sweltering in the hot hiroshima heat: day one

We went to Hiroshima last week – Thur 27th – Sat 29th July. We got the shinkansen from Tokyo Station at 7:30 and arrived in Hiroshima at 11:27. It was hot! It said it was the same temperature as Tokyo but it felt boiling. We got the bus (we could use Pasmo) to the hotel ANAクラウンプラザホテル広島・Crowne Plaza – ANA Hiroshima, an IHG Hotel (it was a really nice hotel). The lady on reception asked if we wanted to upgrade for two people for two nights for ¥5,000 and I said ‘no’ straight away. Even for me, that’s a new level ...

summer is kakigori in sunamachi ginza

Summer felt like it had well and truly hit Tokyo this Sunday. Temps were at 32ºC, feeling like 35ºC!! We’ve had to cave and put the aircon on. I feel very sorry for those people who don’t have aircon or can’t afford to run it.

We headed over to Sunamachi Ginza Shopping District again and had intended to get ice cream again. When we got to the shop though it was full, so we trotted on up to 焼きそば・かき氷専門店 ＧＯＦＵＫＵ. There was a queue and we ummed and ahhed about joining said queue in the (did I mention how ...

Travels to Chichibu, Saitama

*Warning – it is photo heavy*

This weekend, we decided on a whim to go to Chichibu・秩父 in Saitama. I’m not sure how I came upon this idea, but I did and we went.

It takes (depending on the train) around 1hr20 to 1hr50. The faster the time, the more pricey the ticket. My husband had a prior engagement on Saturday which didn’t finish until 15:00. We were aiming to meet at Ikebukuro Station to get the limited express Laview train at 16:30 but we got there earlier and decided to go with the express train to Hanno・飯能 and change ...

fun days ahead: a game of life with mister donut

We’ve had this pocket version of Game of Life or 人生ゲーム for a couple of years now but never played it. It was a rainy Sunday, so we decided to have a go at it and it’s really fun. It’s good for studying Japanese too, so I was actually really studious this weekend.

We headed to Mister Donut on Monday evening, just to get out of the house. It always makes me laugh when I go there because I was telling my Japanese friend, M about going one time and she thought I was talking about an actual Mr Donut ...

messy or not?

I’m messy. It really doesn’t bother me to sit in a room, surrounded by items strewn all over the place. I tend to know where everything is even though it’s like that. Contrary to home though, at work when I had an office job, my desk was always immaculate.

My husband is the opposite (as we are in most things). He prefers it tidy.

Which are you?
The messy slob (Emily) ...