It’s midnight. All the lights are out. The ones in the office building bang opposite our apartment, in Seoul, are still burning bright. Burning the midnight oil takes a whole new meaning in Asia. My dad would always wonder: what is it that you can achieve in the wee hours of the morning that you…
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Steering your way through Tokyo’s Monday morning rush hour can feel like a Herculean task. I was a bit rusty and had forgotten how to make a 100 metre dash for the train. Jimbocho Station was swarming with office-goers who knew precisely how to walk without stepping on someone’s toes. It was strange to witness order…
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Mori Art Museum is located in Tokyo’s upscale Roppongi Hills. It’s not too difficult to find, given the number of signboards and maps that are placed at regular intervals. A winding staircase (with a glass facade) in Mori Tower, one of the tallest buildings in Tokyo, leads to the main ticketing area. I bought a combined ticket for…
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Monjayaki in Asakusa By late evening, once the shutters of tourist shops are down, Asakusa resembles a ghost town with deserted alleyways — occasionally lit by an array of yellow lanterns. It’s hard to distinguish one alley from another in the dull street light. It’s harder to stay focussed on the route when there’s so…
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Escape from Seoul In January, Seoul was hit by a cold wave and I desperately needed a break. Tokyo’s weather report recorded temperatures above 0 °C and that was good enough for me to accompany Basil on his business trip. The weather played spoilsport on the day of our departure and our flight was delayed by…
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If you’re an early riser, you shouldn’t miss a visit to Tsukiji Fish Market. It would be a good idea to check this page for practical information. Getting up at 4:00 am, to reach Tsukiji at 5:00 am for the Tuna auction, is an exercise in mind over matter. We skipped it and it’s something we regret.…
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Anyone, who loves a thriving city, shouldn’t miss an opportunity to visit Tokyo. After spending a week travelling south Japan, Tokyo was the last leg of our journey. It’s possible to see Tokyo in two days. Although, you might be left wanting for more. We stayed for a week in Tokyo, but I’ll try to…
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We spent out third and final day covering the Arashiyama-Sagano area. After a rather long day two, we preferred to keep it simple the next day. Although we had fewer places to cover, there was a reasonable amount of walking to be done. To get to Arashiyama, we took the JR Sagano line, from Kyoto…
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Although, two days might be sufficient to cover Kyoto, staying longer won’t disappoint. We spent our second day covering the Northern Higashiyama area. You can catch a bus at the main depot, outside Kyoto station. Bear in mind, there are at least four Buddhist temples to visit. It’s advisable to wear easily removable footwear and…
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Manga Manga is, perhaps, one of the most famous Japanese art forms. Popular both locally and internationally; it’s hard to escape manga, when in Japan. There are entire stores dedicated to it – targeting a wide audience – with different genres. Over the years, manga has evolved from comic books into graphic novels. Some paperbacks…
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