This Bogus Poetry

I spent three days couchsurfing in Yokohama with Hanna and Atsushi. They proved to be most excellent hosts. The first night we sat on the floor around a table Japanese style and ate a homecooked meal prepared on a portable stove. But not just any table! Japan seems to be a nation that doesn't understand the term 'central heating' but they compensate for this in several ways. One of the most interesting being a heated table. A small circular table covered by a blanket. Underneath an oasis of warmness! So wrap the blanket around your legs and let the warmth wash over you (Well your legs at least) The meal was delicious. Sukiyaki - Beef, vegetables and noodles cooked on the stove and then dipped into raw egg. Yum. I stayed in Hanna and Atsushi's guest room complete with tatami mat, futon and Japanese style slide doors. The apartment was pretty huge by Japanese standards and I felt very comfortable and at home. They were great hosts! We watched some Japanese TV and I was ex...

It started normally enough. I met a guy called Ben through Couchsurfing and we got talking about a venue I'd been to called Superdeluxe . "I'm DJing there in a few weeks. There's some kind of Dutch electronica, it should be interesting..." The seed was planted and then this morning I remembered it was on. I emailed him and he put me on the door for half price entry. What a nice guy. I'd been Superdeluxe before, to see a man play a 30 minute improvised organ solo, so I knew this wasn't generally a mainstream venue. Little did I know the delights that were to come though. Upon arrival it became clear that this was some sort of Dutch cultural showcase, there were people there from the embassy and it appeared that a lot of the acts had been funded in some way by the Dutch government. First was a rather dry presentation about some kind of interactive 3D virtual art. So far so good and no hint of the oddity that was to follow. Ben was DJing in between the acts a...

I've been a long term critic of supermarkets in Berlin , so it is time to redress the balance. Supermarkets in Japan are awesome! Mainly I've shopped in 'combini' stores. These are small corner convenience stores that are open either really late or 24 hours a day. In the UK or the US this would probably mean they were stocked with booze, pringles and cigarettes, but here there is a wide variety of food on offer, some of it even fresh and healthy. My favourite is Lawson, but there are 4 or 5 different chains literally all over Tokyo. For the traveller it is pretty great. Tokyo blogger Kevin Cooney gives his opinion on 'combinis' below. TokyoCooney is my favourite source of information about Tokyo. He has made tonnes of videos about all aspects of life in the city. Recommended! In Yokohama I grabbed lunch from as small supermarket and I was pleased with my haul. Hot weak lemon drink £1 Baked sweet potato cooked on hot coals inside the supermarket £1.20 Tasty sushi...