Morning #devon

Morning #devon

Morning #devon

Morning #devon

Morning #devon

Three days ago I was cycling the perimeter of the Imperial Palace Gardens in Tokyo at midnight with no one on the streets but for the occasional road maintenance crew. Today I was in big Tesco hiding all of the copies of the Daily Mail underneath copies of the Guardian. Life is a rich tapestry.

Can someone tell me what this bit of piano is from? I found it by accident when I was playing yesterday and I know it is something but I don’t know what. Thank you please.

Morning #Devon

Evening #devon

Great to be back 😂

We’re certainly not in Kochi now. Rather I’m at the Ajinomoto stadium for Tokyo Verdy vs Kashima Antlers on the penultimate day of the J1 season. If Kashima win and t Kashiwa Reysol don’t win in Niigata today, they’ll be champions. That’ll go down well here.

Ginza is full of gaudy architectural carbunkles these days, but there are still some good buildings dotted around. The Okura House Cartier Building with its shoji-inspired louvers looked great today in the early morning sunshine.

The kamo soccer shop in Shibuya have done Alan Smith dirty here by hanging his signed Man Utd shirt below a Roberto Baggio one. If the fall off to the next shirt down was as extreme it would be a signed Troy Deeney jersey. 😂

Can’t believe I have to go back to England next week. How humiliating 🤣

The light was useless at Kiyomizudera yesterday but you can’t not take photographs.

Who is this I just saw being carted off from Tokyo station? Everyone seemed very excited but as far as I can tell it wasn’t Beyoncé.

Morning #富士山

Now, obviously my Japanese isn’t brilliant. It’s been almost 20 years since I graduated and I’ve been busy since then so haven’t really studied. But, I just helped translate for an Aussie woman who had witnessed a crime on the street in Kyoto and was trying to answer questions for the police.

Spotted this very old Lampard WHU away shirt in a vintage football shop in Kyoto. Was half tempted to take it and replace the badge with a Cov one but but for £150 that seemed like an expensive folly. #PUSB

A few more from yesterday. It was a stunner of a day.

下鴨神社

Autumn in Kyoto

Kyoto is insane. I’m going to have to escape tomorrow. It’s like being in Venice in the summer.

Netflix and Krill?

Be like Scott McTominay and leave the employer that takes you for granted and become Italy’s most famous man and Scotland’s best footballer.

I hate this.

Evening #福岡

Scenes from an early morning bike ride around Aso. 1/2

Spent the afternoon walking down the side of a volcano. 🌋 #阿蘇山

Just a quick note for anyone who hates early-onset Christmas: avoid Japan in mid-November. I’m currently listening to Elvis Christmas songs and watching the municipal Christmas decorations go up in Oita. No. No thank you.

New insult just dropped (xxtra hard).

Seldom-used back staircases of Japanese shopping centres with menacing auras part 1/n.

Wandering around the hot springs in Beppu is a full on sensory assault.

A rainy morning in Beppu.

Well, I was sceptical about sand baths but after being buried alive in wet, hot and heavy volcanic sand for twenty minutes and left to sweat I think I get it.

I’m taking the ferry this morning across the Bungo Strait of the Setō Inland Sea between Shikoku and Kyushu this morning. I don’t remember P&O ferries between Dover and Calais being this nice. This crossing takes around 3 hours and is ~£20 for a foot passenger in the very nice second class cabin.

Babe what’s wrong you’ve barely touched your savory chicken protein bar.

Morning #四国

The castle is pretty good too. But, even better than that, I caught sight on my way up to it of an Eagle Owl hunting a black kite which was terrifically exciting. Those are some big birds. Bigger than big, they’re large.

Got to see these amazing photographs in the tower of Uwajima castle today. They’re by Yugi Hamada and constructed entirely of shadows using RGB filters and stacked exposures which are then illuminated from below on the floor of castle. So good. They looked like they’d landed from another planet.

I might die on this bus. It’s stopping everywhere. In fact it just stopped somewhere which didn’t seem to be anywhere at all. I was having an imagined conversation this morning in which I was stopped by the police who asked what I was doing here and I had no good answer and so I went to jail.

Morning #四国

Today was a two onsen day. I’m so relaxed I might sleep for a week. Also the fish I’ve been eating in Shikoku has been incredible. Tonight’s Ryokan dinner was really excellent.

Shout out to the moon for being in just the right spot alongside Kochi castle this morning.

高知の夜

A well spent half time ends and we’re back at it with the home side in control of possession without clue creating a clear opportunity. Feels like it’s coming though. #jleague

愛媛県➡️高知市 I’m leaving Ehime prefecture today bound for Kōchi. The glorious sunshine has given way to rain and grey skies so I’m grateful to be sitting on the bus for the next few hours.

Fair warning - I happen to be in Kochi tomorrow and am contemplating going to see a 3rd division match between Kochi United and Matsumoto Yamaga. Would you pass up the chance to see 195cm tall Serigne Diop playing for Kochi on loan from VV Nagasaki? The Matheus Jesus in waiting, if you will.

Ehime FC one down within a minute to a lovely curling shot from the edge of the box from Hijiri Onaga after a dubiously-awarded and only half-cleared corner. Could be a long old afternoon for the home side. #jleague

I'm in a traditional Japanese coffee place whilst waiting for the onsen to open and it's such a joy. Every coffee is served with a hard boiled egg and a slice of thick milk bread with a bit of strawberry jam. Customers ticket books hanging by the till and the coffee is being brewed using a siphon.