Although I have been to Tsukiji fish market many times, I have never been able to get up early enough to see the auctions or other market activities. However, I still enjoy strolling around and having omakase sushi breakfast whenever I visit. But when I heard that the 78-year old market is [...]

Top left: Scai the bathhouse; top right: a temples in Yanaka; main: the nostalgic Yanaka
 
There are so many cool and interesting neighbourhoods in Tokyo, but my favourite is the area known as Yanesen ( including three neighbourhoods: Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi). In a metropolis where everything changes faster than the blink of [...]

Left: Different exhibitions' leaflets on display; Right: exhibition entry tickets
 
Tokyo is a cultural hub where world-class art, crafts and design exhibitions are constantly taking place. I could spend days visiting museums and galleries when I am there, but on this trip, I only picked out a few due to time constraint.
On the [...]

Tokyo Big Sight
 
Even though I have a slight phobia visiting trade fairs, sometimes it is the easiest and most direct way to meet potential suppliers and designers and see their products in person. I found out about the Tokyo gift fair while I was planning my annual trip to Asia, and decided [...]

My last Kyoto blog entry is on shopping...
Since I spent much of the time in the rural area exploring temples and gardens, there was barely time for shopping. The day before I left for Tokyo, I went into the city centre during the late afternoon and spent a few hours exploring the [...]

The garden and diners' view at Yudofuya, Ryoanji temple

 
Some people view food as fuel or necessity to keep them alive, while others view it as pleasure or art. In Kyoto, culinary is not just an art form, it is a philosophy that is highly influenced by its culture and Zen Buddhism.
Many of [...]

 
I love wandering and exploring streets of cities beyond the tourist attractions. I think you can learn and understand more about the city from the streets where local people live, eat or work. Kyoto's cityscape is especially interesting because it has numerous ancient temples and shrines, yet it is also [...]

Famous rock gardens at Ryoanji ( A World heritage site)
 
With over 1600 temples and shrines, including 17 Unesco World Heritage sites in Kyoto, it is impossible to visit them all even if you live in the city. Hence it is best to plan ahead, so on this trip, I concentrated mostly [...]

Okochi Sanso Villa

 
Ever since my parents brought me to Japan at the age of seven, I became fascinated by this country, its culture and the people. Over the years, I continued to visit this country and I became even more intrigued. When I was younger, I was more interested in the aesthetic [...]

Myoshinji temple complex, the head temple of Rinzai Zen Buddhism
 
A few years ago, I stayed at a Buddhist temple in South Korea and it was one of the most spiritually rewarding experiences that I could not forget. Since then, I have been wanting to stay at a Japanese zen Buddhist temple because [...]