Freelance Writer
Stories and articles from travelling in Japan
Who wouldn’t want to live here for a while (and ski down those mountains every day)? Why you should do a ski season in Japan I’ve written before about why I’d wanted to do a ski season in Japan for years before finally going for it last winter. There were two main reasons: snowboarding itself…
The Hakuba Valley is quite a beautiful place on bluebird days, with the backdrop of the Japanese Alps reminiscent of their European namesake. Here’s a resort guide for Honshu, Japan’s main island. If you want a general overview of skiing in Japan, click here. For a guide to some of Hokkaido’s resorts, click here.
The view of active volcano Mt. Yotei from Rusutsu’s Mt. Isola. Bluebird views in Hokkaido are pretty unique in the skiing world. The mountains around here are pretty tasty too. Here’s a resort guide for Hokkaido. If you want a general overview of what to expect from skiing in Japan, check here. Hokkaido is the…
Winter in Japan is a beautiful place. Happo One, Hakuba valley, Nagano prefecture, Japan. Photo by Tomas on Unsplash A few people have been asking me lately about travelling in Japan in general and skiing there more specifically. The first thing I did on my first visit to Japan in 2017 was get a flight to Hokkaido…
Tsutenkaku, Osaka, Japan Photo by Chilam Siu on Unsplash My first sight of Kyoto is the McDonald’s at Kyoto Station. I’ve been dropped off a sleepless night bus at 5am and it’s the first place to open. There’s a queue of 40 people waiting for the shutters to open at 5:30. I don’t know if they’re travelling, on…
“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” Blaise Pascal “All right, brain. You don’t like me and I don’t like you, but let’s just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer.” Homer Simpson “It’s a DEAL!” Homer Simpson’s brain I’d just arrived…
I did a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat in Japan earlier this year. There were so many things I could say about it and the benefits intensive meditation can give you, as can establishing a long-term practice. But after numerous failed attempts to put these things into sufficient words, I gave up. That’s when I noticed the one thing that has stuck with me – I’ve learned how to take action
“Bail ó Dhia ar an obair” – Irish proverb meaning “God bless the work.” There’s a Japanese word ikigai, which roughly translates as ‘having something to live for’. It is closely related to meaning, which is one of the five elements of well-being and happiness. Studies have shown that having high levels of ikigai protects…
The wonders of travel by train in a country that has perfected them
Winter life and why I’m back in Japan