Just north up the coast from Hiroshima is the Shimanami Kaido, a road through a cluster of islands connected by a network of bridges. The Shimanami Kaido is a great cycle route that is hugely popular with cyclists of all abilities. The route from the start to Imabari is about 70km, but there are places … Continue reading Cycling the Shimanami Kaido
A short train ride from Hiroshima is a town called Saijo, famous for its sake breweries with their distinctive red brick chimneys dotting the skyline. We visited one afternoon to sample some of Japan's best sake. We arrived just after lunch and picked up a map from the station's tourist information office to do a … Continue reading Saijo
Despite its famed okonomiyaki, oysters and love of baseball, there's one thing that people across the world immediately associate with Hiroshima, and that's the devastating atomic bomb that levelled the city in 1945. Hiroshima has since been rebuilt into a modern city with a lovely vibe, but it will always bear the scars of that … Continue reading Hiroshima Peace Park and Museum
We arrived in Hiroshima in the evening after a great day visiting Himeji Castle and Kokoen Garden. We got ourselves checked in to our hotel before seeking out some grub! Hiroshima has its own special type of okonomiyaki, a Japanese omelette/pancake, made with less batter and with the addition of noodles - and they are … Continue reading Hiroshimayaki at okonomimura
I've been wanting to visit Himeji castle ever since I was planning my first trip to Japan, but at that point it was undergoing a huge renovation and was covered in scaffolding. This time we were travelling down to Hiroshima from Tokyo which is a 4 hour trip, so stopping off at Himeji was a … Continue reading Himeji Castle and Kokoen Garden
Eventually came the time where we needed to wave goodbye to Tokyo, up there among my favourite cities in the world, and make our way down south to new territories! With our Japan Rail Passes at the ready we made for the Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Hiroshima via Himeji. And when travelling by … Continue reading Shinkansen to Hiroshima via Himeji and Ekiben!
The New York Bar at the Park Hyatt in Shinjuku, Tokyo, is probably best known for its appearance in the 2003 film "Lost In Translation" and its incredible views over the sprawling city. We decided to go for a pre-dinner drink to see what the fuss was about and it was a nice excuse to … Continue reading New York Bar at Shinjuku Park Hyatt, Tokyo
As well as having incredible department store food halls (read more in this post), the Japanese also set the bar pretty darn high with their major train stations. In contrast to London stations where there might be a Pret, maybe a Caffe Nero and possibly even a small M&S, the big Japanese stations are basically … Continue reading Tonkatsu at Katsukura Atre Ueno, Tokyo
Japanese department stores definitely know how to pull off a good food hall! They are affectionately referred to as "depachika" and frankly put British department stores to shame (bar perhaps Harrods and Fortnum & Mason). The Mitsukoshi department store in Ginza has a huge depachika over two basement floors. We found ourselves with a bit … Continue reading Depachika: Mitsukoshi Ginza Food Hall, Tokyo
Kabuki is a form of traditional Japanese theatre with a characteristic dance-drama style and elaborate costumes and make-up. Until now I've never been to a Kabuki performance in Japan because I was never quite sure how it all worked and whether it would all be lost on me. However, reading about Ginza Kabukiza in CITIx60 … Continue reading Kabuki at Ginza Kabukiza, Tokyo
A Year in Dinners 