What do I find this morning?! Mount Fuji perving in at me through my hotel window. Rude. :)

Mount Koya - 10/10/12 - 18:14 I'm the only person sat on a bus waiting for it to leave. The bus driver is outside having a fag, biding his time before the exact time approaches for the two of us to head off. I'm quite sure I'll be his only passenger because he is the first person I've seen for half an hour (having just escaped a rather ghoulish fate at the hands of 9th century zombies). Despite it being 6 o'clock, it feels more like midnight in this remote m...

We were pre-warned about the importance of giving gifts in Japan: One must carry a wrapped gift everywhere One goes in the likely event One is surprised with a present and thus required (by the unofficial 'law of politeness') to reciprocate. The ritual of handing over the gift is an art-form in itself. You must present it with both hands and bow to the recipient whilst disparaging the gift you're giving as much as possible, regardless of what it is, to gain ...

Nothing quite like meeting a bunch of Western strangers in a bar somewhere, drinking far too much wine, sharing a karaoke booth filled with cheesy eighties monster hits and topping it off with the best bowl of late night Ramen noodles this side of Tokyo. Arigatou gozaimasu Kumamoto!

Our new friend (and elected tour guide) Akane Suzuki was in charge of showing Matt and I Osaka's famous nightlife while we were in town. Although it was a weeknight, the city seemed to be as buzzing as Soho on a Saturday. First we went for Takoyaki (octopus and egg fried balls - the local delicacy), bought from a Namba street seller. She then led us to a place that specialised in 'all you can drink in 90 minutes' for under £15. Needless to say we took no per...