Tourism by Matt S. Over the weekend I went along to the Hatsune Miku Magical Mirai 2016 concert and exhibition and OH MY GOD I FELL IN LOVE WITH HER ALL OVER AGAIN. I won’t retread what I wrote in my piece on the concert last year. Please do read…
Read MoreTourism by Matt S. There was a moment where I was sitting in comfortable leather chairs in a lounge that was unoccupied by anyone but myself and my wife, swirling 21-year old Japanese scotch around in a glass, where I came to the realisation that I was really relaxed. I…
Read MoreTourism by Matt S. To the Japanese, Hakone is something of a retreat from the bustling city life of Tokyo, and as such it is an absolutely essential trip to take for a very different kind of Japanese experience. Last year I did a drive through of Hakone just to…
Read MoreTourism by Matt S. One of the comments that I get frequently from people about Japan comes when I tell them that I can’t eat seafood. “But how do you survive?” they ask, or something along the lines of “but aren’t you missing out on the best food that Japan…
Read MoreTourism by Matt S. Here we go. My first “real” day in Japan, and I decided to spend it visiting museums and galleries. But not in the way you might expect. This is serious otaku stuff I was getting up to; I went to an exhibition celebrating 30 years of…
Read MoreTourism by Matt S. Okay, so here I am in Japan. Taking an overnight flight (and I can never sleep on those) left me pretty tired, and the raw heat and humidity of Japan at this time of year saps energy like nothing you’ll ever believe, but the main thing…
Read MoreGloating by Matt S. Each year I make a pilgrimage to Japan to go to Tokyo Game Show. I’ve since added the Miku Mirai concerts to that little tradition. By the time you read this, I’ll be there again! For the next three weeks or so, I’ll be visiting places,…
Read MoreThis is just a quick note today to say I’m on my way back from Japan. Talk about depressing. This really has been the trip of a lifetime. But I guess good things have to come to an end and besides I’d run out of money. Anyway, I still have…
Read MoreAsia’s largest gaming event, Tokyo Game Show, was bigger and better this year than ever before, boasting a record number of exhibitors from all over the world, and of all sizes, from indies of one developer through to the mega publishers Square Enix, Sony, SEGA and Koei Tecmo. I have…
Read MoreAsakusa is an area that sees its fair share of gaijin tourists. They come because it is renowned for two things; firstly, it has a mammoth temple that dominates the area, and secondly, it’s world renowned for being a small case study of “traditional Japan” that exists close to the…
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