I've posted a few times over the past few days about some of my experiences in Japan. There are probably still a couple of short blog posts I could write about other things that struck me while I was there, but for now I thought I'd do an overview of the trip. As I mentioned a few weeks ago I planned to take this trip to coincide with a work trip. In the past I've added a … [Read more...] about Getting a Taste of Japan
Some Thoughts on Japan
I'm currently en route back to Ireland after spending the better part of two weeks in Japan. I missed my connecting flight in Amsterdam due to my flight from Osaka being delayed, so I'm writing this from the KLM lounge while waiting for my flight back to Dublin. I'd never been to Japan, though I have been to several other countries in Asia. Japan, however, was very … [Read more...] about Some Thoughts on Japan
Dining on Kobe Beef
Kobe is known, in part, for its beef, which is a particular Wagyu beef. Or, put more simply, very high quality beef. There are plenty of restaurants around Kobe serving the beef, so choosing one in my case came down to recommendations from friends. In the end a couple of us went to a lovely little restaurant called Wakkoqu. Making a restaurant reservation in Japan usually … [Read more...] about Dining on Kobe Beef
Japanese Wooden Roofing
Traveling around Japan I'm often struck by an attention to detail that impacts many aspects of the "look" both in terms of how buildings and other things are presented. First off one of the things that strikes you is how incredibly clean the entire place is. It's not just "clean" but almost "hygienic", though not in a bad way. The meticulous attention to detail is … [Read more...] about Japanese Wooden Roofing
Hiroshima and Peace
One of the things that is hard to forget when travelling in Japan is how much of the country was destroyed during the Second World War. There are constant reminders as you travel around some of the destinations popular with tourists. But when you get to Hiroshima you're dealing with something on a whole other level. On August 6 1945 at 815 am a US B-29 bomber, known as … [Read more...] about Hiroshima and Peace