TRAVEL

 

There’s so much to see in Tokyo that in seven days you can’t even scratch the surface, let alone accurately blog about it. Our approach to Tokyo has been very anti-Brel: long days of walking and exploring while trying to absorb as much cultcha as poss

Tokyo is so overwhelming, that I'm having a hard time organizing my thoughts for the blog. And I've had to start carrying a notebook so that I don't forget any of it. Our Accommodations When we first arrived in Tokyo, we stayed in a traditional ryok

As seen on last night's dinner menu: Fried Spam cutlet (Spam has a cutlet?) Fried edible frog (as opposed to the poisonous dart frog?) Cheese stuffed bamboo shaped fish deep fried with seaweed and covered in Korean roe sauce Pig tongue and water

I guess people really can get used to anything. I'm pleased to report that my anxiety in Tokyo is quickly being replaced by awe and fascination, to the point where I kind of regret that last blog post. Today, the MAS is just 26. The Trains and Subways

As we wake up on Day 2, it's become painfully obvious that we need a new ranking scale for Tokyo - the Mel Anxiety Scale (MAS). Based on a scale of 1 to 100, where 50 is "Get me Atavan now!" and 100 is a a full-fledged coma, the MAS strives to capture th

For those of you who followed our blog last year, you might remember the RF scale - a scale of 1 to 10 that helped us rank the randomness of our adventures. In just a few hours off the plane, we've quickly decided that Tokyo deserves it's own RF scale, w

Alright! In these low days of our football, we at least have our Futsal team to make us proud. Iran Futsal team, the reigning ...

The World Cup 2018/2022 bidding war just got serious. First we had the Australia 2018/22 team engaging in some guerrilla marketing by handing out goody ...

I headed out from Tokyo by train into the mountains.  The Japanese Alps in Winter were a sight to behold.  There was so much snow!  I've never seen so much in all my life.  The people were very diligent about clearing it away, though; the public p

Speaking of which (in the last post), here are the Ginza skyscrapers themselves!  It's really impressive walking around the business district.  As you might expect, things are so organised, and it's spotlessly clean.  There's no rubbish on the road

This proud fish merchant is posing for my photo in front of a delectable selection of seafood!  I asked him in Japanese, and he understood on the secod attempt... Tsukiji is a great alternative tourist sight.  Right next to the metallic skyscrapers

...which is a stroke of luck, as words don't come easy to me! I'm well aware that travel photoblogs have been done to death, but that's not going to stop me from adding another to the pile currently on the internet!  The following will be a pictorial

Van Persie scores the 1-0 Oranje tested the patience of the fans in De Veste in Enschede against Japan. In the final phase of the game, ...

Twente has a first-time ever experience, when Oranje hosts Japan in the Grolsch Veste. The first ever international game in Enschede. Especially for the game, the ...

Whilst Australia is cracking down on diving, their Asian brethren Japan are reeling from a slightly stupid - or tremendously stupid, your choice - remark ...

Stuff to read while you enjoy some more epic South American "football"...... Brawl at game in Cali breaks out, 20yo punches 13yo in the face. (Sports ...

The Japan Football Federation has confirmed it will play the Black Stars in a World Cup warm-up match in September. Japan says it has reached an ...

The Socceroos have rocketed into the top 20 in the latest FIFA rankings. A successful end to our World Cup campaign, including wins over Bahrain ...

Timmy Cahill turned back the clock as he scored two second half goals to cancel out an early Japanese strike and gave the Socceroos a ...

Stuff to read while you take out the ref with clinical tackling/falling down...... The Sids which shouldn't scare parents - La Liga awards. (guardian) One beverage - ...

The Socceroos have created history by securing a spot in their second consecutive World Cup finals in South Africa 2010. A tough scoreless draw with ...

(I found this photo of Japan fans quite disturbing. Let's hope those are Japanese flags on his chest and not the result of ...

Here’s an interesting article from The World Game site regarding the World Cup bidders. It summarises the assessment of each bidder by a company called ...

Take a look at this J-League goal from Jubilo Iwata's South Korean attacker Lee Keun-Ho. Dribbling along the touchline Lee goes around the keeper and ...