Good Day Sunshine
Can this be winter? It’s a clear, warm day and I’m sunbathing in the armchair outside the front door of my mountain home. As I dip a petite madeleine into my coffee I’m half hoping... more
Biting hard: economic crises and the Brazilian community
The current world financial crisis and the Japanese recession is really starting to bite, and no more so than amongst the Brazilian community in Japan. The Chubu region has the greatest population of Brazilians in... more
Nagoya's oldest building: Arako Kannon
When the famed Buddhist monk, and compulsive wood-carver, Enku ,took up residence at the Arako Kannon temple (Kannonji, in today’s Nakagawa Ward) in 1676, this venerable temple was already over 900 years old, having been... more
Yoshigaura Onsen: Ishikawa onsen
Perhaps one of the greatest disappointments in Japan is the state of the coastal resort areas. So many are marred by concrete monstrosities that dominate the landscape, leaving one feeling as though you might as... more
Kawayu Onsen: Wakayama Onsen
Kawayu Onsen is a geological wonder located close to the World Heritage grand shrine, Kumano Hongu Taisha. “Kawa” means “river” and “yu” means “hot water”. Here, hot spring water bubbles to the surface of the... more
Ryujin Onsen: Wakayama onsen
Ryujin or “Dragon God” Onsen is situated in an isolated valley at the southern terminus of the panoramic Ryujin-Koya skyline highway, which links the sacred Buddhist temple complex of Koyasan with Ryujin. It is one... more
Yunomine Onsen: Wakayama Onsen
Yunomine Onsen is believed to be one of the oldest hot springs in Japan and is intimately connected with the Kumano Pilgrimage. The legendary founding dates back 1800 years and was used for hot water... more
Renge Onsen: high in the mountains
Tucked away to the north of Shiroumadake (or Hakuba to you ski bunnies) lies Renge Onsen(蓮華温泉), one of the greatest treasures of the region. Inside the Chubu-Sangaku National park, Renge is a trip and a... more
English Immersion Montessori Education in Mie
Don’t tell them how to do it, show them how to do it and don’t say a word. If you tell them, they’ll watch your lips move. If you show them, they’ll want to do... more
Futatsumoriyama: Hiking in Japan
The names of most Japanese mountains give little idea of their actual appearance, often either referring to obscure historical arcana or suggesting an over-active, sake-enhanced visual imagination. Futatsumoriyama, however, is a... more
