Tag - Japan

Matsuyama Castle

Now THIS is a castle! Completed around 1628, it is one of only 12 castles to be considered ‘original,’ meaning the main keep has survived since at least 1868; the current keep of Matsuyama Castle was built in 1820 after being destroyed by lightning. Some famous castles, like...

View of the Iya Kazurabashi vine bridge from the exit, Tokushima, Shikoku

The Iya Valley Vine Bridges

Crazy to think that this month last year, I was off exploring Shikoku with friends for a week; looking forward to being able to travel again, both domestically and internationally! Back in the old days, people in the Iya Valley would cross the many rivers and gorges using bridges made of...

Deskwarming Diaries #13

Welcome to another edition of the Deskwarming Diaries, where an ALT learns something new everyday at lunch in exchange for English-language facts. Today’s post features Pocky, wild plants you can eat, and the subtleties of English. Let’s jump in!

Deskwarming Diaries #12

Welcome to another edition of the Deskwarming Diaries, where the best part of the day is most certainly lunch. Today’s post features bugs, birds, frogs, and the words ‘stranger’ and ‘chunky.’ Let’s jump in!

Deskwarming Diaries #10

Welcome to another edition of the Deskwarming Diaries, where an ALT now finds herself thankfully working from home. Yup! I finally got permission to work from home! We ended up opening school for one week, only to close it again because cases in Nagano Prefecture were increasing pretty...

A Run-in with Roba Bread

Today’s post is a continuation of The Unsettling Nagoro Scarecrows; read it here! When we heard the soft voices of children singing, all of us tensed and began looking around, eyes wide, before laughing at ourselves. “We’ve overstayed our welcome!” we laughed...

Deskwarming Diaries #9

Welcome to another edition of the Deskwarming Diaries, where an ALT wonders why she is still deskwarming even though the world is shutting down. This post sees some coronavirus updates, with a guest appearance from a stuffed hedgehog. Let’s jump in!

Two scarecrows on break, Nagoro Village

The Unsettling Nagoro Scarecrows

Tucked away in Shikoku’s remote Iya Valley is the small village of Nagoro. While this was once a bustling place, the current number of residents stands at only around 35 people… …and over 300 scarecrows. Visiting the Nagoro Scarecrows This place is literally impossible...