5 things to see and do in Hiroshima …

…besides visiting the Atomic Bomb Memorial Park and Museum, that is. But let’s skip the obvious and focus on a couple of less familiar sights and experiences that Hiroshima offers. See Mazda cars roll off the production line Even if you are not a huge car buff the Mazda museum is worth a visit. It…

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Thatched roof houses of Shirakawa-go

I love traditional Japanese guesthouses. They are the perfect combination of rustic, simple and unusual to appear exotic. Combined with genuine hospitality of their owners, fabulous home-cooked meals and ubiquitous hot baths they make for a most enjoyable stay. So, it comes a no surprise that a stay at one of the thatched roof houses…

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The first three things I’ll do when we land in Japan again

Does this ever happen to you? Do you, after you’ve returned home from some great trip ever imagine the things you would do if you had a chance to stay a while longer or to return just for a couple of days?  This happens to me all the time. So it may come as no…

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Magome – Tsumago hike: A side of Japan I never knew existed

Japan surprised me in many ways. But the most unexpected was the part of the Nakasendo trail between Magome and Tsumago. It is the place to experience rural Japan that seems to be worlds apart from its sprawling cities. The 8 km hike up in the hills of Kiso Valley balanced my image of this…

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My year 2017 in pictures

Facebook keeps reminding me how great my 2017 was: According to Zuckerberg’s algorithms I made X new friends, earned Y likes, wows and hahas and gained a couple of “biggest fans”. But what does this really say about the last twelve months? Not much, as it turns out. Apart from the fact that I posted…

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Toilets and trains make me want to go back to Japan

The train is seven minutes late. Halfway through a 70 km distance, that is. In Japan something like this only happens after a typhoon wreaked havoc across half a country. Back home it’s a normal part of my morning commute that throws me into an unexpected state of reverse cultural shock right on the first…

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10 best Japanese dining experiences (according to me)

If you’re looking for the ultimate list of the best dining experiences in Japan, you might be disappointed. With so many diverse foods and eateries ranging from informal to exquisite Michelin-starred restaurants putting together any kind of “best of” list would be mission impossible. So what you have here is only my personal account of…

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Japan in rain: 5 tips for surviving even the worst of weather

The weather forecast didn’t look good: Constant rain for the first five days of our trip to Japan with a chance of a typhoon brewing up later on. Of course, my hubbs thought that I was exaggerating and that no weather outlook could ever be as bad as I can conjure it up in my…

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