Travel
Dutchies, or Begians in Tokyo #5 – Charlotte
The Flemish Charlotte (31) is a pastry chef and chocolatier and until recently worked at a bakery in Harajuku. She ended up in Japan two years ago because of her husband’s work.
Dutchies in Tokyo, or Odawara #4 – Jalisha
For my appointment with Jalisha (25) I have to leave the city. About an hour and a half from Tokyo is Odawara, a place I previously only knew as a transfer station to the nearby onsen villages. (An onsen is a bathhouse filled with volcanically heated water, and because Odawara is so close to Mt. Fuji, there are plenty of onsen resorts nearby.)
Dutchies in Tokyo #3 – Melissa
I met with Melissa (26) in front of Shinjuku station, the busiest station in Tokyo. “Under that big video screen at ALTA.” Shinjuku has never been my favorite station, because I always get lost mercilessly, so I was happy to find the video screen, and then Melissa too.
Dutchies in Tokyo #2 – Nadine and Charissa
Twin sisters Charissa and Nadine (both 28), despite different studies, both ended up in Japan. We meet in Hamarikyu Park, because the view there is so Tokyo: behind the Japanese gardens loom the large glass skyscrapers of Shiodome. The contrast in Tokyo that the sisters love so much is clearly visible here.
Dutchies in Tokyo #1 – Maria
Initially, I had arranged to meet Maria (26) on Odaiba, an artificial island in Tokyo Bay. But when dark clouds gathered over Rainbow Bridge, we decided to move to one of Maria’s other favorite spots: Electric Town Akihabara. We take pictures as the tourists in Mario Karts race behind us, then have a cup of coffee. Although Maria says she only speaks “Japanese for emergencies”, her way of speaking is very Japanese. Her oh’s and ah’s, her hmm’s and so-so-so’s… They betray that Maria is more Japanese than she thinks.
Thrifting Tokyo: Koenji and the Oi Keibajo flea market
In my previous post about shopping in Tokyo I told you about Harajuku and Shimo-Kitazawa. This time I’ll take you to Koenji and the best kept secret of Tokyo: the Oi Keibajo-mae flea market!
Thrifting Tokyo: Harajuku and Shimo-Kitazawa
Wie voor het eerst in Tokio komt, de eerste de beste hippe vintagewinkel in Harajuku binnenstapt en het prijskaartje van een smoezelige Adidas-sweater omdraait, schrikt zich een halve hartaanval. Wát?! 35 euro voor dit ding uit de Zak van Max?! Maar het zou zonde zijn om thrifting in Tokio direct helemaal af te schrijven. Want wie weet waar ‘ie moet wezen, en waar níet, kan wel degelijk spotgoedkope pareltjes op de kop tikken. Ik vertel je alles.
Tokyo for nerds: Toys
As I promised in the previous part of this series, in this blog I’ll take you to Nakano Broadway. From Disney figurines to watches, from manga to model trains, everything that’s collectible can be found here.
Tokyo for nerds: Trains
As you may know, I’m a huge nerd. And just like every other nerd, I have my obsessions: trains, and Disney parks. Tokyo is like heaven for nerds, called “otaku” in Japanese. In this series of blogs I’ll introduce you to nerdy Japan. In the next post I’ll take you to Nakano Broadway, but first: trains!
The impermanence of the Nakagin Capsule Tower
I don’t remember exactly when or where, but somewhere in the process of searching for and moving into my great 25m² apartment, somebody told me about the Nakagin Tower. A capsule tower, built in 1972, as an example of the Japanese Metabolism movement. My dream.
Japan’s most not-scary bridge
I have to admit something. I fell for clickbait. And not in a way that I clicked on a link and wasted three seconds of my life, no. I spent eight hours on a train yesterday, over an hour today, I spent 20 euros on a taxi and walked an hour for a… Disappointing bridge.
72 hours in Chongqing
I still remember how I found out about the city. I was watching YouTube-videos with Riemer on the Apple TV, probably about monorails, when autoplay came up with a documentary. This one, made by an Norwegian student in Chongqing.
Who wants to go back to Namie, Fukushima?
On the 15th of March 2011, four days after the devastating earthquake and tsunami, and the subsequent disaster of nuclear plant Fukushima Daiichi, all inhabitants of Namie that aren’t evacuated yet, are ordered to leave their town. The radiation levels in the village, just eight kilometers away from the plant, are way too high. A little […]
They see me rollin’…
Since I moved to a more quiet area of Tokyo, it seemed a great idea to get a bike. Well, actually it was my neighbour Jeske’s idea, she recently bought a fancy folding bike. She gave me the address of a recycle shop in Yoyogi, so I took the train, walked for ten minutes and […]
Halloween in Tokyo
Maybe you’ve heard of it: Halloween in Tokyo. In the city of cosplay, Halloween is a great opportunity to go all out. So this saturday evening (two days before the real date, but well, people have to work) everyone went to Shibuya to party.
Toeps in Tokyo #9 – Hanami with SUITSUIT
Charlotte and I were in Tokyo on a mission: shooting pictures for suitcase brand SUITSUIT. We’ve been to Ibiza with them before to shoot the campaign, so when they heard about our Japan plans, they thought it was perfect for their new Sakura Blossom line. I checked in a suitcase set and we went to work!