬の太陽
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, Clothes, design, fashion, ikimasho, japan, japanese, Kimono, photography, tokyo, travel, travel writing
All About My Croquette, Shoin Jinja-mae
by joostay
A fun little restaurant in a cute little neighbourhood.
IKIMASHO! Daily life in Tokyo, Japan.
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: area guide, asia, blog, design, food, foodie, ikimasho, japan, japanese, japanese food, photography, tokyo, travel writer, writing
Titanic Belfast: Northern Ireland
by joostay
From Belfast to the world: Visiting Europe’s leading tourist attraction
Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: belfast, design, northern ireland, photography, Titanic, travel writing
The Sounds of the Streets / 沈黙の響き
by joostay
Daily life in Tokyo, Japan.
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: art, blog, design, environment, ikimasho, japan, japanese, life, photography, photos, travel, travel writing, writing
As Winter Approaches / 冬の始まり
by joostay
Daily life in Tokyo, Japan.
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, design, food, ikimasho, japan, japanese, photography, tokyo, travel, travel writer
Return to Todoroki Valley / 等々力渓谷に戻る
by joostay
Forest bathing in the koyo autumn colours
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, autumn, blog, design, fall, Fall Colours, japan, japanese, photography, tokyo, travel, travel writer
Wes Anderson’s Ramen Shop / ウェス・アンダーソンのラーメン屋
by joostay
Noodle Nostalgia. Hazy-hued vibes in a shop that time forgot…
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, Colours, design, film, food, interior design, japan, japanese, photography, ramen, tokyo, travel, travel writer, Wes Anderson
Yabo Tenman-gu Grand Festival
by joostay
Spinning around in suburban west Tokyo
Categories: Traditional Festivals • Tags: asia, buddhism, design, japan, matsuri, photo essay, photography, shinto, shrine, temple, tokyo, travel, travel writer
A walk around: Yaho, Tokyo
by joostay
YAHO / 谷保
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, blog, blogging, design, japan, japanese, photography, suburbia, tokyo, travel, travel writer
Fine Dining in Tokyo: China Blue at Conrad Tokyo
by joostay
First-class Chinese cuisine – with first-class views to match
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Luxury Travel • Tags: architecture, asia, city, design, five star, food, Hilton, hotels, interior design, japan, japanese, luxury, photography, review, tokyo, Travel blogger, travel writing
THREE DAYS OF FUN IN TOKYO TOWN
by joostay
Last weekend was seriously one of the best weekends I have had in years. There is a fine line being a travel blogger – I obviously want to write informative posts about places, but sometimes I like the fact that this site is simply a diary for myself, and something I can look back on in years to come. And so this post isn’t really about anything, and yet it’s about everything. This is what my three-day weekend looked like […]
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: art, asia, blog, blogger, design, Diary, food, japan, photography, tokyo, travel writer, Weekend
Drinking Matcha in a Bamboo Forest: Hokokuji Temple, Kamakura
by joostay
1,998… 1,999… Lost in a sea of 2,000 bamboo.
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: blogging, buddhism, design, ikimasho, japan, japanese, Kamakura, life, photography, photos, religion, Shonan, travel, travel writer, travel writing, Zen
Reflections from Tohoku, Japan
by joostay
A region rebuilding, six years later.
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: asia, beauty, design, earthquake, food, japan, japanese, Miyagi, photography, regeneration, Scenic, Tohoku, travel, travel blogging, travel writer, travel writing, tsunami
Tokyo’s BIGGEST water fight: Fukagawa Hachiman Festival
by joostay
A water purification festival on a truly epic scale
Categories: Traditional Festivals • Tags: asia, blogging, colour, design, festival, japan, japanese, matsuri, photography, story, summer, travel, Travel blogger, travel writing, writing
Hachioji Matsuri
by joostay
What I was up to last weekend – and the next few to come…
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Traditional Festivals • Tags: art, asia, blog, blogging, buddhism, design, japan, japanese, life, music, photography, photos, religion, traditional, Travel blogger, travel writer, video, writing
Kool Kids & Kakigori
by joostay
Staying ice cool from the summer heat…
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, blogger, design, dessert, food, japan, japanese, kakigori, photography, tokyo, Travel blogger, travel writer
A walk around: Tateishi, Tokyo
by joostay
The remains of Old Tokyo – but how long can they remain?
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: architecture, asia, beauty, blogging, design, environment, japan, life, mono no aware, photography, photos, space, tokyo, travel, travel writer, urban, wabi-sabi, work, Zen
IKIMASHO! x DAZED: TOKYO’S CAT TEMPLE
by joostay
“Gotokuji is an area of the city obsessed with all things feline and many believe its temple to be the birthplace of ‘maneki-neko’ – the cats you’ve seen with one paw held high” I have a new article out in DAZED, exploring the area of Gotokuji in West Tokyo. Gotokuji is a quiet collection of backstreets, bakeries, and flower shops with people going about their daily life. It’s not unlike hundreds of other small stations in Tokyo – apart from one […]
Categories: Art, Music & Culture • Tags: animals, blog, blogging, cats, design, japan, japanese, photography, photos, se asia, temple, tokyo, traditional, travel, Travel blogger, travel writer
Kappabashi Shitamachi Tanabata Matsuri: Old Tokyo’s “Star Festival”
by joostay
An ancient cosmic celebration on the streets of Tokyo
Categories: Traditional Festivals • Tags: aphex twin, asia, colour, design, festival, food, japan, japanese, photography, tokyo, Travel blogger, video
A walk around: Akabane, Tokyo
by joostay
AKABANE / 赤羽 Last Friday I found myself out drinking in Koenji, an area not too far from Shinjuku that – like my own ‘hood of Shimokitazawa – is famous for its thrift stores and retro vibes. I go there once a year for the Awa Odori, but apart from that I honestly don’t really venture out that direction – despite it only being a short train ride from where I live. (Last year I think I visited three times in total.) […]
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: alleyways, asia, design, food, japan, japanese, photography, street, tokyo, travel, travel writer, urban
THIS IS TOKYO
by joostay
IKIMASHO! on Facebook
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, design, food, japan, photography, street, tokyo, travel, travel writer, urban
Farewell Spring. Hello Summer.
by joostay
❤ A little photo essay of some wanderings from the last month or so here in Tokyo ❤ IKIMASHO on Facebook
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, blog, design, japan, japanese, photography, se asia, tokyo, travel, travel writer
A walk around Jindaiji Temple, Chofu, Tokyo
by joostay
Peaceful tranquility at one of Tokyo’s oldest temples Even after five years, Tokyo still manages to surprise me ~ providing all sorts of new places to discover and enjoy. Last weekend Miss IKIMASHO and I took a trip out to Jindaiji Temple and its neighbouring Botanical Gardens in Chofu, a place we had never been to before. The second oldest temple in the metropolis, Jindaiji features quaint cobbled streets, leafy riverbanks and hushed surroundings. Indeed, it feels more like a small township in Kyoto rather than downtown Tokyo. Jindaiji is especially […]
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, beauty, blog, design, ikimasho, japan, japanese, nature, photography, tokyo, travel writer, Zen
IKIMASHO! x DAZED: The spirit-chasing, cross-dressing men of outer Tokyo
by joostay
A report from Ikazuchi no Daihannya, a weird and wonderful ‘matsuri’ that takes place annually to ward off ancient ghosts
Categories: Traditional Festivals • Tags: blogging, buddhism, design, festival, japan, japanese, photography, photos, random, religion, travel, travel writing, writing
IKIMASHO! x ACCLAIM: THE BLADE RUNNER YATAIS OF FUKUOKA
by joostay
Postcards: Justin Egli photographs Fukuoka City
Categories: Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: asia, design, food, fukuoka, japan, japanese, kyushu, photography, photos, street, tokyo, travel, travel writer, urban
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Le Méridien Saigon, Vietnam
by joostay
Modern escapism in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: aesthetic, design, five star, food, Ho Chi MInh, hotel, japan, luxury, photography, Saigon, tokyo, travel writer
In Pictures: Tran Hung Dao Alleyways, Saigon, Vietnam
by joostay
Right now I’m back in Tokyo after a week in Saigon. I didn’t visit one tourist attraction while I was there, instead choosing to spend my time as I usually do, wandering the backstreets and eating local food. I quickly found out that the most interesting daily life happens deep in the concentrated network of alleyways that exist away from the main tourist centre. By zooming in on Google Maps, you can clearly see areas in Ho Chi Minh where […]
Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: architecture, city, daily life, design, food, Ho Chi MInh, photography, Saigon, se asia, travel, travel writer, urban, vietnam
Beauty Coffee House, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
by joostay
A cute cafe on the top floor of an abandoned apartment building in Saigon where they serve amazing drinks from skull pint glasses.
Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, Cafe culture, coffee, culture, design, food, ho chi minh city, photography, Saigon, se asia, street, travel writer, urban
GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM!
by joostay
6am – 8am: SAIGON / SÀI GÒN
Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: architecture, asia, design, food, ho chi minh city, photography, Saigon, se asia, travel, Travel Photography, urban, vietnam
Ikazuchi no Daihannya Matsuri, Tokyo
by joostay
Chasing away evil spirits with cross-dressing men in the Tokyo suburbs
Categories: Traditional Festivals • Tags: asia, design, festival, japan, japanese, Kimono, matsuri, photography, temple, Textile, tokyo, travel, travel writing
N.S. Harsha: Charming Journey / Mori Art Museum, Tokyo
by joostay
A trip through the cosmos – via Southern India
Categories: Art, Music & Culture • Tags: art, design, Gallery, india, japan, mori art museum, review
REFLECTIONS ON NAKASU / Fukuoka City
by joostay
Nakasu (中洲) is the red-light district which exists between the neon-lit sandbank of the Naka River (那珂川) and the Hakata River (博多川) in Fukuoka City
Categories: Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: aesthetic, asia, design, fukuoka, japan, neon, photography, travel, urban
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Agora Fukuoka Hilltop Hotel & Spa, Fukuoka, Japan
by joostay
A peaceful retreat in one of Japan’s most vibrant, cosmopolitan cities
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: Agora Hotsel & Spa, architecture, asia, design, food, food photography, fukuoka, hotel, interior design, japan, photography, resort, travel, travel writer
IKIMASHO! TOKYO TO FUKUOKA BY SHINKANSEN
by joostay
1,000km. Five hours. One bento. Taking the bullet train as an alternative to flying.
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: asia, blog, countryside, design, fukuoka, hakata, ikimasho, japan, japanese, mount fuji, photography, tokyo, tourism, train travel, writing
IKIMASHO! 