Travel has quite the talent for turning ordinary moments into memories—whether we are alone or in the company of others. In my trip to Japan I created a lot of memories with my best friend and, during that time, I've learned that the moments we remember the most are not the ones we've planned for, but the ones that caught us off guard. A kind gesture, a brief connection... Those are the memories that leave a quiet mark and stay with us forever.
Shinto: The Kami Spirit World of Japan by Sokyo Ono does not try to impress you with complexity—it quietly opens that door in your mind where curiosity stirs and, before you realise it, you're thinking differently about the spiritual world behind everyday Japan.
“This world of dew
is a world of dew—
and yet, and yet…”
—Kobayashi Issa
I think many of us live in that ‘and yet’ without acknowledging it. I’ve been living there too—paused by loss, reshaped by it, and slowly trying to find my way back to my words.
Blogging about one's travels can be a huge source of inspiration and ideas, as there is so much one can write about a place they have visited. There's the cultural aspect, as well as outdoor locations for nature enthusiasts. Then there's the entertainment side, and let's not forget about food!
When visiting Japan was simply a faraway wish that I wished one day—in a very far distant future—I would get to accomplish, one thing I was completely adamant about was that, if I ever managed to visit Kyoto, I would go to Fushimi Inari Taisha and I would walk through the thousands vermilion Torii Gates all the way up to the top, no matter what.
I'm back with manga reviews and this time I'm bringing quite the fun read for you all. I normally don't favour school life reads, however, this piqued my interest as the main female character is the secret daughter of a Yakuza leader, so I gave this one a shot right away!
My passion for Asian dramas goes beyond region. I've watched Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and even Thai dramas, and all have unique qualities that make them special whether it's their storyline, characters, or relationship dynamics. Today I would like to share with you 5 Japanese dramas worth watching. Some of them have become my favourites—which I've watched more than once—and others I actually discovered while I was in Japan, so they have a special place in my heart.
It's been a long time since I last reviewed a book here on the blog. However, after coming back from Japan, I thought that one of the books I couldn't get to back then would be quite appropriate to get to now, and that is Maneki Neko: The Japanese Secret to Good Luck and Happiness by Nobuo Suzuki.
My dear readers, today I come to you with a new brand collaboration—the first of 2025—and I'm super excited to share this with you all! While in Japan, I was approached by Kei Nishida, the man behind the successful brands Japanese Green Tea Co., Japanese Coffee Co.—and the one I'll be focusing on today, Japanese Knives Co.—with an offer to check out one of his books.
I recently went on a trip to Japan for almost three months and it was the most amazing experience I've had in a really long time. If you've been a reader of my blog since the very beginning, or you've known me long before that, then you'll know how much I love Japan, and I've spent the past four years researching this country's customs and its culture, so that I would be somewhat prepared when the time was right.
Dear readers,
It's been a really long while since I last posted on this blog, hasn't it? It wasn't just burnout, life decided to throw some very annoying curveballs, and I genuinely didn't have the energy to focus on my blog anymore. A lot happened in a year—actually, it started in November 2023 after I ultimately caught Covid. I managed to avoid it for three years despite my family getting it multiple times, but in the end it got me too and—as my first time—it was really horrible and it took me a long time to recover.
Happy New Year!
We're just a few days into 2024, did you have a lovely celebration? 2023 has been a difficult year for me, especially these past few months—which explains my absence from this blog in November and December. Unfortunately Covid caught up to me as well and, since it was the first time, I was basically knocked out and had to postpone my planned content until further notice. I'm well now, thankfully, so I'll be taking the whole month of January to work on my blog and schedule all posts I had to put on hold until now.
Halloween is basically upon us, so today I bring you a bit of a different post from my usual ones to set the right mood. I have a weird relationship with horror films—just like with chocolate, haha—I’m generally not a big fan but I’ll still watch them from time to time. The same goes for video games… You’ll never find me play one—I’m genuinely too scared—but I won’t hide that I like watching others play them.
I first came to hear of Lafcadio Hearn during my visit at the “Fantasmi e Spiriti del Giappone” exhibition, as the tales depicted in Benjamin Lacombe's book are inspired by Hearn’s stories. Today, I will be sharing my impressions of Hearn's book In Ghostly Japan.
It’s been a really long time since I read a manga. However, I recently decided to get back on track and be active on NetGalley again, and this manga caught my eye immediately. I mean with a title like That Time the Manga Editor Started a New Life in the Countryside, how could I not be interested?
Since I became passionate about Japanese culture, I’ve been interested in Lady Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji for quite some time, so I’m really glad I was finally able to read it.
Today is a very special day for different reasons—which I'll get to in a moment—so I wanted to celebrate with a different ZenPop post!
Sunscreen? Check. Beachwear? Check. A new Japanese snack box full of delicious and refreshing treats by the one and only ZenPop? Absolutely check!!