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Nagano - Tsumago (The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray - Part 1)
In January of this year, I took a trip to Matsumoto, and at the same time, spent a nice day in Narai. Â I told myself that I wanted to come back and visit a couple of the other old villages in Nagano...
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Nagano - the Nakasendo and Magome (The best laid plans of mice and men often...
This is Part 2 of a weekend trip to Nagano. Â You can read Part 1 here.I woke up early in the morning the next day, the day I had been waiting 6 months for, the day I was going to walk along the...
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Nagano - Oshi Ryokan (Japanese hospitality at it's finest) - Part 3
This is part 3 of a series of blog posts about a recent trip to Nagano.  You can find part 1 here and part 2 here.On my travels around Japan I stay in a fair few hotels which vary in style from a...
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Nagano - Togakushi - Part 4
This is the 4th and final post of a recent trip to Nagano.  You can find part 1 here, part 2 here and part 3 here.The village of Togakushi is famous for a number of things.  It is famous for it's high...
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Who said I only like old things? - Tokyo's Robot Restaurant!
I was very happy recently when a good friend, Mark, Â decided he would stop over in Japan for a few days on his way over to Europe. Â Mark has visited Japan before so has visited most of the more famous...
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Utsunomiya gyoza - Utsunomiya and Nikko Part 1
A lot of people ask me where I find the places that I go to for my blog. Â I get a lot of recommendations from people. Â I also just do a lot of research on the net to find places. Â I do a keyword...
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An Izakaya less normal: Utsunomiya's Monkey restaurant - Utsunomiya and Nikko...
This is part 2 of a post about a recent trip to Utsunomiya and Nikko. Â You can find part one here.We rushed back to the hotel to get ready to go to the Monkey Izakaya (oh, the place does have an actual...
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Nikko: Shoyoen garden - Utsunomiya and Nikko Part 3
This is part 3 of a trip to Utsunomiya and Nikko.  You can find part 1 here and part 2 here.  We woke up the next morning after our monkey adventure and made a quick decision to go to Nikko.  Nikko is...
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Shimizu S-Pulse and Shizuoka Oden (Aoba Oden Yokocho) - Shizuoka Part 1
A couple of weeks ago, I went on my third short trip in as many months. Â I enjoy going to watch the Australian athletes who play professional sports here in Japan. Â There is one guy, Mitch Dening who...
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Mariko-juku and Utsunoya - Shizuoka Part 2
This is part 2 of a post about a recent trip to Shizuoka city. Â You can read part 1 here.I woke up the next morning with a slightly fuzzy head and, after meeting an equally fuzzy Tetsuya, we went off...
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Utsunoya, Meiji tunnel and the Old Tokaido - Shizuoka Part 3
This is part 3 of a post about a recent trip to Shizuoka.  You can read part 1 here and part 2 here.  It took us about 75 minutes to cover the distance to Utsunoya and the first thing we saw was the...
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Nihondaira and the 1,159 steps of the Kunozan Toshogu Shrine - Shizuoka part 4
This is the 4th and final post about a recent trip to Shizuoka.  You can find part 1 here, part 2 here and part 3 here .Morning on the final day of the trip to Shizuoka was loudly announced by my...
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10 curries in 10 days - Shimokitazawa curry fes (festival)
Japan loves it's festivals.  It has festivals for everything.  From the traditional such as the Kawagoe festival (which I attended last year) and the Oeshiki festival (which I also went to last year)...
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Kamakura - Komachi-dori and Sugimoto-dera (part 1)
A couple of years ago I met a friend, Mauricio and his wife who wanted to show me around Kamakura, a nice area about 50 kms south of Tokyo. Â They took me around the area and gave me a good insight into...
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Kamakura - Komachi-dori and Sugimoto-dera (part 2)
This is part 2 of a recent trip down south to Kamakura. Â You can find part 1 here.Finishing our sausages we made our way to the end of Komachi-dori made a left turn and walked over to the famous...
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New Years Eve - Oji Fox parade
A couple of weeks ago, my friend Jarrett (who has made an appearance or three on these pages) told me about a unique festival happening near Oji station in northern Tokyo on New Year's Eve. Â I hadn't...
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Furusato festival - bacon beer, green tea beer and thai green curry ramen
This is just a really quick, short, unplanned post.I recently went to the Furusato Matsuri that was held in Tokyo Dome. Â The Furusato Matsuri showcases many of the famous festivals across Japan. Â It...
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Another ramen street?? - Tokyo ramen street
I have previously written about Japan's obsession with ramen. Â It is not only Japan as when a non-Japanese tries "real" ramen, usually they are hooked too! Â I say "real" ramen as a lot of people know...
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300 years of Japan in one place! - Tokyo Edo Open Air Museum part 1
People who often read this blog will know that I love old Japan. Â I love old Japanese architecture. Â I love the feeling that I get walking along streets filled with 200 or 300 year old buildings, the...
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300 years of Japan in one place! - Tokyo Edo Open Air Museum part 2
This is part 2 of a series about the Tokyo Edo Open Air Museum. Â You can find part 1 here.Moving on from the beautiful old farmhouses, I came across what is the oldest structure in the museum, an old...
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