They say you should never judge a book by its cover; but what about those particularly obscure macho sporting DVDs usually found in the ‘Specialist’ section of a DVD store right next to the awkward softcore pornography section (rather ingenius target demographic product placement if I do say so myself) or deep down within the ‘Under $10′ Bargain Bins beneath never-ending piles of Steven Seagal’s latest works and other miscellaneous rubbish? Surely these DVDs are, unlike books, with their terrible covers perfectly summing up their equally terrible content, just begging to be judged? Well the moment I got my hands on a copy of this beauty at a friend’s house over the weekend

They know her. “Hi, Nichole,” the blonde woman in a black suit says from behind her desk as my chaperone for the evening signs herself and me, as her guest, in. We move towards Ballroom 2 at this particular RSL Club with more nods of acknowledgement coming her way from these people in formal clothes and too much makeup. They know her. I’ve got a dodgy feeling about this.

I am ushered into a conference room full of men and women, all in suits of course, their eyes facing in the one common direction. A lone speaker standing out in front, microphone in hand; an old-ish woman with big shiny grey hair and a red suit jacket worn over a black inner top and black pants, reminding me instantly… Read More

The following is a guide for beginners going to Kyoto based on the recent experiences of two young guys from Australia visiting for the first time.  It is, by some distance, not to be taken as a ‘definitive guide’ of any description, but merely serves as a kindred sharing of our adventures and therefore cannot be classified as ‘recommended’, as it were. We did do quite a bit though, so here is an overview of our tales as well as some advice and tips we picked up along the way.

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Train Station

It’s a bit easy to get lost when exiting your train and making it out into the main lobby of Kyoto Station. One piece of advice about Japan: do not trust the signs; those… Read More

She was the one in white

We were on the bus to the stadium to see Yokohama FC vs Vegalta Sendai in J-League Division 2 on a Saturday afternoon. I was sitting down towards the back, on the right side. Unlike the buses in Kyoto, the Yokohama buses give passengers entry from the front much like the ones back home. I kind of liked the backwards Kyoto buses though.

Eugene offered his aisle seat to an older lady and got up, clutching onto the bus handles as more passengers got on as I stared out from the window side. Having been in Tokyo for three days prior, Yokohama was a nice change of pace. Less busy and less… Read More