“Here’s the key to your room, number 1001.” “The carpet will be spotlessly clean then,” I whispered to Dougie, remembering the brand of stain remover I’ve got in the cupboard back home. Unfortunately, we...
Mum’s Gone to Japan: Kobe
After six nights in Tokyo and four nights in Hiroshima, our Rugby World Cup trip itinerary moved on to Kobe. Our team, Scotland, already bruised by their battering from Ireland in Yokohama, would be...
Mum’s Gone To Japan: Miyajima Island
If you’re looking for a day trip that involves as many forms of transport as possible, try this jaunt we took from Hiroshima to Miyajima island in Japan. We took a plane from...
Mum’s Gone To Japan: Finding peace in Hiroshima
At 8.15 am on 6 August 1945, an atomic bomb, code-name ‘Little Boy’, was detonated above the city of Hiroshima in Japan. The explosion caused thousands of deaths on impact and thousands more in...
Mum’s Gone To Japan: Things to do in Tokyo
A bucket list trip? Yes. A retirement present from my husband to himself? Absolutely. This was always going to be the trip of a lifetime. A holiday in Japan coinciding with the 2019 Rugby...
10 reasons to love Japan
After nearly a month in Japan, following the Scotland team as they played the pool matches in the Rugby World Cup, it’s fair to say Dougie and I are completely smitten with the country....
A visitor’s guide to toilets in Japan
Top of my Christmas list this year is a TOTO Washlet. No, it’s not a flannel for Dorothy’s little dog but a high-tech Japanese toilet. The all-singing, all-dancing lavatories we discovered in Japan were...
A tale of Typhoon Hagibis and the Rugby World Cup
It’s Saturday 12 October 2019. We’re in Tokyo waiting for Typhoon Hagibis to hit the mainland of Japan. The advice is to stay indoors so we’re sitting in our room, on the 22nd floor...