And so to the honeymoon story… After our brilliant wedding (pictures of which are coming soon), we headed off to Italy for our honeymoon. I don’t know what it is about the word ‘honeymoon’ but it has a dreaminess about it which perfectly describes how you feel when you are on one. We flew intoread more >>

A few days ago I got back from a fantastic trip to the US, where I filmed a series of videos for this exciting new project with Lilla Rogers (more on that in the coming days!). When we had wrapped up filming I had a couple of days to myself in Boston. I love having a bit ofread more >>

I have just got back from Boston (more on that soon!) where I was thrilled to walk into major bookstore Barnes & Noble and find the latest copy of Where Women Create, with a 10-page Do What You Love feature in it! It is always such a special moment when you see your writing andread more >>

Noren are beautiful, functional curtains traditionally used outside business premises in Kyoto to show that they are open, and also to provide a simple divider between ‘inside’ and ‘outside’. In yesterday’s post I shared a glimpse into the special 1-1 workshop I had with kimono designer Miura-san, who taught me how to make my veryread more >>

Making my own noren in a Kyoto studio One of my most precious experiences in Japan was designing and making a ‘noren’ curtain under the watchful eye of the brilliant designer Miura-san in Nishijin, the traditional textile district of Kyoto. I started writing about this some time back in this post (‘Behind the scenes’) andread more >>

This is not normally a place for me to share about films I have watched, but I feel compelled to write about The Impossible. It is the heart wrenching TRUE story of a family caught in the devastating Asian Tsunami of 2004. It is hard (and exhausting) to watch, but ultimately is a tale ofread more >>

People say it is hard to get under the skin of Japan as a foreigner, and this is even more the case in Kyoto, a proud city which highly values tradition and ancestry. Even though we were there for six months, and I can speak the language, it was not until the fifth month that somethingread more >>

Over dinner a friend told us of an extraordinary place, deep in the mountains of Tottori Prefecture. When a long-time Kyoto resident says their favourite temple is one NOT in Kyoto, you know must be worth a visit. Without giving us any details, they piqued our interest enough to make us get in the car andread more >>

Tottori, Japan A lot of people ask me for tips on planning adventures, and going on big trips. I have been fortunate enough to live, work and travel in more than 50 countries across the world, on every continent (including Antarctica!) so I know a thing or two about packing and preparing. People ask whetherread more >>

  Mrs Tanaka with a bowl of azuki kake-gori (shaved ice with azuki beans) It never ceases to amaze me what an important role strangers can play in our lives. Many years ago, when I first went to Kyoto at the tender age of 19 to study, this particular lady made a huge difference toread more >>