April Japan Blog Matsuri: Slow Times in Japan

Here is this month’s Japan Blog Matsuri, with a bumper haul of sixteen entries, including a few new-to-me blogs, so I hope you all can find something new too.

First out of the trap is a fellow Kansai blogger, sleepytako, a name that already suggests slow times! His relaxation is getting gently boiled in various hot springs around the Kansai area, and the story also serves as a pointer to his rather useful Kansai Onsen Guide.

Next up is another Kansai resident, Harvey, who submitted an older post, but it’s about a walk I’ve always wanted to do myself, as I find disused railway lines fascinating. He walked a portion of the old Takarazuka to Sanda JR line.

Jamie at Frugalista Japan posted on not really a slow time, more a downright boring year in Yokkaichi, which I suspect might be near Tokyo, but it sounds far too dull to even bother looking up!

There three guys above were the quickest to post, so I’ll give them the space above the fold, and I’ll cover the remaining entries a bit more quickly!

Deas of Rocking in Hakata manages to cover both Hello Kitty and shipbuilding talking about his home town of Imabari which seems even slower than Yokkaichi above. Billy from Tune In Tokyo describes a slow time with his wife in Okinawa. Muza-chan at the Gate to Japan has a super set of photos of Sensoji at night, one of which I show below.

Nick at the Long Countdown makes me even more jealous of his lazy internet entrepreneur life, and our man in abiko gets pissed and sleeps. Honor at TokyoTopia gets annoyed by random slowness in the busy metropolis and McAlpine of The Soul of Japan gets annoyed in the hot springs.

Yah! Back to Kansai with Janne In Osaka, who goes down the coast to Suma and Akashi.

Chris of i cjw deserves a whole blog post of his own for a review of his stories of mountain climbing that are both Slow and Fast Times! This time though was a relaxing summer hike with his usual stunning photographs. He should get a coffee table book deal for himself!

Shane at the Nihon Sun discusses slow Tokyo waiting for trains, waiting for wrapping, or just trying to fight through crowds. Hao at Instant Ramen photographs the Kansai Institute and the surrounding area near Kansai Airport. Brian at Gaijin Bash has a nice and simple before and after plum wine, and Blue Moon at Blue Lotus has a Slow Time in a love hotel!

Just three more to go now! Jon Allen, A Seoul Man in Tokyo, is not just slow, but comes to a dead stop in Aoyama cemetery. Harvey at Japan Newbie gets buried in hot sand, and last but not least sophielynette at Four Thousand Miles goes to a cat cafe (real cats, not cos-play!) in Akihabara.

Whew, that was a bit of an epic entry! Thanks to everyone who submitted, and we’ll hopefully see you all next month with Shane at Nihon Sun! Which reminds me, I nearly forgot my own Slow Time with cake!