Brodie

Naoshima

Naoshima (直島) Art Island 2

A small island off the coast of Okayama Prefecture in the Seto Inland Sea featuring art by James Turrell, Yayoi Kusama and architecture by Tadao Ando.

Osaka

Osaka (大阪市) Architecture and Eateries

There are so many great cafes, restaurants and hidden architectural gems in Osaka.

Kyoto

Arashiyama (嵐山) & The Yamazaki Distillery (山崎蒸溜所)

A lovely day out from Osaka, visiting the Yamazaki Distillery on the way to Arashiyama's Bamboo Forest.

Osaka

Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan (海遊館)

Located on the port in Osaka is one of Japan's best Aquariums (second to Okinawa's even more amazing one).

Hyogo

Mt Shoshazan (書写山圓教寺)

Popularised by Tom Cruise in the movie The Last Samurai, Mt Shoshazan and the temple Shoshazan Engyō-ji (書写山圓教寺) are a short bus and cable car ride north of Himeji Station.

Hyogo

Ako Sakoshi (坂越) Hike

Walking across the bridge from Sakoshi Station towards the Seto Inland Sea, following the mountain ridge and you'll arrive at steps to take you up the mountain. From the top, you can see north towards Une and south across the sea, overlooking the abundant oyster pontoons.

Kyushu

Nagasaki Lantern Festival (長崎)

Nagasaki, the Japanese city with the largest China Town hosts an annual Lantern Festival to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Kyushu

Huis Ten Bosch (ハウステンボス)

A theme park called Huis Ten Bosch (ハウステンボス) in Sasebo, Japan modelled on a Dutch architecture.

Hyogo

Ako Oyster Festival (赤穂かきまつり)

Every year Ako City (赤穂市) in Hyogo Prefecture hosts an Oyster Festival at the Waku Waku Land seaside park.

Nara

Deers of Nara (奈良)

Nara is most famous for its 8th century temple called Tōdai-ji which has deer roaming its grounds. Here are the deer.

Australia

Perth, Western Australia (パース 西オーストラリア)

Hardly a cloud in the sky, endless white sandy beaches and a hot summer visiting Kings park and Penguin Island

Wakayama

Koyasan (高野山)

A Japanese Buddhist village 800m up across 8 mountain peaks, south of Osaka in Wakayama prefecture.

Japan

Tottori Sand Dunes (鳥取砂丘)

A coastal prefecture overlooking the Sea of Japan, famous for the largest sand dunes in the country.

Hyogo

Sannomiya Kobe (神戸三宮)

There is no shortage of trendy, small bars, cafes, restaurants and more in the lively Sannomiya area of Kobe.

Kagawa

Takamatsu Kagawa (高松市香川県)

A weekend trip to Takamatsu to cross one of the longest bridges in the world, eat Sanuki Udon and visit the beautiful Ritsurin Garden.

Osaka

Osaka Bicycles (大阪自転車)

Japan's love of bicycles is evident throughout the country and Osaka is no exception. Areas such as America-Mura and Horie show off thousands of unique bicycles parked on the streets.

France

Paris France (フランス・パリ)

A day and evening in Paris with a friend, a baguette, brie and red wine; overlooking the Madeline and glimpses of the Eiffel Tower in the skyline.

UK

London, UK (ロンドン英国)

A relatively sunny week (for London) eating out, spotting the iconic red buses and spending time in the sunshine.

South Korea

Seoul, South Korea (韓国ソウル)

48 Hours in South Korea's capital eating, hiking, shopping and visiting the traditional architecture.

Kobe

Arima Onsen Cable Car

A mountainous town known for its hot springs accessible via cable car over Mount Rokko. This is the cable car ride.

Japan

Arashiyama Kyoto (嵐山)

A mountainous area north west of Kyoto City famous for it's beautiful river, monkeys and bamboo forest.

Ako

Ako Misaki Beach (赤穂御崎)

A picturesque beach area in Ako city by the Seto Inland Sea.

Osaka

Osaka Chuo (大阪中)

Osaka's Chuo area has streets lined with trendy cafes and shop scattered amongst architectural gems.

Japan

Osaka City Sakura (大阪市さくら)

Osaka Castle is surrounded by parklands filled with cherry and plum blossoms. Each year in April, people swarm to the park for picnics while the blossoms fall.

Japan

Ako City Sakura (赤穂市さくら)

Streets throughout Japan, in big cities and small, are lined with cherry blossoms which come out in full bloom briefly, every year. Time to head out and enjoy the sunshine!