My life in Sweden is much like that in Japan. Been here 5 hours this time and I've bought an energy drink (I left Cardiff at around 00:30), bought a second hand record, and bought a T-shirt 😂

Runestones in Lund

About 4 years ago I completed the Swedish course on Duolingo, days before going to Sweden. Since then I've forgotten much of it. Rather than go back to Duolingo, last year I started on a different app. Today I completed the last of the 43 challenges and 540 stars/lessons. Off to Sweden on Monday.

Remembering the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami #GreatEastJapanEarthquake #Tsunami #Fukushima #Japan #Disaster #JAL123 #Remembering #OnThisDay #Memorialisation #Bereavement #DisasterStudies #Research #東日本大震災 #RIP #OTD hoodcp.wordpress.com/2021/03/11/r...

I just finished listening to "How to Kill a Crime Writer" by Sarah Lotz. It may only have been out for a few weeks & it may still only be March, but I'm sure this will end up being my favourite book the year. Simply brilliant. Great narration by Ashley Tucker too. www.audible.co.uk/pd/How-to-Ki...

Last night's gig by Ian Prowse, Ian McNabb, and Brian Nash was incredible - even better than the previous week in London. Hearing Nasher sing "The Power of Love" in a church was particularly special. I managed to pick up a copy of the setlist, and then have it signed by all three.

Today is the anniversary of the Naka-Meguro Train Crash (also known as the Hibiya Line Train Crash). #RIP #NakaMeguro #NakaMeguroTrainCrash #HibiyaLine #Tokyo #Japan #営団日比谷線中目黒駅構内列車脱線衝突事故 #Memorialisation #OnThisDay #OTD hoodcp.wordpress.com/2020/03/30/t...

Today in the anniversary of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 #MH370 #MalaysiaAirlines #Malaysia #Flying #OnThisDay #OTD #RIP #Disaster #PlaneCrash #Research #Anniversary #Memorialisation #AirAsia hoodcp.wordpress.com/2022/03/08/r...

The best place to have a pint #TheBridewell #FrankieGoesToHollywood #Liverpool

Today is the anniversary of the MS Herald of Free Enterprise disaster #RIP #HeraldOfFreeEnterprise #TownsendThorensen #Ferry #Capsize #Zeebrugge #Dover #Memorialisation #anniversary #DarkTourism #FerryAid #OnThisDay #OTD hoodcp.wordpress.com/2021/03/06/r...

Today is the anniversary of the crash of BOAC flight 911 on Mount Fuji. This plane crash is also known for its link to the James Bond franchise as well as being one of 4 crashes in #Japan in 1966. #RIP #BOAC #MountFuji #Memorial #OnThisDay #OTD hoodcp.wordpress.com/2020/03/23/t...

I definitely didn't have a goose flying into my head on my list of things I was hoping to happen today. Ouch

Book Review: “One Of The Family” by Mark Edwards #BookReview #OneOfTheFamily #MarkEdwards hoodcp.wordpress.com/2026/03/03/b...

Today is the anniversary of the Castle Bravo thermonuclear weapon test at Bikini Atoll. The bomb was bigger than expected and the fish vessel Daigo Fukuryumaru was caught up in its fallout. The test also helped lead to the creation of #Godzilla. #OnThisDay #OTD hoodcp.wordpress.com/2020/03/24/t...

My Updated Shinkansen Ranking (2026) #Japan #Shinkansen hoodcp.wordpress.com/2026/02/27/m...

As I continue the process of coming off antidepressants (which I started last April and will continue for at least a few more months), I find this (edited) clip from "Star Trek: First Contact" resonating, though anxiety isn't all I have to contend with.

The N700S Series Shinkansen #Japan #Shinkansen #N700SSeriesShinkansen #N700SShinkansen #N700S #Photography hoodcp.wordpress.com/2026/02/26/t...

#Zom100 #BucketListOfTheDead #MovieReview #ZombieMovies #LiveAction

Today is the anniversary of the Hachikō Line derailment. #RIP #HachikoDerailment #Tokyo #Japan #Derailment #TrainCrash #八高線列車脱線転覆事故 #Memorialisation #DarkTourism #OnThisDay #OTD hoodcp.wordpress.com/2020/04/01/h...

My Top Cities (?). For a bit of fun, I decided to ask AI (Copilot) where in the world I should live. Here's the result... hoodcp.wordpress.com/2026/02/24/m...

Off to League 1 with the other lot. First time for a Championship team to be relegated in February. The previous earliest was 1 April 😂 The city is ours 🔴⚪⚔️🔴⚪

Today is the "International Day for Commemorating Air Crash Victims and Their Families" - aircrashvictims.com/20f/ #JAL123 #KLM4805 #PanAm1736

My Favourite Shinkansen: The N700A Series Shinkansen #Shinkansen #Japan #MyFavouriteShinkansen #N700ASeriesShinkansen #N700A hoodcp.wordpress.com/2026/02/19/m...

Normal service resumed

Everyone in Cardiff right now...

UK university staff: please complete our survey about redundancies www.timeshighereducation.com/news/uk-univ...

Three in three #IveBeenAdopted #Crows

New episode ft Dr Nina Vaswani out now! @weeneens.bsky.social thedeathstudiespodcast.com/dr-nina-vasw...

レベッカの「maybe tomorrow」鬼リピで聴いてる🎵

Today is the anniversary of the JL350 plane crash near Haneda Airport. #JAL350 #JL350 #Haneda #HanedaAirport #Tokyo #HND #Japan #JAL #日本航空350便墜落事故 #日航350便 #便墜落事故 #RIP #Memorialisation #OnThisDay #OTD #DarkTourism #PlaneCrash hoodcp.wordpress.com/2023/09/18/t...

I added some photos to my blog post about the E8 series shinkansen. #Shinkansen #E8 #E8SeriesShinkansen #E8Shinkansen #Tsubasa hoodcp.wordpress.com/2025/11/17/e...

I was watching a 1991 movie, "If Looks Could Kill". It has a 3-car car-chase with a Ferrari (a car a friend said I could buy if I took Voluntary Redundancy), a Nissan Fairlady Z (the car I recently bought), & a Saab 900 Turbo (the car I considered getting). How crazy is that?

Vimos ontem o live action de Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead e é simplesmente o filme de zumbis mais simpático do planeta. Diversão pra toda a família (literalmente). Zumbilândia ainda tinha fartas doses de cinismo, esse aqui é quase cozy de tão good vibes que é. Ainda assim, sem abrir mão do gore.

I never really used TikTok much, but it appears to be another social media (like Twitter, which I stopped using last year) that people are abandoning. Apparently Upscrolled is where they're going. I'm on it, follow me if you're there too: share.upscrolled.com/en/user/cfc7...

Reflecting Upon My Japan Foundation Fellowship at TUFS #JapanFoundationFellowship #JapanFoundation #TUFS #TokyoUniversityOfForeignStudies hoodcp.wordpress.com/2026/01/27/r...

Today is the anniversary of the Battle for Rorke's Drift. Having grown up watching the brilliant film "Zulu" (dir. Cy Endfield, 1964), it's where the film was shot rather than the actual battlefield that I would most like to visit one day. #RorkesDrift #Zulu hoodcp.wordpress.com/2020/06/23/c...

I can't believe this is now my car.

Dream into reality

My dream car. I was first introduced to the Nissan Fairlady (300ZX) during my first trip to Japan in 1989. I don't have any photographs from that trip, but I do from 1990, when the family I was staying with took me to a showroom so that I could not only look at one, but also sit in one.

Today is the anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake. May the victims Rest in Peace. My thoughts are with all those impacted by the events. #GreatHanshinQuake #HanshinQuake #Kobe #Hanshin #Earthquake #OnThisDay #OTD #KobeEarthquake #阪神淡路大震災 hoodcp.wordpress.com/2022/01/17/r...

Thanks to very generous donations from former colleagues (see wp.me/p70bQg-4z2), and £150 from Cardiff University in recognition for my 25 years of service (no comment), I now have an Atmos sound system. First up was the 2025 Special Deluxe version of "Welcome to the Pleasuredome". Incredible.

Today is the anniversary of the Karuizawa Ski Bus Crash. #RIP #Karuizawa #SkiBus #BusCrash #Nagano #Japan #軽井沢スキーバス転落事故 #Memorialisation #DarkTourism #軽井沢 #OnThisDay #OTD hoodcp.wordpress.com/2020/04/03/k...

Today is the anniversary of the Air Florida Flight 90 crash. #RIP #DisasterOnThePotomac #AirFlorida #Potomac #PlaneCrash #DisasterMovie #Disasters #Research #FilmStudies #MediaStudies #Memorialisation #OTD #OnThisDay hoodcp.wordpress.com/2021/01/13/f...

Another photo from the REBECCA cover band concert on Saturday. Pretty much sums up how the 4 months in Japan is already feeling now that I'm back in the UK.

Been back in the UK for 15 minutes. Lights not working on the air bridge, 2 toilets not working (or people chose not to flush), and automatic passport reader not working. Not much has changed in 4 months.

Time has come to bring the curtain down on my 4-month Fellowship. A massive thank you to the Japan Foundation, Philip Seaton, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, and all the other people who made this such a special stay, enabling me to make so much progress with my book on symbolism in Japan.

While my 4 months in Japan has been a research trip, I have done and so much else too. Each month (often more than once) I have seen REBECCA cover/copy/tribute bands and gone to "sessions". Fittingly, I saw another band on my last night in Tokyo; they were excellent, finishing with "Maybe Tomorrow"🥹

On the subject of music, last night I managed to beat the national average score for "Relax" at karaoke. This may well be my greatest achievement this year 😂 #FrankieGoesToHollywood #Relax #Karaoke

It's going to be touch and go, but I think all 3 cases will now close. But they're all 2 to 6 kilos over the limit. Not sure whether ANA, will allow that, will get me to pay extra, or I'll have to either dump some stuff or send it from the airport. But that's for tomorrow. Today, it's a music day.

Just three days before I return to the UK, my REBECCA singles collection is complete. Already had the 12"s, but until a few weeks ago I didn't have any of the 7" or CD singles. The last one, "Moon" 7" arrived today.