Hokkaido is famous for dairy cow farms because of its vast open land and good mild climate. 🐄However, farming can be done in a range of conditions, even in one of the busiest cities in the world, Tokyo 🗼. Tokyo lifestyle...?! Last weekend, we visited the only dairy cow farm within 23 special wards in … Continue reading Patting a cow in Tokyo – visiting Koizumi Ranch
Monday was a Mountain Day, another public holiday in Japan so we headed 2 hours north west from central Tokyo to 奥多摩 (Okutama) for some cooling riverside air and openness, while still being within Tokyo. 🌳🌳🌳 So much greenery! 🌳 🌳🌳 Riding the rapid Chuo line took us to the most outer edge of Tokyo … Continue reading Is this really Tokyo? Cooling off in Okutama
State of Emergency has been extended around Japan (although many have ignored it and have started to go back into the office after Golden Week). Honestly, I haven't really gotten out anywhere to experience much of Japan lately. However, what I see often is the beautiful Tokyo Tower that is near my home and we … Continue reading 33 Facts about Tokyo Tower
Setagaya ward is one of the 23 Tokyo wards that is known as the address for the wealthy💰 . However within Setagaya is 下北沢 (Shimokitazawa), a cool neighborhood with an old school Japanese feel filled with lots of vintage shops and soup curry restaurants 🍛 with queues out the front. Voted amongst Timeout’s “Coolest neighborhoods … Continue reading Tokyo suburb highlight: Shimokitazawa
The temperature has dropped to the low single digits in Tokyo in the morning and at night these days. When the sun shone through our curtain on Sunday morning, we decided to warm up by hopping on our bikes to 白金台 (Shirokanedai), with Institute for Nature Study as our destination. A little bit about Institute … Continue reading Lush centuries-old forest in Tokyo: the Institute for Nature Study
Mentioned in the last week's post, we had a public holiday to celebrate Culture Day and that free entries were offered at some of the major museums around the country. Here's how we spent our first Culture Day since we moved to Japan at the start of the year. What's Ueno like? 上野 (うえの, Ueno) … Continue reading Tokyo local’s way to enjoy art and food in Ueno
June in Japan is a rainy month☔. Although the week was pretty sunny, my first weekend after my first week of work was very gloomy, cool and rainy🌧. Yet, why waste a weekend now that I work? Living in Sydney, we saw the harbor every day and we can’t remember the last time we saw … Continue reading Walking on a Rainbow: A walk to Odaiba on Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo
Just in Minato ward, there are a lot of beautiful galleries and museums. I have visited two last week, Kokuritsu Shinbijyutsukan or The National Art Center, Tokyo (国立新美術館) and Nezu Museum (根津美術館). Kokuritsu Shin Bijyutsukan Kokuritsu Shibijyutsukan or The National Art Center, Tokyo is an architecturally beautiful exhibition space that doesn’t hold any collection of … Continue reading Art stroll in my neighbourhood – Kokuritsu Shin Bijyutsukan and Nezu Museum
From 1st of March, Japan is in spring. Oh these pink bursts in front of this shrine? No, these beautiful blossoms aren’t cherry blossoms – they are plum blossoms. Spring is in the air Not known to many foreigners, plum blossoms end the Japanese winter and kicks off the spring season between mid-February to the … Continue reading Bring on spring!
Native Expat 