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Institute for Nature Study, Tokyo

May 18, 2014 by joostay

An oasis of calm in the heart of metropolitan Tokyo Established in 1949, The Institute for Nature Study (Shizen Kyōikuen) is a nature reserve set right in the heart of downtown Tokyo. Within a 20-hectare park, the Institute is home to 1,436 species of plant, 2,130 species of insect and 130 bird species. Its aim: to preserve the natural environment of Tokyo’s forests and marshlands. The grounds are used for research and education, although anyone may enjoy the park’s trails and natural beauty. […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, backpacking, bizarre, blog, caterpillars, culture, guidebook, ikimasho, insects, japan, japanese, meguro, nature, south east asia, tokyo, travel, turtles, urban

Visiting Denpasar: The only tourist in town

August 20, 2013 by joostay

Like it or loathe it, Bali’s bustling capital doesn’t care what you think of it. Bali’s capital, Denpasar, is untamed. There’s something about it that sets it apart from Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, Phnom Penh et al… cities which, over the last fifteen years, have become firmly established on the tourist trail. These cities, once exotic, are now epicentres for the travel industry, with virtually all foreign visitors on the SE Asia loop passing through them. As a result, travelling […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: backpacking, bali, bangkok, cambodia, denpasar, guidebook, hostel, hotel, indonesia, kites, Kuta, puputan square, sanur, satay, south east asia, street food, thailand, travel

Smiling with the Indonesian artists of tomorrow

August 12, 2013 by joostay

Travel with a smile and the whole world smiles with you… OK, brace yourself. I’m about to say something extremely cheesy so please bear with me. Someone once asked me what the most important thing was to pack when going to Asia. I simply replied, “a smile.” Cheesy or not, I still stand by it. It goes for whatever country you visit. Body language is universal. I can’t speak Burmese but in the past I’ve been beckoned over to eat […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: art, backpacking, bali, experiences, guidebook, indonesia, sanur, smile, south east asia, travel

Raindrops

June 13, 2013 by joostay

Because the mind is free – Listening to the rain Dripping from the eaves, The drops become One with me.

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: art, asia, beauty, culture, dark, drawing, guidebook, japan, rain, sun, tokyo, train, travel, weather

Spirited Away in Jiufen, Taiwan

June 1, 2013 by joostay

A visit to Taiwan’s Jiufen – the real-world inspiration for Ghibli’s Spirited Away Few animation studios have been as consistent as Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli. Founded in 1985, its animated fantasies are made with just the right blend of humour, melancholy and surrealism to make them appeal to audiences of all ages. . The official Ghibli Museum is actually only 25 minutes from my house in Tokyo, but I still haven’t been. Ironically it took me to fly 1,500 miles to […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, Chihiro, Ghibli, guidebook, Hayao Miyazaki, Jiufen, mountain, Spirited Away, Studio, Taipei, Taiwan, tokyo

My first Kanda Matsuri

May 12, 2013 by joostay

Dogs wearing clothes & revellers carrying portable shrines… One of the three great Shinto festivals of Tokyo returns after a four-year absence. Traditionally held on odd-numbered years, the 2011 Kanda Matsuri was cancelled due to the Tohoku quake and tsunami – meaning this year’s event was the first since 2009. Quintessentially Japanese, Matsuris like this are what makes living in this country so special.

Categories: Traditional Festivals • Tags: asia, beer, culture, festival, guidebook, japan, kanda, matsuri, mikoshi, shrines, south east asia, street, sun, takoyaki, tokyo, travel

CAMBODIA

April 5, 2013 by joostay

Some photos from my time in Cambodia, including a short article on Happy Pizzas for Lonely Planet magazine. The happier side of Phnom Penh In the 1990s, Cambodia was a bad boy’s playground. Cheap drugs and even cheaper sex meant that the whole country was an ideal place for deviants to escape the humdrumness of the West; you could even blow up a cow with a grenade launcher if you were that way inclined… Nowadays, the deviant element is in decline – you’re more […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: angkor wat, asia, backpacking, cambodia, culture, food, guidebook, phnom penh, siem reap, south east asia, travel

Yoshino Baigo: Plum Village

March 14, 2013 by joostay

Takoyaki, trees and silence: a plum pilgrimage to the hills of western Tokyo. Nobuo Umeatsu is a genius. Composer of the Final Fantasy soundtracks, he somehow manages to create atmospheric pieces of music that lie dormant in your brain only to burst to life once again at the most random moments. The reason I mention him is because the other day I visited a place called Plum Village. Nestled somewhere between the Tama River and the Yoshino mountains in the […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: culture, guidebook, hinatawada, inaka, japan, mountains, ome, plum, tokyo, ume, yoshino baigo

IKIMASHO!

Daily life in Tokyo, Japan

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