Category Archives: Family

TF Flashback: Family Time in Singapore & Indonesia with My Eldest Sister’s Family, Wife & Mother-In-Law!

Just over a year after my first visit to Singapore and I was back following a night flight. Not only was I joined by my wife this time, but my mother-in-law was also in tow for a little family trip … Continue reading

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Cold Showers, Dodgy Electricity & An Overgrown Garden: The Ups & Downs of Having A Holiday Home

A recent short break for all the teachers in my workplace allowed some time to relax and enjoy the time off but that wasn’t quite the case for me. On the face of it a trip to the east coast … Continue reading

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7 Nights In Izu: Is The Picture Postcard Cinder-Cone Mountain Becoming Too Touristy? Plus Japan’s Best Zoo & Over-Eating!

Whilst some people love the variety of a different place and activities for their holiday each year, there are also many others who are more than content to just the do the same every time. I’ve long been of the … Continue reading

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A Family Trip To The Kyoto Temple Which Featured In ‘Lost In Translation’ For About 3 Seconds!

The Tokyo locations rightly get all the acclaim and attention in ‘Lost In Translation‘ (2003) but it is often forgotten that Kyoto also features for a short time as Charlotte (Scarlett Johanson) visits a temple and a shrine on her … Continue reading

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Countdown to Christmas 2024 in Tokyo

It was always going to be impossible to equal the feeling of having my eldest sister and her family with us as was the case last Christmas. From one extreme to the other as this year my wife was at … Continue reading

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5 Nights In Hiroshima: A Local Retro Game Centre, Japan’s Newest Top Flight Football Stadium, A Great Value Meal, Live Baseball, A Splendid Waterfall, A Hidden Pop-Culture Cafe & Quality Family Time!

The number of times I’ve now visited Hiroshima is something I’ve long lost count of but I do know that this was actually our first trip in the summer time for seven years! With my wife working that day in … Continue reading

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Time To Taco ‘Bout This Year’s Mexican Festival In Tokyo……& A Few Other Recent Ones!

After an absence from any festivals in Tokyo for over a decade, things changed this year as my wife and I thought it’d be a good idea to combine our regular long Sunday morning dog walks with trips to some … Continue reading

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TF Flashback: The One & Only Time Both My Sisters & I Have Been Together In Japan (2004)

Foreign tourists in Japan is an overly common sight these days and I’ve been fortunate to meet up with a fair few friends, family members and other such contacts in recent times. Two decades ago though it was very different … Continue reading

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Surviving Without Electricity For 24 Hours In The Modern Day Is More Difficult Than You Might Think!

They say history doesn’t repeat itself but yet again our most recent trip to Izu got off to a very bad start. With sunny days on the horizon I decided to travel light but that did mean I felt a … Continue reading

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Is It Worth Visiting The Japanese Fishing Village Which Was The Setting For The TV Series Shogun?

Whilst watching the recent Disney+ TV show ‘Shōgun‘ I was surprised to hear the name of a familiar fishing village mentioned throughout the ten-part series. It is located a short distance north of our holiday home on the east coast … Continue reading

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