NRT > SGN

April 29, 2017 by joostay

Right now I’m sitting in a coffee shop at Terminal 2 in Narita Airport listening to a super cheesy sax solo playing over the radio. I have a few hours to kill before a flight to Ho Chi Minh, where I will be hanging out until Friday. Next week is Golden Week in Japan –  a string of National holidays giving people five days off this year. Looking back over my blog from the last few months, I’m aware that I’m not posting as often […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: blog, japan, japanese, photography, se asia, travel, travel writer

Ikazuchi no Daihannya Matsuri, Tokyo

April 23, 2017 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

REFLECTIONS ON NAKASU / Fukuoka City

April 9, 2017 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

A walk around: Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture

April 5, 2017 by joostay

Welcome to Dazaifu (太宰府市), a small, quiet city on the outskirts of Fukuoka in southern Japan.

Categories: Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: asia, Dazaifu, food, fukuoka, japan, japanese, kyushu, nature, photography, shinto, travel, Zen

IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Agora Fukuoka Hilltop Hotel & Spa, Fukuoka, Japan

April 1, 2017 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

Full Circle

March 23, 2017 by joostay

And so life goes full circle… In 2003 I touched down in Japan for the first time, living in this apartment block in Fukuoka city. Last weekend I went back to visit – a whopping 13 years later. I hadn’t been back during that time at all, but thankfully everything is exactly how I remember it, right down to my old post box, and the sign for the supermarket. It was such a strange feeling, and I experienced the ultimate sensation […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Travel: Inside Japan, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, fukuoka, japan, journey, life, tokyo, travel, travel writer, Zen

Fried Bananas in Bali

March 8, 2017 by joostay

Quite often when you travel a lot – and particularly when you are a travel writer – so many little moments can get lost; photos relegated to the the depths of memory cards, overlooked in favour of bigger articles that are being written at the time. As a perfect example, I was freeing up some space on a card the other day when I came across a group of photos I hadn’t looked at since the day they were taken. Cycling […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, asian, backpacking, bali, blog, food, indonesia, japan, japanese, photography, sanur, se asia, travel, travel writer, travel writing, writing

Setagaya Plum Blossom Festival 2017

March 4, 2017 by joostay

Each year between mid-February and early March the Setagaya Plum Blossom Festival (Setagaya Ume Matsuri) takes place at Hanegi Park in Umegaoka. It’s a small park, with small neighbourhood vibes to match: the festival mainly attracting local people who live in the surrounding area. I live two stops from Umegaoka, and so last weekend I decided to check out a good sushi place then met some mates to hang out at the matsuri. Cute local festivals like this are what living in the […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, blog, design, Flowers, food, ikimasho, japan, japanese, nature, photography, tokyo, travel, urban, Zen

Lunch at Sushi no Midori, Umegaoka

February 27, 2017 by joostay

High-end sushi without the high-end price tag

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, blog, design, food, ikimasho, japan, japanese, photography, sushi, tokyo, travel, travel writer

Spring Update 2017 / IKIMASHO!

February 19, 2017 by joostay

When I first started this blog in March 2012, it was more a collection of daily photos – a diary for myself more than anything – of all the new things I was seeing and doing in Tokyo. As the years went on, these daily things of course became (somewhat) normal to me and so IKIMASHO! matured (is that the right word?) into a site with more specific articles about traditional festivals, certain neighbourhoods in the city and other stuff […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: design, japan, living in japan, photography, Teaching in Japan, tokyo, travel, travel writer, writing

Dumplings by the thousands at Kameido Gyoza

February 11, 2017 by joostay

“From China, a thousand years ago: tasty history!”

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, blog, china, chinese food, cooking, design, food, food photography, ikimasho, japan, japanese, photography, restaurant, travel

A walk around: Kagurazaka, Tokyo

January 26, 2017 by joostay

KAGURAZAKA / 神楽坂 Despite being cold, the winter months in Tokyo are often the best time of year to enjoy clear blue skies and sunshine. And so, with the sun on my back, I recently headed down to Kagurazaka for the afternoon – a neighbourhood in Tokyo not too far from Iidabashi station. (There’s a great cafe down by the canal there by the way, check it out.) Kagurazaka is perhaps most famous for its picturesque cobblestone streets, cute French restaurants […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: architecture, buddhism, design, food, graphics, ikimasho, japanese, photography, street photography, streets, travel, urban, Zen

Setagaya Boroichi 2017

January 18, 2017 by joostay

Last Sunday – with the cold visible on my breath – I made a short trip on the dainty Setagaya train line visit to the Setagaya Boroichi Fair. Started over 400 years ago, this huge flea market is now designated as one of Tokyo’s intangible folk cultural assets and features about 700 venders selling all sorts of food, junk, toys and antiques. There was a marching band with students playing the tuba, and everyone was in good spirits. I also tried […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, blog, boroichi, daily life, design, fair, festival, japan, japanese, local life, photography, setagaya, tokyo, town, travel

THIS IS TOKYO // PORTRAIT OF A CITY

January 12, 2017 by joostay

IKIMASHO! on Facebook

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: aesthetic, amazing, asia, blog, city, design, ikimasho, japan, japanese, megacity, photography, shinjuku, street, tokyo, travel, travelling, urban, visit japan

Cave Hill, Belfast, Northern Ireland

December 28, 2016 by joostay

I’m back in Northern Ireland for a few weeks for the holidays. Today some of my old bandmates and I climbed up Cave Hill, overlooking Belfast. Cave Hill is thought to be the inspiration for Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, with Swift imagining that the Hill resembled the shape of a sleeping giant safeguarding the city.

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: belfast, blog, cave hill, green, ireland, japan, nature, northern ireland, outdoors, photography, travel

YŌICHI WADA PHOTO STUDIO

December 19, 2016 by joostay

With textures like these, it’s hard not to fall in love with the backstreets of Japan. [Taken in Kagurazaka, Tokyo.] Like IKIMASHO! on Facebook.

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, japan, kagurazaka, old, photo, se asia, texture, tokyo, travel

IKIMASHO! x NEW MANDALA: Indonesia’s Yadnya Kasada Festival

December 18, 2016 by joostay

“A six-centuries-old tradition, showing allegiance to the mountain gods, feels like a religious test of endurance, writes Justin Egli recounting what he witnessed atop the volcano.” In 2014 I climbed to the top of an active volcano in Indonesia at midnight to witness a very unique festival. It was an extremely intense experience, with pilgrims throwing live sacrifices into the heart of the caldera. I’m really happy to have my account of the experience published by New Mandala – an […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, festival, geography, indonesia, photography, se asia, travel, travel writer, travel writing, volcano

Urban Zen: Peace Through Nothingness

December 13, 2016 by joostay

Realising you are getting old(er) and being perfectly happy about it. A few days ago I came across a piece I did for ACCLAIM magazine in 2015 featuring a bunch of old photos I took with disposable cameras back when I was living in the south of Japan in 2003. It got me thinking how I didn’t really fully appreciate being in Kyushu at the time, and exploring my immediate surroundings. At 22, all I cared about was partying, going to punk […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: advertising, asia, buddhism, CREATIVE, design, japan, Nothingness, photography, tokyo, travel, urban, Zen

WALKING FOR RAMEN

December 5, 2016 by joostay

A sunny walk through my neighbourhood in Tokyo

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, blog, eating, food, ikimasho, japan, japanese, photography, ramen, shimokitazawa, sun, tokyo, travel, walking

Shichi-Go-San / Seven-Five-Three

December 2, 2016 by joostay

Stumbling across a traditional rite of passage for young children way out in the ‘burbs

Categories: Traditional Festivals • Tags: architecture, blog, culture, design, fashion, festival, Hachioji, japan, japanese, photography, shinto, tokyo, travel

WATCHING A JAPANESE ABBA TRIBUTE BAND ON THE STREETS OF KAWASAKI

November 27, 2016 by joostay

Because what else would you be doing on a Saturday morning?

Categories: Art, Music & Culture • Tags: abba, abban, asia, bizarre, blog, culture, ikimasho, japan, japanese, kawasaki, music, photography, tokyo, travel, weird

Autumn in Tokyo / 東京の秋

November 19, 2016 by joostay

Colorful leaves (koyo) are to the Japanese autumn what cherry blossoms are to spring. This is a time to seek out silent gardens: to sit motionless among the lonely reds and yellows of nature. Like IKIMASHO! on Facebook

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, autumn, buddhism, change, design, gardens, japan, leaves, nature, parks, photography, tokyo, travel, Zen

Japan’s Beautiful Shirasagi-no Mai: White Heron Dance

November 6, 2016 by joostay

A millennium-old Japanese dance on the grounds of Sensoji Temple, Tokyo.

Categories: Traditional Festivals • Tags: asakusa, asia, blog, culture, dance, dancing, design, fashion, festival, japan, japanese, matsuri, photography, se asia, sensoji, shirasagi-no mai, tokyo, traditional, travel, white heron dance

Traditional Kusajishi Archery at Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo.

October 26, 2016 by joostay

Those of us who work in Japan are lucky enough to get one or two national holidays a month. Health and Sports Day – also simply known Sports Day – is one such day held annually on the second Monday in October. It commemorates the opening of the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, and exists to promote sports and an active lifestyle. To coincide with the national holiday, many traditional sporting events take place throughout the city. And so a few weeks […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: archery, asia, design, fabric, fashion, japan, japanese, photography, se asia, sports, tokyo, travel

PRO WRESTLING ON THE STREET: KAWASAKI, JAPAN.

October 23, 2016 by joostay

Another bizarre afternoon down in Kanagawa…

Categories: Art, Music & Culture • Tags: asia, city, design, japan, japanese, kanagawa, kawasaki, photography, se asia, street, tokyo, travel, urban, wrestlers, wrestling

Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum

October 15, 2016 by joostay

Step off the train and step back in time with a walk around old Japan

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: architecture, asia, blog, buildings, culture, edo, fuji, history, japan, japanese, mount fuji, nature, photography, planning, se asia, stories, tokyo, travel, urban, writing

SELAMAT DATANG: THE IKIMASHO! GUIDE TO INDONESIA

October 10, 2016 by joostay

Why you should visit the world’s largest island nation

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, asian, bali, blog, design, indonesia, japan, japanese, java, photography, se asia, sumatra, tokyo, travel, travel guide, writing

THIS IS TOKYO

October 4, 2016 by joostay

.

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, blog, design, food, japan, japanese, kichijoji, photography, se asia, shimokitazawa, tokyo, travel, urban, west tokyo

Inside Super Potato: Tokyo’s best retro games shop

September 29, 2016 by joostay

A nostalgia trip with SNES consoles stacked to the ceiling

Categories: Art, Music & Culture • Tags: asia, consoles, culture, games, gaming, genesis, japan, japanese, megadrive, nintendo, photography, playstation, sega, snes, tokyo, travel, urban

Akasaka Hikawa Matsuri

September 27, 2016 by joostay

When the spirits of mountains and forests roam the streets of Tokyo The summer matsuri season may have died down but there are still plenty of smaller cultural festivals happening all over Tokyo each weekend for those curious enough look that little bit further. For me, visiting these festivals is an integral part of living here: for as well as helping me understand more about Japan, they also satisfy my need to ‘travel’ in that I am constantly seeing something new and fresh for […]

Categories: Traditional Festivals • Tags: akasaka, asia, blog, blogger, festival, hikawa, japan, japanese, matsuri, photography, se asia, tokyo, travel, video

IKIMASHO! x ANA

September 21, 2016 by joostay

ANA recently got it touch with me about a social media collaboration. It’s the largest airline in Japan, and has a following of over one million on Facebook. It was a good opportunity for me to gain some new followers and get some good exposure. I have been fortunate enough in the last few months to work directly with high-end brands such as Shangri-La, Hyatt and now ANA – and I sincerely hope I can continue this onward trend into 2017 […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: airlines, ANA, asia, blogging, digital, flights, flying, ikimasho, japan, marketing, photography, tokyo, travel

The Emerging Street Art Scene in Borneo

September 13, 2016 by joostay

Hanging out with a crew of graffiti artists in Kota Kinabalu

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: art, asia, asian, blog, borneo, design, ikimasho, japan, kota kinabalu, photography, sabah, se asia, STREET ART, tokyo, travel, writing

Inner Reflection at Inokashira Koen

September 8, 2016 by joostay

Getting lost in the sound of the Japanese summer Last weekend I took a stroll around Inokashira Koen, a park 10 minutes by train from my house. If I ever decide to move away from Shimokitazawa, it will be to here – in and around Kichijoji. Just west of Tokyo, this area is close enough to the central wards to be convenient but far enough away to have a sleepy, bohemian atmosphere. Then again, being only ten minutes away, I guess I can […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: blog, buddhism, design, japan, japanese, photography, setagaya, suganami, tokyo, travel, Zen

Kitazawa Hachiman Shrine Reitaisai 2016

September 5, 2016 by joostay

Last weekend was the annual Reitaisai (Grand Festival) in my suburb of Shimokitazawa. The festival was centred around Kitazawa Hachiman Shrine which was built more than 500 years ago to put the area under divine protection. Around 20 mikoshi (portable shrines) were scattered throughout the neighbourhood and then carried by various teams to the shrine itself. Like IKIMASHO! on Facebook

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: culture, design, festival, ikimasho, japan, japanese, matsuri, photography, shimokitazawa, tokyo, travel

IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: The Grandis Hotel, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

September 4, 2016 by joostay

Touching down in the bustling state capital of Kota Kinabalu On my most recent trip to SE Asia I visited three countries: Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia – specifically the Malaysian state of Sabah in Borneo. I had visited Sabah’s major hub Kota Kinabalu before, but that was seven years ago and so I was interested to see if the city had changed in any way. Fortunately, Kota Kinabalu has retained its character and has not changed dramatically simply in order […]

Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, borneo, food, hotel, ikimasho, japan, japanese, kota kinabalu, photography, se asia, tokyo, travel

Ramen: Yakumo, Nakameguro

September 1, 2016 by joostay

Playing a game of musical chairs – with wontons as the prize.

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, cherry clossoms, design, food, ikimasho! japanese, japan, meguro, nakameguro, photography, ramen, sakura, tokyo, travel

My base in Brunei: Badi’ah Hotel, Bandar Seri Begawan

August 28, 2016 by joostay

The sights and sounds of the city within walking distance – or water taxi. I first visited Borneo seven years ago, spending three weeks in the Malaysian state of Sabah with my ex from Northern Ireland. On that particular trip I always remember toying with the idea of going to Brunei, but for whatever reason it just never happened. Perhaps it was because to get to Borneo we had to fly from Belfast to London to Kuala Lumpur to Kota […]

Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, bandar seri begawan, borneo, brunei, ikimasho, indonesia, japan, malaysia, photography, se asia, travel, where to sat yin brunei

Walking about Kampong Ayer Water Village, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

August 25, 2016 by joostay

With its own mosques, schools and police station it’s the largest stilt settlement in the world. Built entirely of stilt houses and wooden walkways, Kampong Ayer in Brunei is a collection of 42 villages housing more than 39,000 people. It is the world’s largest water village. I was lucky enough to visit Kamopong Ayer a few weeks back, and it was probably the highlight of my most recent trip to Borneo. From a distance, the water village looks like a slum, but many of the houses […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, borneo, brunei, bruneian, design, ikimasho, indonesia, malaysia, photography, se asia, travel, urban planning

Ramen: Nagi, Shimokitazawa

August 22, 2016 by joostay

Typhoon strength ramen as Tokyo takes a direct hit from one of three tropical storms Today was my first day back at work after the summer break – and it seemed like the weather didn’t want to play ball. Right now three tropical storms are spinning near the country, and in the last 24 hours Tokyo has taken a direct hit from one of them, Mindulle, which strengthened into a typhoon early this morning. It’s the first typhoon to make landfall near the metropolitan region in 11 years, with gusts […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: food, ikimasho, japan, japanese, niboshi ramen, photography, ramen, shimokitazawa, tokyo, travel

Shimokitazawa Awa Odori

August 20, 2016 by joostay

Dancing in the streets of my neighbourhood in Tokyo This weekend was the annual Awa Odori festival in my neighbourhood of Shimokitazawa in Tokyo. Awa Odori is part of the Bon festivities, which are held to welcome one’s ancestors back to this world for a few days. Participants march in a straight line in unison to music performed on the shamisen, flute, drums, and bells singing “odoru aho ni miru aho; onaji aho nara odoranya son son!” (It’s a fool who dances […]

Categories: Traditional Festivals • Tags: asia, blog, festival, ikimasho, japan, japanese, obon, photography, shimokitazawa, tokyo, travel

Call to Prayer at Dusk: Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, Brunei.

August 14, 2016 by joostay

Reflecting upon a reflection in Bandar Seri Begawan

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, blog, ikimasho, japanese, photography, se asia, travel

Finding an Agnostic Front baseball cap in a shitty mall in Brunei

August 12, 2016 by joostay

There’s a headline you won’t read every day.

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: america, asia, bizarre, borneo, brunei, hardcore, japan, japanese, photogrpahy, punk, se asia, tokyo, travel, usa

Textures of Taiwan: A glimpse into the backstreets of Taipei.

August 10, 2016 by joostay

I’m currently in Borneo after spending a few days in Taipei. Taiwan’s political and international status is messy: it has declared itself as independent, but The People’s Republic of China say sod that, Taiwan belongs to us – a claim controversial due to the unresolved Chinese Civil War. I’m not going to sit here and pretend I know the ins and outs of it all: I don’t. Hell, I don’t even know the political goings-on of my own country. What I do […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, blog, china, ikimasho, japan, japanese, photography, se asia, Taipei, Taiwan, travel

IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, Taipei.

August 9, 2016 by joostay

Two days of VIP Treatment in Taipei’s most luxurious location Right now I’m back in my regular stomping ground of SE Asia for a couple of weeks. First stop: Taipei, capital of Taiwan. I’ve actually been to Taipei twice before, the last time being memorable for all the wrong reasons when I stupidly decided to break up with my ex-girlfriend in a hotel room on the last day or our trip here. Not something I recommend: an awkward bus back to […]

Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, blog, design, far eastern plaza hotel, five star, ikimasho, japan, japanese, luxury, photography, se asia, Taipei, Taiwan, tokyo, travel

Freedom of Movement & The Komusō Monks of Japan

July 23, 2016 by joostay

Freedom to travel is an amazing thing, and something we should never take for granted.

Categories: Traditional Festivals • Tags: asia, blog, brexit, buddhism, design, ikimasho, japan, japanese, photography, tokyo, travel, uk, writing

Tōrō Nagashi: Lanterns for the Dead

July 18, 2016 by joostay

Tōrō nagashi is a long-held Japanese tradition where candle-lit lanterns are released into rivers to guide the spirits of the departed back to the other world.

Categories: Traditional Festivals • Tags: ambient, asia, blog, buddhism, buddhist, culture, darren mcclure, design, eilean rec., festival, ikimasho, japan, japanese, peace, peaceful, photography, Porya Hatami, se asia, tradition, travel, Uwe Zahn, video, Zahn | Hatami | McClure, Zen

IKIMASHO! x DAZED: Visiting an ancient Japanese cross-dressing festival near Yokohama.

July 14, 2016 by joostay

Ofudamaki was established in 1688 when mothers gave their clothes to male Shinto dancers in the hope of bringing them protection from cholera. My latest piece for DAZED is now online, talking about Ofudamaki, an obscure festival held once a year in a nondescript area 50 km from Tokyo. Check it out here.

Categories: Traditional Festivals • Tags: asia, blog, cross dressing, culture, design, female, festival, gender roles, japan, japanese, male, matsuri, ofudamaki, photography, religion, shinto, tokyo, travel, urban

LITTLE ISAAN BARBERSHOP OF HORRORS: Getting a haircut in rural Thailand

July 10, 2016 by joostay

This time last year I was getting ready to go to Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand for a couple of months. While looking through my camera the other day I came across some photos from my time in Isaan in the Thai countryside. I remember one day Allan and I went down to get haircuts at the local barbershop. The place was amazing – totally unlike any barbershop I’d seen before, with chickens running about and toddlers getting cool buzzcuts. It’s these daily experiences […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, blog, cambodia, design, ikimasho, isaan, japan, japanese, photography, rural, thai, thailand, tokyo, travel, writing

Natsubate / 夏バテ

June 19, 2016 by joostay

Right now I’m sitting in Starbucks listening to some god-awful freestyle jazz over the cafe speakers. If I was CEO of this place I’d just have Music for Airports by Brian Eno playing on repeat – my go-to music when I wanna bash out a load of writing. Sundays for me in Tokyo probably resemble that of many people around the world: laundry, cleaning, getting ready for the week ahead, yadda yadda yadda. But of course as well as a kindergarten teacher, […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: advertising, asia, balance, bmx, career, CREATIVE, CREATIVITY, design, ikimasho, japan, japanese, job, photography, se asia, sun, tokyo, travel, work, writing

The Bhutan Exhibition – Hint to Happiness @ Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo.

June 16, 2016 by joostay

A rare glimpse into the art and culture of one of the world’s most intriguing countries. A few weeks back I was invited along to the Ueno Royal Museum in Tokyo to check out its latest exhibition of art and relics from the Kingdom of Bhutan – a country I’d love to go to. Unfortunately, the only time I have ever seen the Himalayas was from the window of an airplane as I was evacuated from the earthquake in Nepal. […]

Categories: Art, Music & Culture, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: art, asia, bhutan, blog, buddhism, buddhist, culture, design, himalayas, ikimasho, japan, japanese, masks, nepal, se asia, travel

My night with Pato Banton in Tokyo

June 6, 2016 by joostay

Just like a soup in a pot we are what?! Bubbling Hot.

Categories: Art, Music & Culture • Tags: asia, blog, bubbling hot, culture, design, ikimasho, japan, japanese, music, nights out, pato banton, photography, reggae, shinagawa, tokyo, travel, uk

Yushima Tenjin Grand Festival

June 1, 2016 by joostay

YUSHIMA / 湯島 Last Sunday I made my way out to Yushima in east Tokyo – a station one stop from Nezu on the Chiyoda line, not far from Ueno Park. Yushima Tenjin (or Yushima Tenmangu) is Tokyo’s most famous shrine of scholars, and is therefore visited by students all over the city who come to pray for good exam results. Inside the grounds you can see hundreds of ema – small wooden plaques – written by students hoping for entry to the university of their […]

Categories: Traditional Festivals • Tags: asia, blog, design, festival, food, ikimasho, japan, japanese, matsuri, photo essay, photography, shinto, summer, Tenjin, tokyo, travel, ueno, video, Yushima

IKIMASHO! x DAZED: WITNESSING A YAKUZA SHOW OF STRENGTH IN TOKYO

May 18, 2016 by joostay

Once a year the yakuza openly do a show of strength in Tokyo, disrobing to show their full-body tattoos. Last weekend I got very lucky and managed to see a Yakuza show of strength here in Tokyo. This is extremely rare – and definitely up there with my most memorable travel experiences. Takahashi-gumi is one of the big Yakuza groups in Tokyo. They stripped off in front of the police station to reveal their tattoos then began carrying a portable shrine through […]

Categories: Traditional Festivals • Tags: culture, design, festival, japan, matsuri, photography, tokyo, travel, yakuza

Kurayami Matsuri (Darkness Festival), Fuchu City

May 10, 2016 by joostay

Celebrating the newly born spirits of the darkness with the biggest taiko drums in Japan.

Categories: Traditional Festivals • Tags: 2016, art, asia, design, drum, drumming, festival, fuchu, japan, kurayami matsuri, music, photography, taiko, tokyo, travel

Japan & the Art of Happiness in Doing Nothing

May 5, 2016 by joostay

Sunshine makes me happy. I’m not sure if I’d go as far as to say I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), but I also certainly wouldn’t be surprised if that was to be the case. There are many people I know who class winter as their favourite season, loving the snow, and actually preferring to wear about ten layers of clothing day in, day out. I’ve never been able to understand it. Give me shorts, tshirt and bare feet any day. […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: art, asia, design, happiness, japan, life, lifestyle, nomadic, photography, tokyo, travel, Zen

Bugaku & Traditional Weddings at Meiji Shrine

April 29, 2016 by joostay

The start of Golden Week for us – and a new life for many. Today was the first day of Golden Week, a cluster of National Holidays in Japan where many workers get around a week off work. You really couldn’t have asked for better weather – the sun was splitting the trees – and so I headed down to Meiji Shrine for the start of the Spring Festival. Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingū) is a shrine dedicated to the deified spirits of […]

Categories: Traditional Festivals • Tags: asia, blog, culture, design, golden week, harajuku, japan, japanese, meiji jingu, photography, tokyo, travel

Mono no aware / 物の哀れ

April 26, 2016 by joostay

The sakura have fallen, swept away by the rivers and lost in the breeze for another year. Living gloriously, albeit for only a week, sakura are the embodiment of mono no aware (物の哀れ) – a Japanese Buddhist concept that recognizes the impermanence of life. In ancient Japan, warriors were compared to sakura blossoms – born to live brilliantly and die young. And so when the petals fall, a gentle sadness can be felt all throughout Japan. Spring is still here, but the pre-summer rains will soon begin.

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, buddhism, design, japan, photography, tokyo, travel, Zen

Oiran Dochu Procession, Yoshiwara, Tokyo.

April 14, 2016 by joostay

Walking the streets: remembering the red light district of the old Edo era.

Categories: Traditional Festivals • Tags: asia, beautiful, beauty, blog, dancing, design, festival, geisha, ikimasho, japan, japanese, matsuri, photography, street, tokyo, travel, village

IKIMASHO! 2016

April 2, 2016 by joostay

It’s been three months now since I moved back to Tokyo after travelling for the guts of a year. I arrived in January after my company needed someone to replace a teacher who had quit after the second term. So for the last three months I’ve basically been finishing off someone else’s contract – which has had its good and bad points. The positives: I had actually taught at this school before, four years ago. It was the first kindergarten I ever […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo • Tags: asia, blog, design, food, japan, japanese, photography, sakura, shimokitazawa, spring, story, tokyo, travel

Plum Season in Kanagawa 2016

March 8, 2016 by joostay

34,998… 34,999 … 35,000 plum blossom trees in bloom at Soga Bessho Bairin. Last Saturday I woke up early and by 8.30am was already heading west out of Tokyo towards Shimosoga – a station in northeast Odawara, Kanagawa prefecture. I was on my way to get lost in Soga Bessho Bairin, a grove of 35,000 plum trees in the inaka, Japan’s countryside. There was a small festival being held to celebrate the plum bossoms. After about an hour on the Odakyu line the […]

Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: blog, design, food, ikimasho, japan, japanese, nature, photo essay, photography, tokyo, travel, writing, Zen