Oct 5

Pearls of Wisdom: How to cope with the post travel blues

  You carry your heavy backpack through the threshold of the front door, nonchalantly throw your bag on the floor and sit on the sofa. At first your surroundings feel reassuringly comfortable. You know where everything is, the toilet is clean and you can make yourself a cup of tea whenever you want. The first…

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Aug 2

Why I’m scared to go travelling after living in Japan

Travel, it’s something that consumes about 40% of my idle thoughts. Where will I go? What will I visit? Who will I meet? It’s tiring to be infected with Wanderlust. I have some travel news, I’m heading to Thailand this month! A country that is forever in my heart after spending 3.5 months there in…

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Jun 29

Snow covered Sakura in Spring

The previous night I ironed my suit and layed it out carefully ready for my first day at school. After five days of intense training in Tokyo and a whirlwind few days of filling out forms and setting up my tiny apartment I was nervous, apprehensive yet excited for my first day of school. I…

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Jun 8

Trying Japanese food in Tokyo

  I love exotic food. I stayed in Asia for over 7 months in 2013 and loved eating exotic dishes everynight. I ate curry with my hands in Sri Lanka and ate from a giant leaf in Malaysia. In the UK I’d rarely choose to eat Japanese food, why eat expensive sushi when I could…

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Apr 30

Why denying your passion is dangerous

‘Discover what your soul has always wanted to do… and do it!’ Elizabeth Gilbert   Do you ever feel a longing to do something, anything? Does your mind wander to the same thing time and time again? Do you put that same thought to the back of your mind and dismiss it as a ‘silly…

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Apr 21

Is English widely used in Japan?

“Self-consciousness kills communication.”  ― Rick Steves-   English is the worlds international language. I feel very lucky and humble to be able to speak the main language of the world but I sometimes take it for granted in foreign countries and expect menus and signs to be written in English or in a way I…

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Apr 15

A day out at Ueno Zoo, Tokyo

    With a city as big and sprawling as Tokyo it’s surprisingly hard to decide what sightseeing to do first! After a few days exploring quirky Akihabara, bustling Shibuya and historic Asusksa it was time for something different. My hostel was not far from Ueno; an area with a large park filled to the…

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Mar 31

First Impressions of Japan

  I waited in line at immigration at Haneda airport, my shoulders aching with the weight of my backpack and feeling sweat dripping down my back due the the 5 layers of clothes I was wearing. When it was my turn I shuffled to the desk, sorted out the formalities and was handed a residents…

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Mar 20

An alternative to paying for excess baggage.

‘Miss, your bag is 2kg over the limit. That’ll be £100’. As if! My flight to Japan wasn’t starting out as the relaxing journey that I had anticipated. Despite flying with Qatar, a respected Middle Eastern airline they were extremely strict with baggage allowances, giving Ryanair a run for their money. I was moving to…

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