Travel tip: If you’re going to Kanazawa, visit Shigure-tei Tea House in Kenroku-en Garden where you can sample some tea and enjoy mesmerising garden views.
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Vignettes of Japan #9: The remains of a ryokan in Kanazawa
Memories of a forlorn former ryokan with a lovely garden in the suburbs of Kanazawa
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Happy Holidays!
My phone has been flashing Whatsapp notifications of Christmas greetings from my friends. The latest photo came from a dear friend who is in Siem Reap, Cambodia and showed him in front of immense tree roots that had overtaken the crumbling ancient walls around it. I immediately recognised where this was taken at. It has…
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Onsen in the sky
At 1,280 metres above sea level, Ryounkaku Tokachidake Onsen (十勝岳温泉 凌雲閣 ) is the highest onsen, in Hokkaido. Soaking in this hot spring is one of my favorite memories from my recent trip to Japan. The hot spring opened to the public in 1958 and is renowned for its “cloud sea”. Because of its lofty location…
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Vignettes of Japan #8: The Civilised Way to Travel
Otaru – Sapporo – Hakodate – Shin Aomori – Omiya – Kanazawa: 1620 kilometres (1006 miles), 320 km/h (200 mph) at maximum speed, 12 hours, five trains including two shinkansens, two bento boxes and multiple snacks. This sums up our rail journey from Otaru in Hokkaido island to Kanazawa on Japan’s central Honshu last summer.…
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Vignettes of Japan #7: Toasty senbei
On my return trip to Otaru, aside from sushi, there was one item that I looked forward to eating again: Senbei 煎餅, Japanese rice cracker. Three summers ago, when I was in Otaru with my family, we bought some senbei from a little shop while strolling along Sakaimachi Street. Everyone in my family likes senbei.…
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Vignettes of Japan #6: Pointing game in an izakaya
Otaru has around 100 sushi restaurants, including some 20 on the famed Sushi Street, which is five minutes on foot from where we were staying. As much as we like sushi, we were in the mood for a variety of small hot dishes – specifically, we wanted to eat at an izakaya. We decided to…
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Vignettes of Japan #5: Summer breeze in Otaru
It was a sunny Saturday morning in Otaru, a port city on the western side of Hokkaido. Gathered at one end of Otaru Canal was a busload of Chinese tourists whose tour guide was instructing where to meet later. Shaded under colourful umbrellas, the women were busy posing for photos in front of the shimmering…
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Vignettes of Japan #4: Staying Alive
Driving through the mountains between Furano and Sapporo after sunset was harrowing. For more than an hour – it felt like eternity – I sat tense and upright on the edge of the seat with my hands gripping the wheel. Whenever I spotted the faint outline of a yellow board in the distance, I would…
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Angelina Hue 