

My first impressions of Japan were: incomprehensible (Tokyo); and green and serene (Kyoto). I was about 14 years old at the time, and I was travelling with my family on a roundabout route to visit my dad’s family in New Zealand. I also remember not caring much for the food. So much has changed since then!

During my recent visit to Japan, I was curious whether my initial “green and serene” impression of Kyoto would match my perception as an adult, more than 40 years later. We arrived in Kyoto a couple of days after our visit with the monkeys in the snowy mountains and it was definitely a lot greener and warmer.… READ MORE