‘Get’ da ze!
When you think about things you’d really like to do in Japan, what do you think of? Wearing a kimono? Using chopsticks? Using chopsticks while wearing a kimono? Squishing into a packed train? Eating sushi so fresh it could move? There are so many things to see, do and enjoy. I wanted to do this: […]
From May to Oktoberfest
Going to an Oktoberfest any time other than October is strange. Being strange myself, I did just that. It’s May, and here in sunny Osaka it’s in the high 20-something degrees range. The perfect time to roll out a fortnight-long Oktoberfest. As far as I know there isn’t one planned for October. So this week […]
All change, please
After an 11-hour international flight, I wasn’t expecting catching a train in Japan to be the hardest part of the trip. Anyone who’s ever been to London will know about the Oyster card. All over Japan, there are similar travelcards for each major city and region. Most of them have cute names with puns about […]
Putting the Man in Manzai
If you think women in comedy here in the UK aren’t on TV as much as they should be, you should see Japan’s male-dominated comedy scene. Manzai is a traditional stand-up comedy style, and is always performed by a duo. The ‘tsukkomi’ is the straight-laced one, and the ‘boke’ plays off that seriousness with the main […]
Travel by Commuter Armpit
Anyone who’s spent more than five minutes in London at any point in their life will probably have encountered the Underground, the capital’s ever-expanding subway. It’s ‘the Tube’ to many, ‘the bloody stupid useless frigging Tube, ugh’ to others, and the inescapable labyrinth of nightmares to far more. I moved to London two years ago, […]
