Lovely view, isn't it? Sadly, right below where I stood to take this picture there are piles of rubbish that people have illegally tipped down the wooded slopes of Mount Ogura. A lot of the discarded trash is domestic; buckets, bicycles, old refrigerators, motorbikes... But in this case a building company seems to have dumped some unwanted bags of cement. … [Read more...] about Clearing up the Mountain
Chocolatier Double Sept
Here's a little shop that could be useful to know about in the run-up to Valentine's Day. Chocolatier Double Sept opened up on Yanaginobanba Dori late last year. Walking by one night, tired and cold after a long evening's Christmas shopping, we were tempted inside by the promise of steaming cups of hot chocolate. Really, on these chilly, wintry nights, what could be … [Read more...] about Chocolatier Double Sept
The Legend of UrBANGUILD
Let me tell you a story, about a place called UrBANGUILD... It's a kind of fairytale, but that doesn't mean it isn't true. And it all began in another place. A place that I like to call cafe underpants. Once upon a time there was an honest carpenter named Jiro. One day, Jiro was hired by a man of property to design and build a cafe. Jiro was a very fine carpenter and … [Read more...] about The Legend of UrBANGUILD
Two Poems by Amano Tadashi
Here's this month's poetry column from our friend Keiji Minato... Kobo-san (弘法さん) is the popular name of Toji Kobo-ichi (東寺弘法市; Toji Kobo Market), the monthly fair that takes place at Toji Temple. On the 21st every month, hundreds of stalls occupy its huge precincts and alleys all around and sell a wide variety of goods from food and drink through accessories and … [Read more...] about Two Poems by Amano Tadashi
The Ultimate Japanese Phrasebook
I've never really used phrasebooks as such. Stopping mid-discussion to look something up always seemed like a conversation-killer. However, Kit Nagamura kindly sent me this one for free and having looked at it I have to admit that it's a pretty good reference and learning tool for improving your colloquial Japanese. Here's the blurb from the publisher: The book contains … [Read more...] about The Ultimate Japanese Phrasebook
