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Arashiyama, on the banks of the Katsura river, is a peaceful district on the outskirts of Kyoto. An easy journey from the city centre by train, it is filled with temples and shrines and is home to the famous Arashiyama…
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From the minute we step into the streets, it is obvious that Kyoto is a whole new world compared to Tokyo. For a start, the pace is much slower than I expected for a big city. The main street…
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I’ve come a long way from the avalanche on skis who took two hours to crash my way down the Austrian Alps, taking out other skiers and striking fear in the hearts of small children with my out-of-control squealing and…
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After one of the most memorable new years eve celebrations of my life in Vienna a year earlier, I spent a lot of time researching the best way to welcome in 2014 in Japan . . . and making the…
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Bright lights illuminate the dark, lining every street, rooftop and otherwise dark alley. Cartoon characters dance across giant screens on every corner, and in every shop window. Their nasal, childlike voices fill the air above the sounds of their accompanying…
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It is not until we touch down at Haneda International Airport, that my last 8 week’s worth of anxiety fade to nothing, and I am filled with an overwhelming sense of calm. The suspicious looking bloke in row 31, who…
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