Travel is many things to many people. It is many things to me. But perhaps the thing I cherish most about travel is its ability to imbue meaning into other things. For memories of it to link to those of people and experiences, for it to entwine itself around the roots of who we are. …
Japan
Doing a Visa Run from South Korea to Fukuoka
Sometimes, getting all your paperwork together to teach English in South Korea can take just a little too long. Or, you may already be in the country when you secure a job and need to head overseas to swap your visa over to an E2. Whatever the reason, visa runs are an inconvenience, but luckily …
The Hungry Ghost of Xingping
“Fancy joining us?” I glanced up from my book, meeting the eyes of the backpacker who’d asked the question. “Where’re you headed?” “The Hungry Ghost Cave,” his friend chimed in. I considered it a mere moment, then bobbed my head eagerly. “When do we go?” “8 o’clock tomorrow morning,” the first guy said, extending a …
Top 10 Memories: Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend
I treat the camera like a person – I gaze into it. Photos are a flat thing, and you need to put life into them.” – Cara Delevingne Sometimes travel is dangerous. I know it as well as anyone. From being jumped on a cobblestone street in France to battling altitude sickness while crossing a pass …
Christmas Letter 2014
This year, Christmas is going to be weird. Not because I’m spending it in a flat near the outskirts of Pohang or in a Korean beach-side pension with many of my dear friends. Not even because I’m spending it on a beach in Thailand belting Johnny Cash tunes out across the waves. No, this year is weird …
Tsumago: a Walk through the Past
The rain started as we walked along the final stretch of the Nakasendo–the ancient Japanese postal road–between the restored Edo-era towns of Magome and Tsumago. Clouds gathered overhead and the air grew thick with the smell of petrichor (thanks for the word, Bijoy!) as the earth prepared to be inundated by the sky.
Five Things to Do in Kyoto
Kyoto is the city most people familiar with Japan will recommend to the first time visitor. Having been the former capital of Japan for a span of over 1000 years and being spared the devastation of bombing raids in WWII, Kyoto is one of the cities in Japan where a wealth of historical architecture is …
Five Things to Do in Nara
Let’s go back to 8th century Japan. The imperial infrastructure of the country had been growing for quite some time, causing the empress to choose a permanent location for the capital. She picked a spot on the Yamato plain and the construction of Nara began. At the time, Buddhism was becoming more and more deeply …
Rambling the Nakasendo
“If one walks, a road is made.” So reads the cover of the walking map for the Nakasendo I brought back with me from Japan–a sentiment which perfectly encapsulates the origins and spirit of the Nakasendo. An ancient postal road connecting Kyoto (Kyo) and Tokyo (Edo), the Nakasendo was built over 400 years ago in the Edo period. …