Ginkgo trees at Keio University, Tokyo, Japan, December 2025 It was colder today, yesterday’s cloud blanket giving way to a clear blue sky. Ginkgo trees lined the streets, more yellow than ever in the sunshine. As I breathed in the soft ginkgo scent, I let the urge to take a picture go and tried instead to memorise how the leaves shimmered in the wind. Today was my final day in Tokyo. Two navy-dressed ladies pushed green carts; inside sat eight kindergarten children with yell

The bamboo forest, Oita, Japan, Nov 2025 I climbed up the muddy hill into the bamboo forest at the Japanese temple. Looking up, their leaves clustered overhead, forming a ceiling.  I'd seen these bamboo trees every day. In daylight, they shone softly, swaying and rustling when the wind picked up. I always noticed them, but only in passing, as I went for a run, started the car, or pulled weeds from the garden. They were part of the background, something stable and constant, ea

O-torii Gate, Miyajima, Japan, Nov 2025 Today I did a day trip from Hiroshima to Miyajima. I’d initially had mixed feelings about it because of how touristy people had said it was. My eyes bulged as I exited the train, a herd of us streaming toward the ferry like a concert crowd spilling out after the final song. I braced myself for a miserable wait, but the queue moved almost magically. People vanished onto the giant vessels as if we were stepping into Hermione Granger’s bea

I’d found Oyuki on a Reddit thread, which felt like due diligence. It was a local sushi spot, and people’s comments were persuasive, so I set out at dusk to find it.