Nick Ramsay

Last year at the end of summer I visited to Suzumushi Temple in Arashiyama, Kyoto and also to Ishiyama Temple which is nearby, but in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, an area well known for Lake Biwa. I have more photos from Ishiyama Temple to put up yet, but was looking through some of the colorful [...] Related posts: Suzumushi Temple I visited Suzumushi Temple in Arashiyama, Kyoto in Summer and... City Camouflage I went past this bike cover in Shibuya today. I... Akita Bisaikan Akita Prefecture have set up antenna shops around Japan to... - Nick Ramsay

There are not only foods, but also well-made figures at the convenience store. I hope you have a happy Valentine’s Day with your significant other. Related posts: Mini Butter Roll Towel ? for Valentines Day Of course most people love chocolate and in Japan the... Conbini Monday Wk45 The snacks keep coming this week, but as [...] Related posts: Mini Butter Roll Towel ? for Valentines Day Of course most people love chocolate and in Japan the... Conbini Monday Wk45 The snacks keep coming this week, but as we get... Conbini Monday Wk71 An interesting selection this week mainly from Natural Lawson... - Nick Ramsay

Today was the annual Hoshi Matsuri at the Agon Shu Temple in Kyoto. I was surprised to see it being broadcast on so many different television stations live, including the BBC. Were you watching in your part of the world? The Hoshi Matsuri is a festival that looks to the ‘the star of destiny’, the [...] Related posts: Hina Matsuri Cake Saw this delicious looking Hina Matsuri cake for sale at... Summer Matsuri Summer is a time of festivals in Japan and also... Shibuya Nebuta Matsuri Tonight was the Shibuya Nebuta Matsuri (festival) in Center-gai. The... - Nick Ramsay

The Spring weather seems to be hiding just around the corner as the trees start to get ready to show us their color. As we get ready for the colors of Spring here is the close of Autumn. What are your plans for Spring? Related posts: Aoyama Autumn A couple of weeks ago I took [...] Related posts: Aoyama Autumn A couple of weeks ago I took a walk along... Nijo Castle, Kyoto Nijo Castle (Nijojo) in Kyoto is a great place to... Spring on its way The weather doesn’t feel like it today, but Spring is... - Nick Ramsay

After Setsubun, Spring starts according to the calendar. It is still too cold in Tokyo, so you might want to try some of these hot drinks. In Japan, on Valentine’s Day the women present chocolates to the men, rather than the other way around as in many countries. How will you spend this year Valentine’s [...] Related posts: Conbini Monday Wk73 It is getting cold recently, and Lawson has started a... Conbini Monday Wk66 I think I have missed a few weeks, but here... Conbini Monday Wk74 After the snow we had in Tokyo last Monday, you... - Nick Ramsay

Shinjuku Station is said to be the busiest train station in the world with close to 4 million passengers a day passing through. I was one of those millions passing through this week on my way to some meetings. The amazing part about the number of people who use public transport in Japan is not [...] Related posts: Nagoya Station I visited Nagoya a while ago and traveled to Ise... Kyoto Station With such a great train culture, there are also some... Station Concert Passing through Shinkiba station (新木場) I saw this classical music... - Nick Ramsay

The month of February used to be called Kisaragi in Japan. February was the second month of winter under the lunar calendar, which Japan used before the Heian Period. Under this calendar, Winter was the period from January to end of March, and Spring covered the three months starting from April. The kanji for Kisaragi [...] Related posts: Odaiba Ume and Sakura Map Nice touch of Spring here as the Ume blossom at... When is Spring in Japan? Whilst it sounds like an obvious question there is no... Hot Ginger drink Right now I have a cold so my best friend,... - Nick Ramsay

It is very cold in Japan at the moment with snow falling heavily in many parts of the country. Back in summer when I visited Arashiyama, it was all blue skies and warm weather. Visiting the gardens and Temples of Japan, the strong colors seem to be blue for the sky, green for the trees, [...] Related posts: Japan Sunset On the way back from IKEA to buy a bookcase... Kodaiji Temple Kodaiji Temple (高台寺) established in Kyoto in 1606 is a... Tokyo Midtown Illuminations The Christmas Illuminations have been up for a while at... - Nick Ramsay

After the snow we had in Tokyo last Monday, you might be tempted to stock up on some goods at the Conbini and stay at home with “Nama-cha Panda” instead. Matcha and Matcha Latte. It’s tasty. Have a break with coffee. Strawberry pudding and Chocolate brownie parfait. Which one do you like? ONE PIECE special [...] Related posts: Conbini Monday Wk39 It was a cold today in Tokyo today, and at... Conbini Monday Wk37 Are convenience stores in your part of the world always... Conbini Monday Wk72 A little bit of time since the last post. I... - Nick Ramsay

I watched the NHK drama series, Ryomaden 龍馬伝, in 2010 and also the Jin drama on TBS last year, which both focused on the story of Sakamoto Ryoma, 坂本龍馬. I bought the DVD set for the first series of Ryomaden to watch it again. It is a great story and well told with Fukuyama Masaharu [...] Related posts: EggsnThings Japan Eggs’nThings Japan has opened its first store in Harajuku and... Brutus Magazine I have introduced some articles from Brutus Magazine before, but... JR Convenience Stores Looks like 7-Eleven have realized that NEWDAYS, the Japan Railway... - Nick Ramsay

Takamatsu is the one of the gateway cities to Shikoku . Trains coming across the Seto Ohashi bridge as well as ferries coming from small islands and the main land, arrive at Takamatsu. It is an open planned city with beautiful parks and old style shopping arcades. A great base to explore the Setonaikai from, it also has its own rich history and culture. Related posts: Naoshima, Shikoku Naoshima is a small island in the Setonaikai. It takes... Shikoku Trip I went on a trip to Shikoku recently and traveled... Dougo Onsen, Shikoku Dougo Onsen is located in Matsuyama, on the island of... - Nick Ramsay

At the end of last year I went on a trip to Huis Ten Bosch, Nagasaki. It is a theme park built towards the end of the economic bubble years in Japan, and struggled for a long time to attract enough visitors to make a profit. Recently, it was bought out by HIS and has [...] Related posts: Digital Book, Huis Ten Bosch A friend introduced me to Canon’s book printing service, PhotoPresso.... Sakura Season I went out to Ueno Park today to see the... Painting in Yamashita Koen I took a walk around Yamashita Koen in Yokohama today... - Nick Ramsay

I have had dirty marks on my camera mirror for a while now and decided to take it to The Nikon service center to get it cleaned. I went to the center in Shinjuku which is near the station and also near Bic Camera. Can you spot the marks on this photo I took from [...] Related posts: Ear Cleaning Service You can find almost any kind of service in Japan... Camera Lens This is some of the camera lens equipment I use,... Kabukicho, Shinjuku I took a walk around Kabukicho, Shinjuku in the evening.... - Nick Ramsay

We had snow in Tokyo tonight. Normally we get a bit of snow between January and March, but it doesn’t normally settle so easily. I expect by the morning this snow will also have melted away and things should be back to normal. It was not so cold out, so I took a quick walk [...] Related posts: Tokyo Snow It was snowing in Tokyo today. I was out this... Tokyo Snow It doesn’t snow in Tokyo very often during the year,... Snow in Tokyo The weather had got warmer for a while, but as... - Nick Ramsay

It is getting cold recently, and Lawson has started a Korean food fare to help us fight off the winter months. It snowed last friday for the first time this year. Some of these goods might help out. Can you guess why the ogre face pictures are displayed? Related posts: Conbini Monday Wk66 I think [...] Related posts: Conbini Monday Wk66 I think I have missed a few weeks, but here... Conbini Monday Wk27 Yakult is well known for its Yakult milk drink which... Conbini Monday Wk72 A little bit of time since the last post. I... - Nick Ramsay

Nice day out with lots of people shopping. A bit warmer than yesterday and clear blue skies. The rest of the country seems to be experiencing the cold with some parts snowing. Time to get down to Uniqlo and buy up some HeatTech. Can you guess which pieces of HeatTech I currently have? Related posts: [...] Related posts: Glover Garden, Nagasaki Glover Garden is a park in Nagasaki, overlooking Nagasaki Harbor.... Uniqlo Models Uniqlo is a popular clothes store in Japan which many... View from my window The other day was a nice clear sunset which gave... - Nick Ramsay

I visited Suzumushi Temple in Arashiyama, Kyoto in Summer and enjoyed the speech given by the monks there. It was not a large Temple and the grounds were not extensive, but many people were queued up to get inside and the monks prepared tea and sweets to enjoy as they explained the history and humor of the Temple. Related posts: Moe Temple Moe has been used to advertise many products in Japan.... Eiheiji Temple Eiheiji Temple, located in Fukui-ken, was founded over 800 years... Sendai Trip, Matsushima I took a trip to Sendai last week and visited... - Nick Ramsay

Glover Garden is a park in Nagasaki, overlooking Nagasaki Harbor. It was built for Thomas Blake Glover, a Scottish entrepreneur who first came to Japan in 1859. He had good relations with various Samurai clans and assisted in toppling the Tokugawa Shogunate. He contributed to the modernization of Japan in shipbuilding, coal mining, as well as establishing the forerunner of Kirin Brewery. Glover House is the oldest Western style house surviving in Japan today. Related posts: Chocolate House I saw this cute looking chocolate house in the supermarket.... Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa Gardens A few weeks ago I went to a meeting near... Japan Smoking House There was a fire drill at some office buildings in... - Nick Ramsay