Japanese TV in the UK: JSTV-i

In the past I’ve written about using iOS apps to help study Japanese, and I even ended up writing my own Kanji flashcard app. But lately I’ve been trying something a bit different to help absorb vocabulary and the patterns of informal speech: watching a load of Japanese TV. And, as there’s not much information […]

The Buzzfeedification of Bullshit

Hey, heard the one about the Ugandan President’s daughter? She’s trending on Twitter, and for the best possible reason – right after her father backed some really hideous homophobic laws, she came out as gay. Except, you know, she didn’t. Ten seconds on Google tells you that Diana Kamuntu is, or at least was, married […]

In App Purchases

Lots of people are angry about the way that In App Purchases (IAPs) are being used in iOS games. They make three key points: 1) Many iOS games are shitty and designed primarily to require the player to buy many IAPs 2) Apple promotes many of these shitty games on its App Store storefront 3) […]

Las Vegas to Palm Springs

A couple of years ago I found myself with three days to kill in Southern California, so I rented a car and circled around – passing through the Coachella Valley and Palm Springs along the way. It seemed like a nice little town, but I didn’t really have time to stick around – instead I […]

“Butts’ Historical Guide to Lewisham, Ladywell, Lee, Blackheath and Eltham”

The British Library today released over one million images into the Flickr Commons. Among them, the cover of this book, from 1878. It’s a kind of general guide to the Lewisham-Lee-Blackheath-Eltham area, taking in the shops, streets, churches and notable past residents, and if you live in the area it’s quite fascinating to read of […]

Japan on a Budget: Beppu and Aso-San

My last must-see stop in Kyushu was the area around Aso-San, a massive volcano in the middle of the island. To get from Aoshima (via Miyazaki) to there involves passing through Beppu – take a limited express up via Oita. Beppu: All about the Onsen I’ll be absolutely honest: if you don’t like onsen*, you […]

Japan on a Budget: Aoshima

From Kagoshima I decided to head around Kyushu anticlockwise, with the first stop being Miyazaki and, just to the south of that city, Aoshima. There’s no Shinkansen access to the east of the island, but ‘Kirishima’ Tokkyu express trains run across in a couple of hours. Miyazaki City I was only passing through Miyazaki, but […]

Japan on a Budget: Kagoshima and Sakurajima

If getting from Nagasaki to Kumamoto proved a bit tricky, getting from Kumamoto to Kagoshima is a breeze: jump on the Kyushu Shinkansen and head south – it terminates at Kagoshimachuo station, right in the city (Kagoshima Eki is to the northwest). I arrived in town early in the morning to find shopkeepers still busy […]

Japan on a Budget: Kumamoto

If you’re traveling around Kyushu, you’re likely to pass through Kumamoto more than once. Which is fine, as it’s a really pleasant city in which to while away a few hours or days. Transport and Trains Kumamoto is on the Kyushu Shinkansen line, roughly half-way down the island and so between Hakata in the north […]

Lotto? It’s not. Oh.

Look what landed on my doormat – a free EuroMillions lotto ticket! TL/DR: except it’s not. But it’s slightly interesting, so: If you visit the website (lotovoucher.com, registered to one Michael Frayling, address obscured), you’ll be asked to click through to lottoland.co.uk, where you’ll be offered the chance to ‘Play lotto securely’, and you’ll see […]

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