An Autumn Day in the park You only have one day off to enjoy this week. Its starting to get colder, but is a sunny day. What do you do? You go for a picnic of course! Just 40 minutes from our apartment is one of Tokyo’s biggest parks that lies in the very heart … More Shinjuku Gyoen: a day in the garden

Welcome to day one of our ‘Osaka Trip’! Our family trips are well known to be a ‘lets see how much we can do in just four day’ kind of trips. This one was no exception. Having never been to Osaka and the surrounding areas, we thought it was finally time venture West. We took … More A day-trip to Miyajima Island

Its just assumed that when in Tokyo, you visit Disneyland. But, there is another unique Disney park in Tokyo, and that’s the beloved DisneySea. It is home to, what I would call, a random assortment of attractions from Indiana Jones, to the Little Mermaid. On the 14th October, we set off for the happiest place … More An adventure at Tokyo DisneySea

On 3 different visits to Japan, I had not yet seen the symbol of Japan up close. On my birthday this year, I had but one wish. To see the breathtaking mountain up close. So, on the 8th December, we took off on a 2 hour bus trip from Tokyo to the beautiful Mt Fuji. … More Mt Fuji: A winter wonderland

3rd November 2019 Determined to fit in another hike before it began snowing on the mountains, we headed to Chuzenjiko 中禅寺湖 (Lake Chuzenji), a lake near Nikko, nestled amongst the mountains, with a spectacular show of autumn leaves. Nikko itself is easy to reach via Skinkansen (bullet train), but Lake Chuzenji is a little more … More Lake Chuzenji – Home of Autumn

Our 6th October hike took us to Mt Mitake, in Ome, one of Tokyo’s most western cities. This time, we had a lovely group of 4 to tackle the mountain. We all met at Mitake Station, just a 2.5hr train ride from our home in central Tokyo. Stepping off the train was a mix of … More Mt Mitake 御岳山

20 – 21 October 2019 “The mountains are calling and I must go” – John Muir. We seem to have embodied this quote since moving to Japan. Perhaps it is the challenge that draws us, the nature break from city life or the allure of a different environment. Perhaps it is a combination of all. … More Mt. Odaigahara 大台ヶ原山

Imagine a seaside village surrounding by blue ocean, high cliffs, a hidden mountain-garden, and a castle atop a mountain. Well, that’s Atami. A magical little area with no foreigners in sight, this quaint town is strictly for those who have the time to visit. But its well worth it! Atami is a quick 1.5 hour … More Atami

A long standing tradition in schools in Japan is the ‘Bunkasai‘ or school festival. We have nothing even close to this amazing event in Australian schools and there is probably a reason for that. The school festival is almost entirely organised by the students. What’s that you say? ‘The school festival couldn’t possibly be run … More 文化祭 School Festival

Anyone and everyone who have spent time near Tokyo have probably been to the wonderful Mt Takao. It located just an hour from the city centre and offers spectacular views back over the city as well as the mountain range. Takao has been a mountain of worship for more than 1000 years and thousands of … More Mt Takao