Bright Life! Bright Life!
Hello, my little lightbulbs! I hope that your week is going well! How are you feeling today? How present have you been today? How much time have you spent in the moment, not thinking of the past or worrying about the future? Do you feel checked into or checked out of your body right now? [...]
Hello, my little lightbulbs! How are we doing? In my last post, I told you about my recent trip to Amsterdam. I also, in that post, promised to tell you more about a few of the places I decided to eat in during my short two-night stay! I’m big into my cafes, and finding good [...]
Before moving back to the UK from Japan in 2020, one of the ways that I consoled myself was by promising to visit some countries in Europe. I hadn't done much travelling in Europe and it was a good way to keep my independent and adventurous streak alive and in touch. However, I, like most [...]
Last Sunday I headed out to Beeston Castle with the famalam. My work-life balance has been absolutely shocking lately and it was absolutely essential for me to get out and not think about teaching and lesson plans for a while. With my Tudor Gothic module coming to an end, I was craving some Gothic vibes; [...]
White pythons dwelling in castles, monkey mountains and now… owls!? That trip to Beppu was certainly animal-orientated! On our way home from Beppu we stopped off in the small onsen town of Yufuin. This town is often preferred by travellers when compared to its...less...polished neighbour (but I prefer the raffishness of Beppu). For me, Yufuin [...]
It’s like laughing at something that looks funny from a distance, then having it run at you full force and realising that you were laughing at a giant fucking cave troll. COVID-19 wiggled into my consciousness at the end of January. Before then I was focused on going back to the UK for Christmas and [...]
A volcano, historical Japanese estate, sapphire blue ocean, UNESCO museum, a cute Starbucks…. Sengan-en has it all. I visited this feudal estate, built in 1658 by Shimadzu Mitsuisha of the Shimadzu clan, before Ste went back to the UK. It was recommended by my awesome friend and Kagoshima connoisseur, Lydia. Her recommendations are consistently brilliant [...]
Why is Totoro so popular? Is it Ghibli’s magically simplistic yet detailed anime style? The elegant soundtrack drawn from "Western classical, Japanese classical, and electropop-minimalism"? Is it the mesmerising weaving of Japanese culture with humour, entertainment and reverence? Or is it our fat, fluffy Totoro himself with his big ol’ smile? Whatever the reason, Totoro [...]
Kifune Castle was completed and crowned weirdest experience of my Beppu trip; so next up is my scariest, Beppu Ropeway. Just like the castle, you can see the ropeway from many places within the city and, unlike the castle, it’s very very high. Going to the ropeway was a last minute decision, made while eating [...]
The boisterous and bonkers Beppu called me back again and, like a sailor drawn by my siren`s watery call, I obliged. My first trip to the onsen city left me a little bit breathless, very much inspired and desperately searching for the right adjective; eventually arriving at `saturated` due to its applied polysemy. My second [...]
AKARUI LIFESTYLE 