The Daibutsu of Kotoku-in was cast over seven centuries ago and stands (well, sits) as the second tallest bronze Buddha in the country at over eleven metres. I’d seen it numerous times on websites and Instagram, but it really was something else in-person. The temple was filled with greenery and the Buddha looked especially picturesque. A hundred humans scurried around the base of the sitting statue. Its head was bent forward with pursed lips, as if to survey the creatures and their camera-phones with faint displeasure.
Read MoreWrapping Up One Year in Japan
It’s been exactly 13 months since I arrived at Haneda Airport to begin my year-long working holiday in Japan. Since then, I have experienced a slew of new situations, both the unsurprising and the unexpected. Life here has been interesting, boring, awesome and kind of awful (mostly due to my own faults). I’d like to say that, despite the various hardships I’ve encountered here, I have stayed absolutely resilient, counting on naught but my own unwavering determination—but that would not be true by any stretch of the word. I could go into a lot of detail about what I’ve dealt with, telling stories and throwing around metaphors, but I’ll cut straight to it.
Read MoreHalf a Day in Hakone
Known for its numerous hot springs and accompanying Japanese-style hotels (ryokan), as well as the scenic crater lake Ashinoko, Hakone is an immensely popular destination for locals. Still, being a weekday, I was surprised by how busy it was. Each shop and restaurant was bustling with mostly domestic tourists. After a quick bout of window shopping, Yukari and I hopped on a bus bound for Lake Ashi.
Read MorePlaying Catch-Up
The age-old saying ‘time flies’ has never rang more true. So what’s happened since my last entry? I learned some bathhouse etiquette during a visit to one of Tokyo’s biggest super-sento. I co-starred in a commercial with a Japanese gravure idol. I finally saw the life-size RX-78-2 Gundam in Odaiba and laid the remnants of my 11-year-old self to rest in glorious fashion. I reached the latter half of my twenties with my first birthday and ‘home-party’ in Japan…
Read MoreThe Ju-on House
‘The Grudge’ is by no means a great movie, but it’s certainly not a bad one. In fact, now, I find a bit more depth in it. Before coming to Tokyo, I never saw beyond the pale-faced, black-haired deaths of any of the characters. However, aside from the obvious haunting, the movie actually touches on another kind of fear and anxiety—that of being a stranger in a strange land. Both culture shock and communication difficulties are present.
Read More