News — Travel

In the summer of 2012 I headed to Naoshima an island in the inland sea between Shikoku and Honshu. The island is an interesting series of paradoxes having gone from fishing villages and agriculture to supporting a smelter (still in operation) and then morphed into a island dedicated to art. The famous Japanese architect Ando has created a series of galleries that house prominent works of art, displayed in a creative way. In the post war years young people left places like Naoshima to work in the large cities such as Osaka and Tokyo. These days in the small villages...

In 2009 I drove from Tokyo to Shikoku and stayed at Chiiori, a three hundred year old thatch roofed house in the Iya valley. It was a step back in time to an era when Japanese people mainly lived in rural villages and worked the land. Chiiori as the house is now named was bought by Alex Kerr, a well known author on Japan, in the 1970s. Over time the house has slowly evolved from a backpacker experience into more sophisticated accommodation. If you are looking for an alternative experience in Japan this is the place. You can find out...

If the walls at Bar 238 could talk they would have a lot to say. Established in August 1948 not a lot has changed over the years in this "retro" Osaka hot spot. The long wooden bar made from "keyaki" is a fine piece of timber that has graced 238 since it was established in the post WW11 ashes of Osaka. You might ask why its called Bar 238. The 23 represents the 23rd year of the reign of the Showa emperor and the 8 August. If you happen to be in Osaka and wish to take in a piece...