On a Floating Bridge » Author Archive
Getting off the island
The first thing I think you need when planning to leave Japan, going westwards, by ferry is to match up the schedules for the ferry with the long-distance onward train whether that be Trans-Mongolian / Manchurian / Siberian, Baikal-Amur Mainline etc. This is because the trains west of Moscow are much more frequent, and therefore more flexible. ＊＊＊ However, don’t forget that European tickets are cheaper the earlier you buy them so try to get … Read entire article »
Filed under: Japan Slow Travel & Mini Trips, Slow Travel, World Slow Travel
Japan > UK… On the level 2011
I’m heading off again, so join me for another jaunt across the world without planes or a great deal of cash, exploring alternative travel with fewer environmental impacts. I realise that in 2007 I didn’t go into a lot of detail about one of the trickier parts of complicated journeys involving several train and boat schedules across many countries… The Planning Hopefully this section will be useful to anyone trying to figure out how to choose the best … Read entire article »
Filed under: Flightless Travel Guides, Slow Travel, World Slow Travel
March Recipes
March looks to be the hardest month on Masanobu Fukuoka’s seasonal cycle, and so, taking carrots as a pivot, I fell back on a fusion dish, some o-nigiri – adaptable to any season – and which is surprisingly hard to learn how to make, finally a slight cheat with carrot and coriander soup. Soba I’m indebted to Abel & Cole, the organic veg box company I used to get seasonal organic veg from in the UK for … Read entire article »
Filed under: Being Green in Japan, Eco Seikatsu
Zine exchange in Ichigaya
A small zine exhibition / market / festival is happening on February 19th in Ichigaya featuring zine artists who were selected in the 2010 bi-monthly illustration competition run by the Japanese magazine “Illustration”. View Larger Map Venue: Yamawaki Gallery Date: Saturday 19th February 2011 Time: 1pm ~ 5pm Web: The Choice, annual exhibition Download article as PDF … Read entire article »
Filed under: Zines
February Recipes
Re-posting this from last year! Leading on from my last post, here are 3 recipes for seasonal Japanese food in February. The end of winter, before new vegetables are ready to harvest, is not traditionally the high point of the food calendar. However, the following three are tasty and full of variety in these dark evenings under the kotatsu. Kinpira Gobo Ingredients Japanese Name Price in Feb 2-3 Large ‘Greater Burdocks’ ゴボウ ¥210 6 Medium Carrots ニンジン ¥137 1 Dried Chilli トウガラシ … Read entire article »
Filed under: Being Green in Japan, Eco Seikatsu
Boroichi Festival
This is a local festival / market that happens twice a year selling old kimonos, antiques, bric-a-brac, curios and Japanese festival food like yakisoba, yakiniku, as well as mochi, broth and Korean chijimi etc. Its not very big but its right on my doorstep twice a year and attracts a huge crowd. It also has a long and interesting history. It apparently has its origins as far back as 1578 when the Daimyo of Odawara … Read entire article »
Filed under: Generally Japan
“Taisho Imagery” Exhibition
The Shoto Art Museum, a medium sized, expensive looking, prime real-estate located art museum run under city management in Shibuya Ward holds varyingly successful exhibitions that escape many people’s attention owing to their publicity strategy (or lack of one). The Japanese website is a single page with the same navigation and design as the rest of this otherwise city-council website and consequently it’s hard to tell whether they are advertising an art exhibition or warning you … Read entire article »
Filed under: Zines
My year in plastic bags
Yes I know what a dreary name for a post, tragically so much of the damage being inflicted on our planet’s ecosystems is incredibly dreary, mundane, offensively dull… so I’ll continue. New Years is the traditional time of celebration in Japan, so unlike Christmas there is an order events to be observed. On New Year’s Eve you begin with Ō-sōji (big cleaning) and go through the house cleaning down things that you don’t get a chance … Read entire article »
Filed under: Being Green in Japan, Eco Seikatsu
Christmas in Kiso
Sorry I’ve been too busy to blog recently! There were five highways created during the Edo period to traverse the central region of Honshu and particularly the distance between the old imperial capital Kyoto and the Shogunate power centre of Edo (Tokyo). Many will know the 53 stations of the Tokaido from Hiroshige’s woodblock prints. This was the busiest route along the coast and now carries the bullet train on the Tokyo-Nagoya-Kyoto-Osaka route. The Nakasendo cut inland … Read entire article »
Filed under: Japan Slow Travel & Mini Trips, Slow Travel
Setouchi – Shodoshima Highlights
“Sea and mountain, from these two view points you can enjoy the charms of this island to the full. In this abundant place, the artwork of Asia’s artists meets in fusion. In a relaxed mood, allow the beautiful scenes of country and sea to be etched into your memory.”P112 Setouchi International Art Festival, 2010 guidebook. We only briefly visited Shodoshima. It is the most accessible of all the islands, and the biggest. It is also the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Arty in Tokyo
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On a Floating Bridge is a website with information about 3 topics,
and surprising intersections between them. Please subscribe to the RSS if you are interested in Japan, Environmental Issues and Art.
The bridges between them weave my life together here in Tokyo.
Below are photos mostly from Japan and my overland journey from Bristol to Tokyo, plane free. I don't update them that often.
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