
MOOD BOARD NO 10
mood board no 10 is my first post after the trip. i have been back for a few days, but loads of work were waiting for my attention so i haven’t been able to focus on telling you my stories just yet.

TRIP PLANNING AND WHY I DO IT
i’ve fallen off the face of the earth lately. you must know why, right? yeah, i’ve been spending lots of time and energy on trip planning.

TRIP PLANNING IS A BITCH
trip planning is the price paid for taking some of the guesswork out of traveling.

TOP 10 OSAKA
top 10 osaka is a selection of my highlights. get yourself over there and find your own way through this very cool concrete jungle!

RIBBONESIA DOES WONDERFUL RIBBON ART
ribbonesia is the work of artist baku maeda. he started off by experimenting with shapes and materials. in 2010, he launched ribbonesia officially and started producing wonderful, colourful pieces. i wrote a short shout out in early 2011. recently, i have decided to ask the creative force behind ribbonesia to answer a few questions. he kindly accepted....

TOP 5 KANAZAWA
top 5 kanazawa will hopefully add a wonderful japanese town to your wish list. i went to kanazawa for its contemporary art museum and i discovered a beautiful town full of exciting, unmissable attractions.

TOP 5 SAPPORO
top 5 sapporo will introduce you to this far away city with 2 million inhabitants. sapporo is the capital of hokkaido and is one of the few japanese places with an easily accessible grid street system. they have long difficult winters, so there are huge underground malls and all the cars have 4-wheel drive. don’t miss tasting...

TOP 5 OTARU
top 5 otaru is my recommendation for a wonderful little japanese town off the beaten path. i like to think of otaru as being at the end of the world. i’m not geographically right, but it is located in the far end of hokkaido and it’s tiny, quaint and surrounded by water.

THE VERY TALENTED SHO ASAKAWA
sho asakawa is the epitome of the inspiring 21st century rock star: he’s self-reliant, poly-oriented and very driven. his look is special and it makes him stand out just as much as the great quality of his music. he is very active in social media, he markets his personal brand as well as his band’s,...

ONSEN MONKEYS IN NAGANO
onsen monkeys are those macaques in japan who figured that they can have a much better life soaking in a hot thermal spring than freezing in the forest. fyi, on average, the nagano area is covered in snow one third of the year, so these monkeys are pretty smart.

OKUNOSHIMA ISLAND – NO PEOPLE, JUST RABBITS
okunoshima is super kawaii! an island full of bunnies. yes, it does exist! only in japan!

MISAO, THE JAPANESE GRANDMOTHER AND HER FRIEND, FUKUMARU THE CAT
you must have heard about the story: cat and old lady spend all their lives together. this story strikes a chord in me: i am very fond of animals and i believe we are all equals.