Travel

Walking Kiso-ji

It's summer time in Japan and given the grueling temperatures here in Tokyo, you really do not want to step outside anytime after 6am and before 6pm. To escape this scorching heat, we decided to head for the mountains this past weekend and go for a hike in Kiso valley

Culture

A love(?) letter to Tokyo architecture

Whether you are a fan of it or not, Japanese cities –and particularly Tokyo– have a very unique look to them. You may recognize it from anime or movies, or maybe you have been here and picked up on a few prominent features that make Japanese street scenes so special.

Travel

A seaside gem reborn

The port town of Miura (三浦市), located at the southern tip of the homonymous peninsula, is little more than an hour away from Tokyo. In the past famous for its Tuna, it is known primarily as a weekend getaway for city folks in recent years – including me! Miura was actually

Photography

Nightly Tokyo on film

Walking the streets of Shinjuku or Shibuya these days, you can't help but notice how different this city feels following the lift of most pandemic restrictions in Japan and the country's re-opening to tourists in October 2022. These spots are proper crowded again – full with lost tourists, tipsy salary men,

Culture

Tokyo's temple of kittens

The New York Times recently featured Tokyo in its 36 hours travel column (again). The author, Motoko Rich, has become essential reading for me over the last few years – not just her pieces in the Times, but also her commentary on daily life in Japan. Of course, I was curious

Behind the scenes

Re-launching Hans Around Tokyo

Welcome back Hi there! Thanks for checking out the blog. If you've visited before, you may notice that a few things have changed around here since you last stopped by. Along with the obvious visual overhaul, I'm also making a few changes to this websites focus and future direction. This

Everyday Life

Rainy sakura and long walks

It’s the beginning of April and the cherry blossom is almost over here in Tokyo. This year, I’ve avoided the usual spots, such as Meguro, Yoyogi, or Kichijoji pretty much entirely and instead, enjoyed Sakura in the neighborhood. Residential Setagaya has a whole lot of cherry trees and,

Travel

Going North

New post after a long time! For anyone wondering, I’m still in Japan, still shooting photos, I’ve merely gotten a bit lazy posting updates over the past year 😬 In case you missed it, Japan is open for tourists again since last October and, thankfully, friends and family from

Everyday Life

The agony of renting and moving in Japan

So we’re on the hunt for a new apartment again. Having spent almost two years in our current place, it’s time to look around for a new one. Why that is and why I’m dreading this process already has to do with the ridiculous customs of renting

Travel

A happy and healthy 2022!

Happy new year! 🥳 Hope you all got to spend some quality time with friends and family over the holidays and everyone is safe and sound. For us, Omicron and Japan’s travel restrictions that followed meant that the planned trip to Europe would not be possible. So, in order to

Travel

Izu and Hakone

This is a blog post I originally started typing back in late June 2021. Since I finally made the effort to convert my driver’s license into a Japanese one, we had rented a car and drove down to Izu peninsula in Shizuoka prefecture. The place we were staying in

Travel

Golden Autumn in Nikko

We are in dire need of a change of scene here in Japan! Although borders are not closed per se, the long quarantine period on return still makes it super impractical to go anywhere outside of the country. Thankfully, with regards to new COVID cases, Japan seems to be getting

Culture

Japan's Hortensia Season

One of the things I’ve particularly grown to appreaciate living in Japan is the stong sense of seasons. No matter what time of the year, you can be sure that there are special seasonal dishes, events, flowers, etc. – and people really embrace it! Sakura is only one example that’

Culture

Sneak Peek Into Hell

… and yet it looks so pretty! Since the Tokyo region is under a state of emergency once again — much stricter than the previous two — Golden Week 2021 turned out to be rather eventless. One notable exception was our day-trip to Hell Peek Point in Chiba prefecture. Besides a stunning view

Culture

Sakura in Kanazawa

‘Tis the season of cherry blossom (sakura) in Japan and after several months in Tokyo, spent mostly indoors, it was about time to get away from city for a while. Kanazawa is worth a visit in any season, but especially at this time of the year. Known for its Japanese

Photography

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2021, everyone! You made it through the mess that was 2020 and are more than deserving of a year filled with less stress and anxiety. May you, your family and friends be safe and have a joyful, prosperous new year. Instead of any celebration on New Year’s

Everyday Life

Christmas in the City

Winter has arrived in Japan –in some places much harsher than in Tokyo– and temperatures have been dropping to the low single digits in recent days. It is this time of the year that I am reminded again just how insufficient the insulation in your typical Japanese apartment is. (Seriously,

Travel

Strolling Around Mitakesan

It’s been a while since visiting the mountains in and around Tokyo prefecture and autumn is one of the best times to do so. That’s why last weekend we headed out to Mt. Mitake about two hours away from downtown. A bit less touristy than nearby Mt. Takao,

Travel

Welcome to the Japanese Countryside

Japan with its rich history and unique cultural heritage is an amazing place to visit as a tourist. Having been brought up in the West, there is a plethora of things to discover virtually all over the country that seem new and exciting. Personally, as much as I enjoy life

Everyday Life

Sundays in Ginza

Long overdue update after a few months of silence: I spent the Corona break mostly indoors, finishing my master’s thesis, changing apartments, and also changing jobs. Now, just in time for Japan’s annual typhoon season, I have two weeks of mostly free time on my hands to roam

Travel

Japan's Tropical Islands

This weekend we were straying away from Tokyo quite a bit. In fact, this was by far the furthest away from home I’ve been while still on Japanese soil to date. Okinawa, Japan’s southernmost prefecture, is located between Japan an Taiwan. Flying to the main island, the view

Everyday Life

Shibuya Sunset

Like many countries around the world, Japan is currently trying to strike the right balance between reopening and preventing a second wave of Covid-19 infections. For many businesses and public facilities in Tokyo, June 1st was the day strict preventive measures got lifted for the first time in over two

Everyday Life

Hanami in times of Corona

It’s the evening of April 7 and Japan’s prime minister has just announced a one-month state of emergency for several of the country’s prefectures, including Tokyo. However, there’s a chance that this move will bring about little change in everyday life, as there’s no legal

Travel

Hitachi Seaside Park

Fist off, all the best to everyone reading this back home in Europe or anywhere else around the world for that matter. I sincerely hope you, your family and friends are all well and things will be back to normal soon. Even though Japan does enforce a few restrictions due

Photography

It's always rainy in Kanazawa

… but that doesn’t make it any less pretty! The quaint port town on the Japanese Sea definitely has a lot of things to offer for a long weekend, regardless of the weather conditions. Most notably, Kanazawa is famous for its flawlessly preserved neighborhoods from the Edo era. Whether it’