As regular readers will remember, in early March I spent ten days up in Miyagi prefecture volunteering with IDRO JAPAN. As the charity sale for IDRO approaches, I think it's time I finally sat down and wrote about the work I took part in up there, and put down some thoughts about my experiences. So here goes... The Importance of Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone First off, … [Read more...] about Ten Days in Tohoku
World Saving
An Interview with Rob Mangold, the Founder of IDRO JAPAN
I arrived in Ishinomaki about 1pm yesterday. A lot has changed in the last two months. The city seems to be very busy, the area around the train station still has a lot of shuttered shops, but energy is high. Only a couple of quick stops before heading out to the peninsula. On the 21st of this month a temporary store opened on the Ogatsu peninsula. The first time people have … [Read more...] about An Interview with Rob Mangold, the Founder of IDRO JAPAN
Hiking Along the Old Hozu River Towpath
Last Saturday I joined Stephen Gill and Okiharu Maeda of the conservation group P.T.O. for a hike along the Hozu River. The hike wasn't purely for the pleasure of getting out into the fresh country air though, Maeda-san and Mr. Gill were making a detailed report, with photographs of the exact location of trees on Mount Ogura that have been affected by a deadly oak disease. Even … [Read more...] about Hiking Along the Old Hozu River Towpath
Kozmoz International
Kozmoz New York Coffee is an American style cafe/diner tucked away in Fushimi Momoyama, that specializes in such dishes as the Philly Cheesesteak, the Hot Italian Sausage, bagels, muffins, apple pies and cheesecake… What makes this establishment a little bit different from other cafes though, is that every yen made from your hotdog or cheesesteak, (and also all the profits … [Read more...] about Kozmoz International
The Artist Brian Williams
Last week I visited the artist Brian Williams at his studio, sat down for a chat and had a sneak preview of his upcoming exhibition at Kiyomizu Temple. Brian is due to have a special one night exhibit of his parabolic paintings this Saturday evening (May 14th) - the first time ever in 1200 years that any art has been exhibited on the famous Kiyomizu balcony. Brian is famous … [Read more...] about The Artist Brian Williams
