2021-09-15: Parking is forbidden! Please don’t park here!
2021-09-11: Finished reading: Climate Change in Simple Spanish by Olly Richards 📚 ★★★★ / #20
2021-08-24: ☕️
2021-08-21: Okinawa, nine years ago today
2021-08-21: My task which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make …
2021-08-15: Finished reading: Permanent Record by Edward Snowden 📚 ★★★★ / #19
2021-08-13: Kaohsiung (高雄)
2021-08-11: Home is not where you are born. Home is where all your attempts to escape cease. – Naguib Mahfouz
2021-08-04: A couple of days ago I booked a Genius Bar appointment for this afternoon at the local Apple Store …
2021-07-31: Finished reading: Pioneering in Formosa by William A. Pickering 📚 ★★★★ / #18
2021-07-28: One of many new graffiti on the homebound route. Day one, ride one.
2021-07-21: A new arrival today from Barma’s Books of Sheffield, UK. Step By Step In Esperanto, eighth …
2021-07-17: Huia Sauvignon Blanc, 2011, from our trip to NZ in 2016. It’s been a long time waiting.🍷
2021-07-12: Finished reading: 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff 📚 ★★ / #17
2021-07-11: Progressing through Assimil’s French With Ease, a lesson each day, remembering bits and pieces …
2021-07-06: Just came across this photo from 2013, taken with my old Canon EOS 3 (eye-controlled auto-focus!) on …
2021-07-06: Tongan language materials just arrived. Looking forward to making a start on it, but not yet. 📖
2021-07-05: Finished reading: Dances With Wolves by Michael Blake 📚 ★★★★★ / #16
2021-06-17: Latest coffee beans from Horsham Coffee Roaster. Have to buy multiple to make shipping …
2021-02-27: 六年前
2021-02-12: Lunar new year’s day hike. Overlooking Bitan (碧潭).
2021-02-11: 牛年
2021-02-05: 我爸 → 迷 → 涂
2021-01-19: Fourteen days of (vegetarian) lunch boxes, and finally I’m free
2021-01-06: Being in enforced quarantine shouldn’t mean putting up with bad coffee ☕️
2021-01-05: 英國回台要檢疫了
2020-12-15: 捨不得
2020-11-05: Today I was reminded that nature reclaims that which civilisation has left behind. In 霧峰, central …
2020-11-03: Feeling better now, after a relaxing walk and “home” 溫泉 at my friend’s holiday …
2020-10-14: A Day in the Life of me in Taitung, Taiwan at 12:55. #adayinthelife
2020-09-08: Southern Hokkien 📚 ocw.aca.ntu.edu.tw/ntu-ocw/o…
2020-08-26: 新的床墊來了！希望真的可以「完整支撐」我的身體 ^^
2020-08-13: Patricia Ledyard and Tu’ifua on board Alderman, 1992. From The Taming of the Crew.
2020-08-05: New wardrobe
2020-07-30: Be a beacon
2020-07-30: Toast
2020-07-26: Daisy
2020-07-24: Ci mancate voi e i vostri gelati, famiglia Di Paolo
2020-07-15: The long walk
2020-06-28: Smell the sea, Feel the breeze, Hear the ocean, Be at ease.
2020-06-17: Micro
2020-06-15: Mask up!
2020-06-11: Cul-de-sac
2020-06-06: No inflatables!
2020-06-03: Cashless
2020-05-30: Dad’s favourite, Southwark Cathedral
2020-05-30: Keeping my distance
2020-05-30: En France
2020-05-29: One lone flight
2020-05-29: 捨不得出國
2020-05-26: Nut mylk
2019-11-14: Trinitron
2019-11-13: 內湖
2019-11-13: 我不在家就在咖啡廳
2019-11-03: 立人國小
2019-10-18: 歩きスマホは危険！！です。
2019-10-18: 博多一双
2019-10-18: 海鮮丼てんや
2019-10-17: 箱崎漁港
2019-10-17: 福岡 ✈︎
2019-10-17: 空港へ行くなう
2019-06-11: Morning walk. Vengsøya, 04:49.
2019-06-11: Leaving Vengsøya for Bear Island, on Anne Margaretha.
2018-11-12: Arch
2017-09-28: Penghu Boatyard
2017-08-05: 碧潭風景特定區
2017-06-06: Tu. Miss our photo outings. Those were the days.
2017-04-27: Using the app
2017-04-27: Good times.
2016-09-15: うっとうしさ
2016-09-13: Titanium/magnesium QX-Series pedals I switched to these gorgeous “black beauty” magnesium QU-AX pedals, as well as switching …
2016-09-12: 中正山
2016-09-12: 碧潭
2016-09-09: 喵 X-T2拍的第一張。無線があると便利！
2016-09-08: 開封後のX-T2
2016-09-08: 発売日の富士フイルムX-T2
2016-09-07: QU-AX 36er I upgraded my 29” QU-AX to this 36”, my first experience of owning a unicycle this …
2015-10-28: 見晴らしの変わり 引っ越し前 引っ越し後
2015-10-13: 一堆鳥事
2015-10-12: 非常渴的路燈
2015-10-04: Happy life creation company
2015-10-04: かぼちゃ
2015-09-30: 好玩 好吃 好看
2015-09-29: LOVE
2015-09-28: 颱風天🌀
2015-09-27: 龍山寺
2015-09-26: Do from hands deliciously
2015-09-20: 長鏽長老
2015-09-19: 石梯坪
2015-09-18: 部落
2015-09-18: Megaras Ku Bi
2015-09-14: Stridulade?
2015-09-13: 國樂欣賞
2015-09-13: Q? Que?
2015-09-12: 我環保的新SMAX
2015-09-12: 紗帽山からの見晴らし
2015-09-12: 過貓
2015-09-10: 酒酣耳熱
2015-09-09: 母からのカード...👀呆呆
2015-09-08: 靜思中
2015-09-06: 拍門給妳看
2015-09-06: 戀愛巷
2015-09-05: 安靜港口
2015-09-04: 拜拜牙齒
2015-09-03: トトロ
2015-09-01: 馬祖的芹壁
2015-08-30: First non-square Instagram photo. Our cat 熊貓 taken with dad’s Leica Digilux 2.
2015-08-22: Saturday Night
2015-08-20: 形影不離
2015-08-20: 手を繋いで歩こう...
2015-08-17: Battenberg
2015-08-16: Zzzzzzzzzzzzz
2015-08-15: 陀螺兄弟
2015-08-11: Those who know it, know it. And I found it. In Taipei.
2015-08-07: Stadler's Greatest
2015-04-28: Oh Romeo, Romeo…
2015-04-27: Andiamo a Verona
2015-04-21: Bateman’s in Burwash
2015-04-18: これから一ヶ月食べれない魯肉飯！
2015-02-23: Cruising…
2015-02-19: 新年快樂
2015-02-18: 難兄難弟
2015-02-17: 黑咖啡與白太陽
2015-02-15: 一盤貓🐱
2015-02-09: 抱著舔乾淨
2015-01-11: 檸檬派
2015-01-11: 和寶貝喝個咖啡
2014-12-14: 新鮮香蕉冰沙。讚！
2012-04-29: Guest House Randomness
2011-12-24: First Christmas cake of the year!
2011-12-18: Sherry to warm me up!
2011-11-24: Guinness!
2011-11-22: On the train back from London, passing through East Croydon.
2011-06-14: View over Okinawa from my flight back to Kanto yesterday
2011-05-30: モカジャバショコラを @chatancoffee なう！ウマイ！
2011-04-06: 与論島で二日目のダイビング。亀と泳いでた！ On the first dive, I was taken to see the wreck of the Amami, a Japanese Coastguard patrol boat, …
2011-04-04: 与論島で最初の日のダイビング Did two dives this morning; saw some Nudibranchs (sea slugs), a lurking moray eel and held a puffer …
2011-04-03: On the big 7am ferry to Yoron Island, home of @tibimuu It takes five hours, but they provide small beds.
2011-03-27: 今日の２回目、この旅に最後に潜った。イセエビを見たけど、写真がなかなか旨く撮れなかった
2011-03-27: 今日の最初、しかも今まで最も深く潜った、25メートル。エビが手を掃除してくれた！
2011-03-26: 阿嘉島で一回目潜った時の写真。亀さんに会った！
2011-03-21: My first underwater photographs
2011-03-14: 再び：「宮城２０００遺体発見」って記事が異なる新聞から配られた
2011-03-14: 「３号機も水素爆発」って書いてある新聞の記事をもらった。60人くらいのここに居る人達がもらった
2011-02-24: Although I've been here a month, today is my first time on the Naha Monorail
2011-02-23: My latest ¥100 (70p) purchase, for the Iron Body! I can't believe somebody can manufacture this, with the metal, plastic, rubber and packaging, and …
2011-02-13: Picked up some books today, for the first time in a while
2011-02-11: My ¥400 (£3) soup and coffee lunch set, at Cafe Harbour Point, Naha. I discovered this place, less than five minutes walk from my place, only yesterday, thanks to some …
2011-02-10: Photos from my trip around Zamami Island, Okinawa
2011-02-09: 座間味島のペンションPatioハウスリーフ Today I'm staying on Zamami, a small island an hour boat trip from Naha. With a population of about …
2011-02-09: 座間味島の古座間味ビーチ
2011-02-03: なんくるないさ ／ What will be, will be
2011-02-01: 沖縄そば For lunch today I went to ポトス, an Okinawan restaurant just round the corner from my apartment, next …
2011-01-29: Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium. The screen and the three whale sharks inside are indeed huge!
2011-01-27: 軟骨そば 島田紳助の沖縄についての本に載せているオススメのレストランの中に「亀かめそば」と言う店があります。今日は自転車でそこに１５分走って、勧めた軟骨そばを頼んだ。おいしかったけどやはり骨が付いている肉はちょ …
2011-01-25: 仲宗根さん This morning, while I was sitting in Starbucks reading my book on Okinawa, an older lady who was sat …
2011-01-20: My new friend, Johnny 6 My rental bike for my time in Okinawa; so named as it's been designated "No. 6" by the apartment …
2011-01-17: 新幹線の中で駅弁のランチ、牛めし弁当
2011-01-16: Heavy snow! This is the main road in front of Nagano station. No salt, winter tyres instead. But paths are scraped.
2011-01-08: 今日は戸隠でスノーボードなう
2011-01-05: とがくしと言う店で冷やしたぬきそば 大盛りにして750円。
2011-01-03: New Year カステラ sponge cake from 文明堂 Beautifully presented within several layers of wrapping, Bunmeido's sponge cake is famous in Japan. …
2011-01-02: Just caught a girls' taiko drum display outside the Midori department store in Nagano.
2010-12-31: Pokemon truck? Well it's yellow and weird looking. Not sure who the tramp is, but it can't be his anyway. Maybe he's going to steal it.
2010-12-23: Which toilet roll will you make a grab for? The toilet at Ichiran in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
2010-12-10: What a surprise! A parcel from my lovely mother, containing Christmas presents and sweet things. 感動しています. I have to admit, I opened the Lindt chocolates immediately and had a few of them. Yum!
2010-12-10: ポコアポコでピザとオムライス First time to go to Poco-a-Poco again since getting back to Japan, and the first time to visit at …
2010-12-09: My new pocket digital camera arrived today, a Canon PowerShot S95 I love the top control dial with the aperture-priority, shutter-priority and manual modes. Combined …
2010-12-06: Received a dozen apples, for which Nagano is so famous, from a friend. Just tried one, and it was so juicy and sweet!
2010-12-05: 夕飯に今日駒ヶ根で二軒目のソースカツ丼
2010-12-05: Now this is a bunch of well-behaved cats!
2010-12-05: 駒ヶ根の名物、ソースカツ丼。更に茶そば
2010-12-04: いちぶんのオムライス。美味い！
2010-12-04: Caught a kids' musical performance inside Nagano station this morning
2010-12-01: My camera case arrived from Amazon UK, after 3 weeks, on exactly the day they said it would. But was it ravaged by wolves en route?
2010-11-28: A ramen at 330am, after a heavy night of drinking, prevents a bad hangover. It's official! Although, in hindsight, it was a little too fishy for me. It's the special at the moment, at 花月 in 権 …
2010-11-27: Snack food of the day: locusts (いなご／蝗) - apparently a specialty in Nagano. Crunchy and sweet!
2010-11-27: 長野の権堂、麺屋響でカツ玉丼
2010-11-26: Took a trip out to Kawanakajima for lunch, to visit Kanaya for ramen His 特製ラーメン (ramen special) for ¥850 (£6.50) comes with three slices of meat and an egg. Since the …
2010-11-24: 大トロ (fatty tuna) Tonight we had sushi for dinner at Kurazushi (くら寿司). I noticed that they've finally caught up with …
2010-11-13: Monster heater! Believe it or not, this jet engine-looking thing is a heater -- the Blue Jumbo Heater 380 -- for …
2010-11-11: こまつやでイタリア料理のランチセット After the gym today, I walked towards Zenkoji temple with my gym buddy, and we went for lunch at …
2010-11-10: 今日のランチは長野の牛見本店でソースカツ丼 One of the choices on the lunch menu; with miso soup and tea, ¥600 (£4.50). ランチのメニューの中の一つ、６００円で、味噌汁と …
2010-11-09: 長野市内の家の付近に新しくできた正喜屋でラーメン I ordered the 'gonbutonkotsu' (great pun that) ramen at ¥800 (£6) with an egg added for ¥100 extra. …
2010-11-09: Joined the Nagaden FXA gym today. It has the nicest machines I've ever used! Thanks to a friend of mine, I got a discounted rate for the first three months, and didn't pay any …
2010-11-07: 今日の午後紅葉を見に行ってきました。綺麗な風景！
2010-11-07: 須坂にある一力という宿堂でラーメン For lunch today we went to a small place just out of town. It costs just ¥400 (£3) for their ramen, …
2010-11-06: Delicious Italian pizza and wine at Ristorante Ingresso
2010-11-05: Ramen at Yoshiya 今日は友人と松本に行って一風堂でラーメンを食べようと決めたんですけど、結局電車に乗らず長野のよし家でラーメンを食べたんだ。固めの麺も選べて、スープもしょっぱくて美味しかった。
2010-11-03: English food tonight! Chicken, mash, loads of veg and gravy
2010-11-02: In Starbucks again this morning, for some quiet work. Christmas menu started today, I tried a Caramel Eclair Latte.
2010-11-02: Can anybody explain this? Everybody gathered outside the building, and fire hoses being fired out of the windows!
2010-11-01: My new office space Feels good to have an office separate from where we're living. It's very comfortable, and has …
2010-10-29: 山小屋のカレーライス Today I was taken to an old curry restaurant called Yamagoya (山小屋), down a small side alley off the …
2010-10-28: Kurutoga Mechanical Pencil Bought a new pencil today, for my kanji studies. One of the weaknesses of ordinary mechanical …
2010-10-28: House, in summary. Love it
2010-10-26: 妻が生姜焼きを作ってくれて、日本酒を飲みながら食べられてなんて幸せだろうか！
2010-10-26: A London Bus in Nagano!? Seems to be a bar. Maybe they have Guinness (yeah right).
2010-10-25: 一風堂のラーメン！ For my first ramen in Japan this time, we stopped at Ippudo in Suwa on the drive through to Nagano. …
2010-10-24: 一日分の野菜 I do like this vegetable drink, supposedly giving a whole day's portion of vegetables in one hit. …
2010-10-24: ただいま！First thing I find, a 24-hour hot food vending machine. It holds "casual"(!) frozen foods like chips and fried chicken, and as you press the button it must …
2010-10-22: Today's view of the sea in my hometown – goodbye sunny UK!
2010-10-05: At 1am last night, Hastings Pier was set alight in an arson attack. Very sad.
2010-09-09: "Without heart we would be mere machines"
2010-08-28: Nice view of the sea, from the place we are going to be staying for the next six weeks or so.
2010-08-22: Sitting in deck chairs on the beach at Seaford, with books in hand, and mugs of tea 日本ではこの雰囲気は絶対に味わえないような気がする。
2010-08-22: Lunch at Badgers Tea House in Alfriston As an outing today, we drove to Seaford, stopping in Alfriston for lunch and a look around. We were …
2010-08-19: Late lunch of a breakfast baguette; sausage, bacon, egg, mushrooms
2010-07-14: The sleek black Three MiFi alongside an iPhone. It really is tiny!
2010-07-02: The new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG 571bhp, 0-60 in 3.8s. Extras including a £5k B&O stereo, yours for a cool £180k.
2010-05-23: How's this for a panorama? My first success with AutoStitch on iPhone, using 26 photos.
2010-05-23: Driving around the mountain roads, such beautiful views I'd love to be on a motorbike!
2010-05-23: Flying into Innsbruck (Austria)
2010-05-17: What are Microsoft saying with this ad? "We mark all your email as spam, so you don't have to waste time reading it."
2010-04-30: Tux and Quake III Suppose there's no denying where my allegiance lay prior to my first Mac. Tux guarding my favourite …
2010-04-19: Cool Nokias from the past Found two of my old Nokia phones in the loft; the 8110 'banana phone' and the 7110 with slide/WAP. …
2010-04-05: Leeds Castle Visiting Leeds Castle today. So many people, but the sun keeps popping out.
2010-04-04: Star Wars In Concert at the O2 Arena, with my brother
2010-03-22: London Underground find it necessary to remind everybody about good manners
2010-03-20: 久し振りに自分で作った夕食は帆立とチョリソーのソテー
2010-03-12: Palácio National da Pena and the Castelo dos Mouros Walked around the beautiful Palácio National da Pena this morning, then the Castelo dos Mouros. …
2010-03-11: Lisbon's Mosteiro dos Jerónimos Visited Lisbon's Mosteiro dos Jerónimos this morning. This is a photo of the cloister. What an …
2010-03-10: 220km/h Alfa Pendular Today we're taking the 220km/h Alfa Pendular train to Lisbon, where we'll spend the next three …
2010-03-08: An unsuccessful first Portuguese meal Nowhere opens Sunday. Tried bacalhau (salted cod) at the only place we found.
2010-03-08: Porto Castle Arrived at our hotel in Porto. It's a castle, and we've got a tower suite with 270-degree views! Can …
2010-02-10: Staying at Le Chateau Japonais The Toto washlet, with its spray and heated seat, has been very much missed since leaving Japan.
2010-02-08: Visiting Bodium Castle, built over 600 years ago, in 1385.
2010-01-10: A couple of snowy scenes during today's heavy snowfall I particularly liked the image of a man trying to create a seated snow figure on the bench; and the …
2010-01-08: Beautiful sunset this evening, with snow on the ground Dad would have loved it, and been out with his camera.
2010-01-01: 新年、最初に見る窓からの風景は美しい
2009-12-21: First meal back in England, a carvery roast dinner Turkey and beef, two large Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, peas and carrots, and a good …
2009-12-21: Flying over London Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and the London Eye are clearly visible along the river.
2009-12-20: Leaving Nagano for Tokyo on the shinkansen The apartment block smack in the middle of the photo is where we've lived for the last nearly …
2009-12-18: This is what 5590 yen (£38) of sushi looks like After the strenuous removal activities of yesterday, we ordered take- away from Kurazushi (くら寿司) for …
2009-12-18: くるまやラーメンで醤油豚骨ラーメン
2009-12-18: Goodbye to our apartment in ハイツ見晴し No more waking up to fine views like this!
2009-12-18: Today it's not mini-truck, but removals by Hi-Ace Much more practical when it's snowing!
2009-12-18: Snow! This is my final view from our apartment, bye bye Miharashi!
2009-12-17: This is the truck I *should* be using to move my stuff...
2009-12-16: 今日から僕はサングラスをかけて軽トラを運転してる外人！
2009-12-10: Delicious home-made burger patties (ハンバーグ) with cheese inside
2009-12-09: All-you-can-eat 焼き肉 Tonight being the 8th of the month, the restaurant called 八方園 (pronounced 'Happouen') does a …
2009-12-07: Tuna salad and doria at Ichibun Well of course I wanted to bring Liz, my visiting friend, to my favourite eaterie Ichibun! The …
2009-12-06: Too many naughty cakes at マサムラ in Matsumoto First let me state that these weren't all mine! There were many of us, and after coffee in Tully's …
2009-12-06: Visiting Matsumoto Castle
2009-12-05: Coincidence of the day My car's odometer on the way home displayed tonight's cinema seat numbers - 11,12,13. Spooky!
2009-12-05: Divine dessert of クリームあんみつ in Obuse Even after finishing it I could easily eat another!
2009-12-05: Snow monkeys at Jigokudani Monkey Park This weekend my friend Liz visited from down in Shiga prefecture, and her main objective (apart from …
2009-12-02: みそやの味噌ラーメン I took my friend Yuzo for lunch today to Misoya (みそや), a popular miso ramen (味噌ラーメン) restaurant in …
2009-12-02: Onsen with a fantastic view of the mountains
2009-12-01: Ingresso, for great Italian food in Nagano Ingresso (イングレッソ) is a small Italian restaurant and wine bar owned by Mario (as he's been …
2009-12-01: Surprises for dinner at Ichibun The master of our favourite local diner, Ichibun, brought out a couple of surprises tonight when we …
2009-11-30: Delicious spicy ramen with tofu (マーボーラーメン) Apparently (according to my other half) this is the best spicy ramen with tofu (マーボーラーメン) in the …
2009-11-30: Lightsaber chopsticks! I was like a child in a sweetshop this afternoon when Amazon delivered my latest order. In fact I'd …
2009-11-29: My lunch today is a roast-beef-on-rice bento From the Tokyu department store. Yum!
2009-11-29: Udon at 十萬石 Before visiting our local cinema tonight to see Inglourious Basterds (which was great) we decided to …
2009-11-27: My green Japanese driving licence is now blue! When I came to Japan, because I have the privilege of coming from England, I was able to just …
2009-11-26: My eyes! They bleed! Well okay, I exaggerated a bit. But today I went to my eye doctor for my forth visit about my …
2009-11-25: Home-made cheese tortilla wraps It has been a long time - nine or ten months - since I last visited the house of my friend Esdras, …
2009-11-23: Panasonic 103" TV! Yours for just 5.6 million yen (about 4000 pounds) at K's Denki (ケーズデンキ). I love the way they put a …
2009-11-23: Wooden air conditioner It was my first time to see a wooden-cased air conditioner this afternoon while clearing out an old …
2009-11-20: Cafe Montmartre for delicious curry and naan A favourite of Esdras and mine, Cafe Montmartre (カフェ・モンマルトル), was today's lunch destination. It's a …
2009-11-17: Studying a foreign language is like walking through the fog A great quote from Shunryu Suzuki, a Japanese Zen master, from his book Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: …
2009-11-15: 諏訪のー風堂 On the 487.5km journey home from Osaka today, we stopped at the newly-opened Suwa (諏訪) branch of …
2009-11-14: 久し振りのラーメン Despite feeling rather worse for wear with a cold, I dosed myself up and went out in Osaka for a few …
2009-11-13: Hip cushion (complete with thong!) Yes, you read that right. Wouldn't you love to bury your head in this cushion? Stimulating …
2009-11-13: Yesterday's foot bath (photo) On our way out of the hotel this morning I took this photo, so you can see exactly what my brother …
2009-11-13: Small croissant breakfast As part of the reduced-food course we had booked at the ryokan in Kotohira, we were only expecting …
2009-11-12: You call this a reduced-food dinner?! After enjoying our earlier pre-dinner udon, we returned to the hotel for our "reduced-food" dinner …
2009-11-12: Yamashita's famously tasty udon in Kotohira, Shikoku The part of the Japanese road trip with my brother I was most looking forward to was the two-day …
2009-11-12: Sitting overlooking Kotohira and Mt. Sanuki-Fuji Feet in a hot foot bath. So very relaxing!
2009-11-12: Our first Sanuki udon experience On our way to Takamatsu, the largest city on the island of Shikoku, a quick check online (using my …
2009-11-10: Curry and beer! Tonight we are fortunate enough to be able to stay right in the centre of the south part of Osaka …
2009-11-10: Journey of the creation of okonomiyaki Our journey today took us from Kyoto to Osaka, and for lunch we decided to visit my favourite …
2009-11-10: Can't beat scrambled eggs for breakfast Not very traditionally Japanese, but lets face it who really wants grilled fish and rice for …
2009-11-09: Our Japanese archery (弓道) experience in Kyoto Before coming to Japan, I think my brother wanted to try his hand at Japanese archery (弓道) more than …
2009-11-09: 締めのラーメン Tonight on the way back to our hotel after our evening meal, we passed Ippudo (一風堂) again and this …
2009-11-09: Xiǎolóngbāo I took my brother to the Kyoto branch of one of our regularly-visited chain restaurants, Din Tai …
2009-11-08: Hikone Castle (彦根城) seen from the castle gardens
2009-11-05: Calabash! No, I'm not being rude. It's the name of a vegetable (and also in fact a fruit), which the owners of …
2009-11-05: Poco-a-Poco was open tonight! Last night I tried to take my brother to Poco-a-poco, a favourite restaurant of mine which I've …
2009-11-05: Soba lunch and ninja trickery in Togakushi For our first short trip by car I took my brother into the mountains of Togakushi (戸隠) to eat lunch …
2009-11-02: Tofu café Gorokutei For lunch today I took my brother to Gorokutei (五六亭) tofu café, a place where all the food is made …
2009-10-31: Occasionally one just needs a double espresso This is one of those times.
2009-10-30: Sushi at Tsukiji fish market For my brother's second meal in Japan I suggested that we could go to Tsukiji fish market to taste …
2009-10-30: He ain't heavy, he's my brother... This morning my brother arrives from the UK, so it's likely I won't be posting so much over the next …
2009-10-29: Ramen Fantasista (part 2) I wrote about part one a few weeks ago, and part two of the yearly Ramen Fantasista is taking place …
2009-10-29: Just enjoyed one of my favourite ramens at Waichi with @hinazo10
2009-10-28: Casamingo's chocolate Sacher Torte cake Today we visited Casamingo, a fantastic cake shop which I've written about before. As you can see …
2009-10-25: Mackerel (鯖) sushi The back row cooked and the front row raw; one of our dishes at dinner. Not a favourite though.
2009-10-24: Today's home-made bento: beef, egg and spinach on rice
2009-10-20: Ramen three (Togura) Finally then, after enjoying one average ramen and one horrendous ramen at the two previous places, …
2009-10-20: Ramen two (Sakudaira) After the first ramen place we rushed to get to the second, Rikimaru (力丸), before our stomachs told …
2009-10-20: Ramen one (Sakudaira) We arrived at the first restaurant Bunzoh (文蔵) at about 11.40 and there were 3 or 4 people already …
2009-10-20: Extended lunch trip to Sakudaira for some ramen At 10am this morning we met up with the owner of our favourite local eaterie Ichibun - which I've …
2009-10-19: Today's home-made bento: チャーハン and spinach, with miso soup
2009-10-15: Cakes at Casamingo Went today to Casamingo a little way up route 18 from Nagano, and their refrigerated counter of …
2009-10-14: Very much enjoyed a sushi lunchbox from Tokyu It came with home-made miso soup, and was cheap at ¥490 (£3.50)!
2009-10-13: This morning 祐三 went into hospital for his operation So it's time for a ナストマト牛丼 lunch before visiting hours start.
2009-10-11: Helly Hansen bag Apparently Helly Hansen has been making products since 1877! But that had no bearing on my purchase …
2009-10-09: Tepito for the best Mexican food in Tokyo That's according to my Mexican friend Esdras, with whom Yuzo and I went tonight. Tepito is located …
2009-10-07: Ramen Fantasista (part 1) Between the first and twenty-eighth of October the yearly Ramen Fantasista is being held on the …
2009-09-23: Souvenir from Tokyo: grapefruit jelly in a grapefruit The bag and box show the name Ginza Sembikiya (銀座千疋屋) which I was told is a famous shop that was …
2009-09-22: Photos from last night's festival in Amori Amori (安茂里) is the area outside Nagano city where we live, and once a year they have a festival. …
2009-09-21: Some lanterns up, ready for the yearly local festival in Amori tonight I'm glad the weather is looking good, as last year it was a complete washout. It's easily the most …
2009-09-18: Home-made beans on toast! Amazing, the small things. When I lived in the UK I hardly ever ate baked beans but the last time I …
2009-09-15: Korean bibimbap lunch Went for a quick lunch to Red Pit in one of the many department stores above Shinjuku station. I'd …
2009-09-14: Curry take-away from CoCo I went round the corner to the local CoCo壱番屋 for a take-away curry, and got a keema curry with naan. …
2009-09-14: Sometimes we fail with our choice of restaurants... The prospect sounded good; a pizza restaurant called Fioravante owned by an Italian in a Small …
2009-09-13: Late evening meal at キムカツ After our late lunch we weren't really that hungry until later in the evening. Beforehand we'd …
2009-09-13: Overlooking Tokyo Tower Staying in the brand new (built this year) My Stays (マイステイズ) Hotel in Hamamatsucho (浜松町), which is …
2009-09-13: Okonomiyaki / お好み焼き Despite arriving by bus in the Shinjuku area (west) of Tokyo, we took the train to Tokyo (east) …
2009-09-13: Tokyo redux Off to Tokyo today for a couple of nights, so I've created this album to share any interesting …
2009-09-12: A couple of new dishes for dinner at Ichibun Tonight we went to Ichibun like many times before, and we got to try a couple of great new dishes. …
2009-09-11: Enough money for a huge TV or a new MacBook Pro! But no, I won't be buying either of those. Instead it's for a Lasik eye operation early next week. I …
2009-09-11: Having an onsen to myself for an after-lunch dip After our Jingisukan lunch we had already planned to go for a relaxing bath in the onsen constructed …
2009-09-10: Cooking and eating Genghis Khan for lunch Great title that. In Japanese, our lunch for today has the name Genghis Khan (ジンギスカン). Basically …
2009-09-10: Out for a drive today - first stop Hakuba Now off for lunch and onsen in Shinshushinmachi (信州新町).
2009-09-09: View from my balcony: clouds over the mountains Late this afternoon I caught a view of some great colours and cloud formations, but I wish I had a …
2009-09-06: オムライス and プリン at Poco-a-Poco This evening, before heading to the cinema to see The Taking of Pelham 123 (which is your average …
2009-09-05: Delicious huge grapes Dad would have certainly loved these grapes! The bunch of purple grapes alone are sold for 2000 yen …
2009-09-04: Six-dish feast at Ichibun Due to a chain of unforseen events involving a thunderstorm and the consequential stoppage of all …
2009-08-31: My love of foreign languages I thought I'd write something about my love of languages, as aside from food(!) it's my main …
2009-08-29: Beef katsu bento As I was due to be travelling on the bus back to Nagano between 17:40 and 21:30 I thought I'd get a …
2009-08-29: Sukiyaki lunch at 今半 I decided to push the boat out a little, and ate at Imahan (今半), within the Takashimaya department …
2009-08-29: "Natural" Lawson This won't mean anything to people who aren't in Japan, but last night I passed a shop called …
2009-08-28: Taiwanese dumplings A visit to Tokyo means a visit to Din Tai Fung (ディンタ イフォン in Japanese), a Taiwanese chain …
2009-08-28: Gundam in Odaiba The life-size (i.e. giant) Gundam (ガンダム) in the middle of Shiokaze Park on the man-made island of …
2009-08-28: The Great (Avocado) Burger Lunch at The Great Burger: http://www.the-great-burger.com
2009-08-27: 牛丼 again? Yes, with aubergine
2009-08-26: 牛丼 and 中華そば at Ichibun
2009-08-25: It starts here Let's go!