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Merry Christmas + Ikimasho on the Radio
BBC Radio Ulster recently interviewed me as part of a special series about expats living abroad over Christmas. Entitled 'Calling Home', it will air on Christmas Eve at 5.03pm and again on Christmas...
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7 flights, 14 days, and a Pad Thai in a Pear Tree
As I type this I'm flying over the East China Sea while simultaneously watching a documentary about medieval torture methods thanks to Cathay Pacific's festive in-flight entertainment. They've just...
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“007 go to Yangon!”
Don Mueang airport is a bit of a weird one. It used to be the main hub in and out of Bangkok. Now that Suvarnabhumi has taken over, DMK has been relegated to serving domestic and short-haul carriers....
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A portrait of Myanmar
Quite often when you travel you have a fair idea what to expect. You've seen the pictures, read the blurb and generally tried to get your head around the place before you go. Sometimes, however, all...
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Bikes & Beauty: Rural Myanmar
I'm writing this post on a scrap of paper from a little restaurant in the Burmese countryside. Every now and then I wiggle my fingers just to make sure I'm still alive. The reason? I've just been on a...
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Circle Again: Riding the Yangon Circle Line
Besides Translink in Northern Ireland who are essentially thieving scum, I like trains. It's the only way I travel in Tokyo, and it's a good chance to get a feel for the layout of any city. I once...
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The Temples of Bagan, Myanmar
“Smiff would absolutely hate this” was all I could think as I boarded my tiny 20-seater propeller plane bound for Bagan in Northern Myanmar. Conor is one of my best friends from back home and hates...
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Good morning. This is your wake-up call.
It's 4am. I'm in bed. It's dark outside. I was asleep. I'm no longer asleep. I look around the room. I think I'm in Tokyo. I'm not in Tokyo. I'm in Bagan in northern Myanmar listening to a Call to...
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Bangkok from the inside
Travelling in a city you've been to a few times before is always a bit difficult. You know what to expect culturally, financially and logistically – but because you've already hit the main sights on...
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Ikimasho! 2013
2012 was a good year. Firstly, the Mayans proved themselves to be hideous liars and the world didn't end. Second, after a period of cultural and creative stagnation in the UK I decided to bite the...
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Snowflakes & pixels
Like a giant bowl of steamed rice, Japanese snow is fluffy and white and nice to look at. But it also means trudging your way to work through manky Tokyo slush while trying not to fall on your ass....
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Japan: behind the mask
Disease control or beauty enhancement? The ongoing Japanese trend of wearing surgical masks in public. For many people in the West, the sight of Asian folk wearing surgical masks will bring back...
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Sunday, bloody Sunday: Tokyo's Zombie Bar
Partying with zombies in central Tokyo on a Sunday afternoon? Be careful, you might go to hell... On 07 March 321, Constantine 1, Rome's first Christian Emperor, decreed that Sunday should be observed...
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Living in a Japanese Share House
A healthy dose of community spirit – and random strangers stealing your underwear... The ins and outs of living in a Japanese share house. It's 3am and there is a 40-year-old German singing opera in...
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Public shaming: Japan's (not-so) dirty secret
Horrible beyond belief or an honourable extension of the samurai code? Why simply saying “sorry” in Japan doesn't seem to be enough. “Stop this country, I want to get off” read a comment on my...
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Japan's youth culture isn't a stereotype
It's time to move on. The real fashion in Japan doesn't come from the tired, played-out subcultures but from the kids on the street. Gyarus, Lolitas, Cosplay...yadda yadda yadda. Like a lot of other...
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Unforced Creativity #3
“You have Artline. I am Artline!” How a random encounter with a hyperactive salaryman made me fall in love with Japan all over again. Last Sunday was sunny so I decided to take my sketchbook to...
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Setusbun: my bean-throwing pilgrimage to Sensoji
Evil spirits, a man with a cat on his shoulder and people throwing beans at each other. It can only be Setsubun – Japan's own unique way of saying hello to spring. When I was nine years old I threw a...
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Pleasant Screams: The Queers @ Koenji High, Tokyo
Love him or hate him, Joe Queer is a bit of a legend. He formed The Queers in the year I was born and they are still going strong: playing shitty venues all over the world to a legion of devoted,...
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