North of the Pyrenees I touch down in France. In the valley of the river Garonne. In the city of Toulouse.
Such a perfect day
The Empire strikes back
As far as I know, the Empire is gone. What remains is London and the Royal Family. The show must go on. People are watching.
Doctor? … Doctor Where?
Cardiff in Wales. A city by the sea. On my way to the bay the weather oscillates between sunshine and clouds. On the dock a carousel is spinning in the breeze.
Cheers
There is no shortage of pubs in the United Kingdom. Social life seems to hinge on them, rotates around them and depends on them.
Homes and Castles
Splendid Isolation
Today I leave Japan. I think I hardly scratched the surface. As easy and fun as it was for me to live around here, as hard it seemed to understand what lies beneath. From my perspective in some ways it reminds me of a theme park.
Under Pressure
In the early morning I start my fourteen hour train ride back to the heart of Japan. I have to change trains several times, but all trains I have taken so far were on time. Punctual to the minute. After one hour the train slows down to walking speed. After another half hour I start to worry. (more…)
End of the World
I ride the train as far north as the tracks will take me: Wakkanai. At the station we are received by a group dressed in folk costumes. I assume this must be the Ainu, the indigenous people of this region. A woman hands me a brochure. It is bilingual: Japanese and Russian. Balalaikas. Then they dance.
Holy Wood
I see a lot of concrete travelling through the cityscapes of eastern Honshu. Plain grey, piled to great heights. The only evidence that once it must have been different seem to be the intricate wooden structures of temples and shrines.
The Third Planet 