Stroud is a small Gloucestershire market town at the edge of the beautiful and historic Cotswolds. In this quaint and idyllic town, you’ll find farmer’s markets, old manor houses, and endless countryside walks across rolling hills. The town boasts Victorian homes, some charming cafes, and two delightful independent bookstores: one of new books, one of...
Shanghai Foreign Languages Bookstore Part of our Bookstores Around the World series. Fuzhou Lu is one of the main arteries that lead into the beating heart of Shanghai: People’s Square. The road is lined with interesting stores, cafes, barber shops, and more. Its crown jewel: the Shanghai Foreign Languages Bookstore, located a ten-minute walk down Fuzhou Lu from...
The Story So Far in Fukushima On 11th March 2011, the Tohoku Earthquake (magnitude 9) hit the north-eastern coast of Japan, leading to 15,000 deaths and a subsequent eight-metre high tsunami which devastated several coastal towns and caused the overheating – and subsequent three meltdowns – of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Since this dark day, Fukushima...
What makes Sega’s Yakuza games the kings of the living, breathing open world? A pinch of love, a dash of passion, and the fascinating real-life counterpart Kabukicho. As has been mentioned previously by the greatest showman in games media, Jim Sterling, open worlds in this generation of video games have gotten bigger and bigger, sacrificing substance for scope...
Kamakura Guide – An Easy Daytrip from Tokyo Kamakura is a small, historically-rich, quaint little town that sits an hour south of Tokyo, on the other side of Yokohama. It is one of the most popular day-trip destinations for residents of Tokyo and tourists hoping to see more of the old ‘samurai Japan’ that we often think of when we picture the land of the rising...
Itaewon Foreign Bookstore (이태원 외국서점) When we travel or move abroad, there are often specific home comforts we seek out. For me, it’s English books. And so, what a delight it was to find the excellent Itaewon Foreign Bookstore in the heart of Korea’s capital. A post shared by Jaylen (@jaylenjoy) on May 19, 2018 at 6:06am PDT The store is owned by a delightfully grumpy...
Welcome to ‘Bookstores Around the World‘ where we share some of our favourite independent bookshops we’ve found on our travels. @Wonder, Tokyo Tokyo’s Jimbocho district is renowned for its 300+ bookstores, each offering something unique and exciting. What sets @Wonder apart, however, is its alleyway entrance, bookended (pardon the pun) by near...
When we picture Kyoto, the first thing that jumps to mind are the shrines, bamboo forests, and geisha. It’s hard to believe that a couple of hours outside of the city proper will take you to landscapes to so vastly different, where people live a traditional lifestyle far away from the modern aspects of Japan we know of, or the highly polished tourist trail that we...
Vietnam has a world class reputation when it comes to food. The renowned street food plus the unique spices and herbs mean that foodies have very much put Vietnam on their travel bucket list. Here’s a quote that many will be familiar with from Anthony Bourdain: “Going to Vietnam the first time was life-changing for sure. Maybe because it was all so new and...
If you’re a fan of books and travel then look no further. Jimbocho (神田古書店街), in Tokyo is a book lovers paradise with plenty of book stores to choose from that serve both Japanese and English readers. You’ll also find lots of art shops, vintage shops, and wonderful restaurants. How to get there: You can find Jimbocho at Jimbocho subway station | Kudanshita...
