Changing Places
I can no longer justify paying 250 Euros + a year for a blog I don’t write on anymore. This website will be archived at http://surprisinghorizons0.wordpress.com It’s been a blast but I never hit the…
Japanese KitKat Flavors
When I knew I was going to move to Japan I also knew that I would eat all the Japanese KitKat flavors I could get my hands on. This post is part one of many…
Viewing Mount Fuji from Fujiyoshida
Being the tallest mountain in Japan and the seventh-highest peak on an island on Earth, you can spy Mount Fuji from many vantage points in Japan. Viewing Mount Fuji from Fujiyoshida is relatively easy if…
Konkai-Komyoji Temple and the Big-Haired Buddha
I have starred certain temples on Google Maps in Kyoto and one that I hadn’t un-starred yet was Konkai-Komyoji Temple, and the Big-Haired Buddha. The buddha’s hirsute stylings is not part of the official temple…
A Visit to Monster Street in Kyoto, Japan
How does a visit to Monster Street in Kyoto, Japan sound? Monster Street, otherwise known as Yokai (妖怪; monster/ghost) Street, resides in a nondescript area of north west Kyoto city that warrants a ramble along…
A Walk Up Funaokayama Park in Kyoto, Japan
As you scroll around Kyoto on Google Maps you will see dots of green sprinkled around indicating, one would think, a park of some stature and presence. More often than not, you will find a…
Visiting Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple in Kyoto
So you’ve visited Arashiyama to the west of Kyoto and seen what it has got to offer. Lovely. And if you’ve come this far, maybe you’re willing to come a little further… Take a 25…
Eating Japanese Sakura (Pink) Curry
I see pink on a plate and I’m eating dessert. And so that’s what your brain thinks when any food is presenting itself in such a lurid and 80s cheap music video fashion. Even more…
A Walk Between 5 Temples in Kyoto, Japan
2020 and 2021 (most likely) will probably be the only time to see a lot of Kyoto’s temples and shrines without the throngs of tourists. We are trying to take this opportunity to visit ALL…
Christmas Day Dinner in Kyoto, Japan
Yes, I’m writing this in February. If you’re stuck in Kyoto around Christmas in the year 20?? (I’m guessing blogs won’t exist come 2100) then you can’t do wrong with waddling up to Hyatt Regency…