There was a loud knock outside my capsule, and when I poked my head out I almost headbutted a policeman. He was crouched down in front of where I'd been sleeping, thrusting his Tokyo Police badge in my face. Behind him stood two other men, dressed in suits, arms crossed, stern looks across their faces. … Continue reading Escape From Tokyo
I loved my time in Japan, and had heaps of unreal experiences that will stay with me for the rest of my life. It's a strange country full of strange people who do even stranger things, but it's also an exciting land that must be explored. There are mountains and beaches and temples and cities … Continue reading I was one hamburger away from spending three months in a Japanese prison
The Japanese are a funny bunch. They love eating raw fish, go mad for baseball and hardcore pro wrestling, can't go a day without singing karaoke and are obsessed with giant robots. It sounds like an idyllic lifestyle, so it's surprising that their other favourite pastime is committing suicide. More than 70 people kill themselves … Continue reading A Lonely Place to Die
Back when I was a young fella, and still had hopes and dreams that hadn’t been beaten into submission, I spent my days wandering the streets of Yokosuka, Japan. I got into fights, rode motorbikes, chased crooked travel agents, and collected toys from capsule machines with my much younger friend Tatsuya Yamamoto. They were dark … Continue reading Searching for sailors in Yokosuka: Real life Shenmue locations
When I came to Japan, I never thought about going to Tokyo, because it got destroyed by Godzilla. But then I got talking to some idiot in a park while I getting to drunk and he told me it was only a movie, and Tokyo's still there, so I headed over to check it out. … Continue reading The Tokyo Brave
Kyoto has thousands of years of history, beautiful temples, and many links to a long-forgotten world when samurais roamed the land and ninjas chucked shurikens at any dickhead stupid enough to walk past. And while I respect that, I also found it to be one of the most boring cities I've ever visited. No, it's … Continue reading Kyoto – the Canberra of Japan
Like most people, I always assumed that Kobe is just the name of that black basketballing man, but it turns out it's also a city in Japan. After spending the night on a ferry fighting off the advances of a derange cuddle buddy, I was glad to reach dry land, and set out into the … Continue reading Kobe kapers
Japan isn't a big country, but you'd be bloody tired if you tried to walk from one end to the other. You'd probably also get attacked by wolves and Godzillas, so it's best to make the most of The Nippon's world-class public transportation network. Everybody knows about the bullet trains, but they're bloody expensive, so … Continue reading A ferry unusual evening
This is the Japanese island of Aoshima and yep, that's the sun - a first for my trip through the Nippon! Today I lay around on the sand while the locals gawped at me, pretended a large stick was my penis, and attended a shrine said to help single blokes find wives. Personally, I reckon … Continue reading Island time
Japanland's cities are great fun to explore, but there's only so many skyscrapers and karaoke bars I can see before feeling the need to get the hell out of the big smoke. So I packed my kimono and caught the bus over to the beach village of Aoshima, on the eastern coast of Kyushu. And … Continue reading Aoshima
The Drunk and Jobless World Tour 