Hi there! Thank you for taking the time to check out my blog. I am bellelene, the author of this blog. I write mostly about my daily life in Japan and sometimes about my trips abroad. Have a look around, I am pretty sure you will find something of your liking -or okonomi as they say in Japanese.
A new post is available every week (in English or Greek, don’t be scared, you can use ‘translate page’). Short format posts are up twice a week. I update my instagram (almost) daily. If there is a specific topic that you want to find out more about, don’t hesitate to contact me.
You can use the menu button in the top right corner of the site and search for interesting posts by category, date or a search bar. There is a sample of available posts down below. The images displayed in the posts are all captured and owned by me, unless noted otherwise. I must warn you that I hardly double-check my posts due to time constraints, so if you find typos or grammatical errors, please don’t judge me too harsh.
Read the most recent posts at the main page, search a specific keyword at the search bar or feel free to look into detail in some of the selected categories below.
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Posts about Japan in Category “Japan“
Roadtrip to Hokkaido: The stinky valley (Pt. 3)
A surprise to no one, it seems like Hokkaido’s north is pretty cold, even when judging from spring’s average weather. That’s why, it is time to head to the south, where belated hanami blossoming (compared to the rest of the country) awaits. The first stop is Noboribetsu (登別), which with your new-found Ainu vocabulary skills…
A throwback
These days, I’m more stressed out than ever. I think my decision to eat that bite, was a bad one. If there is a single piece of advice that holds for everyone, that is “Don’t ‘Bite Off More Than You Can Chew’”. Thinking about that, I am reminiscent of my first month in Japan, when…
Bontan Candy (ボンタンアメ)
Lately, I came across a strange citrus flavoured candy with an interesting twist, as expected from japanese sweets. Bontan candy is a mochi-chewy style square candy with pomelo and mandarin flavour. The candy comes in a small paper box and each candy piece is covered with transparent wrap. However hard you try to unwrap the…
紙で結ぶ絆: A letter set for building relationships
NTT is a ginormous company in Japan, with research facilities and factories all around the country. One of their employees gave our laboratory the following gift: a handmade letter set made from Japanese paper (washi or 和紙). This letter set was made with great care at an NTT factory called 塩山 or “salt mountain”, whose purpose…
For those who want to keep it short
Info Bites: Kawasaki Warehouse
[GR] Σήμερα θα σας μιλήσω για το καλύτερο μαγαζί με παιχνίδια (arcade) που δεν υπάρχει πια. [EN] Today I’m going to talk to you about the best arcade game center that exists no more.
Info Bites: Sushi restaurants
[GR] Που λέτε, το πιο εξαιρετικό σούσι το έχω φάει σε τοσοδούλικα συνοικιακά καταστήματα σε τυχαία μέρη της πόλης. [EN] The best sushi I’ve ever eaten in my life can be found in small neighborhood shops at random locations in the city.
Info Bites: Sarcasm
[GR] Η ειρωνεία της σάρκας [EN] Flesh, bones and sarcasm
Info Bites: The Jindai Moji Conspiracy
[GR] Θεωρίες συνωμοσίας από την εποχή των πνευμάτων. [EN] Conspiracy theories from the age of spirits.
Posts about mountain hikes in Category “hiking“
Day Hike from Tokyo: Mt Takatori, Mt Nenbutsu and Mt Azuma
Let’s say you are tired of people and would like to find a serene route to retreat to. If that’s the case, then Mt. Takatori (高取山) at Hadano in Kanagawa is an ideal option.
Day Hike from Tokyo: Lake Okutama
I’ll be soon running out of hikes, so it’s back to basics. After numerous failed attempts to reach lake Okutama (I always got distracted and followed a different path), I finally made it!
Day Hike from Tokyo: Rokkokutoge to Kamakura
Ok, so it snowed again in Tokyo this week, plus it’s Ume blossom season and you don’t feel like walking much. You’d much rather find a nice viewpoint to have a picnic and some drinks, preferably relatively close to the sea. Alright, I’ve got you covered. Today we are going to traverse Miura peninsula, from…
Day Hike from Tokyo: Mt Bonoore and lake Naguri
When it finally snows around Tokyo, an issue arises: Where to hike to next? Well, there’s this little ridge right on top of the border between Tokyo and Saitama prefectures. Tucked inside the mountains, Bonoore ridge is accessible all year round. It is one of those routes where the journey is more fun than the…
Posts about mountain hikes in Category “Roadtrips“
Roadtrip to Narai-juku in Nagano
As the holiday of Culture Day draws near, every year without fail, I’m planning a road trip. And every year, without fail, the planning is going to be so last minute that the most accessible destination from Tokyo is going to be the same: Nagano prefecture. Starting backward, I’m going to describe my latest trip,…
Roadtrip to Hokkaido: All is white (Pt. 2)
At the end of last post, we left lake Akan to head towards Biei, which presents itself as ‘the most beautiful village in Japan’. tldr; it may well be, but I visited in the wrong season. Nevertheless, despite being known mainly as a hot photo spot for the seemingly infinite flowering fields, there are plenty…
Roadtrip to Hokkaido: Looking for the natives (Pt. 1)
If you are good with hints, then you probably noticed already that a post about Hokkaido was long overdue. In previous posts, you already got a sneak peek of what spring roads look like in the far north, as well as understood more about the climate of the northern parts of Japan (use google-translate if…
The roads of Hokkaido
Japan is made up of 4 main islands and thousands of smaller ones. One of the latest acquisitions is the northernmost island of Hokkaido, “courtesy” (more like genocide) of the indigenous Ainu. In the past, it used to be refered to as Ezo by Japanese and Ainu Moshir by the Ainu. Hokkaido (北海道) means northern…
Posts about General travel abroad in Category “Culture“
Visit Engakuji: Autumn in Kamakura
Koyo season is upon us, and probably the best location around Kamakura to marvel at the beauty of autumn leaves is the quiet temple of Engakuji (円覚寺). Today, we’ll stroll around the temple complex and discuss some of the history of the Shogunate of Kamakura and Zen Buddhism.
The Gundam Moves!
In Japan, early spring is the best time of the year to move around, since it’s the only period of the year that the sky is clear from clouds and rain. The highlight of the season is obviously the cherry blossoms, but what to do if they haven’t bloomed yet? You go to the Gundam…
The hidden Japanese art of Onsen
What my years in Japan have taught me is that after a tiring hike, there is always a hot spring at the foot of the mountain to relax and freshen up. The abundance of volcanoes in the country is related to the numerous natural hot springs all over the country. And the Japanese people make…
Omiyage, meibutsu; there’s a bit of everything
I am pretty sure that everyone knows what a souvenir is. Do you happen to know what an omiyage is? Omiyage (お土産) is basically the japanese version of a souvenir. Traditionally, when someone from work or the lab goes on a trip, regardless if it is for business purposes or casual vacation, it is common…
Posts about General travel abroad in Category “International“
Hiking in the dawn at Bali: Mt. Batur
[Visited on August 2019, Greek version follows] The island of Bali, Indonesia is home to a couple of very active volcanoes, among which Mt. Batur (Gunung Batur) stands as the second tallest. At the foot of the mountain lies a wide lake, a byproduct of a past violent explosion together with a caldera. The path…
Hong Kong in four acts
Hong Kong IS the definition of multiculture. Located on a convenient location for sea trade, it thrived as a British colony and as financial metropolis in the recent years. Although tiny, everyone is on it. The culture of Hong Kong is a weird mixture of British post-colonialism, strong Cantonese influences and the increasing addition of…
Red hot chili peppers
Visited in August 2018 Walking around culture village in Busan during the summer, one can see red peppers filling up floor space in balconies and yards. Korean cuisine makes extravagant use of hot spices and the prime selection is always red hot peppers. Of course, domestically grown ones are even better.
10 days in Thailand (Part II)
Part I of travelling in Thailand (about Bangkok and Ayutthaya) is here. Elephants are must-see in Thailand, aren’t they? Thai people adore elephants, so they put everywhere statues or drawings of elephants, called Chang in the local language (like the popular Chang beer). But how can one spend time with elephants responsibly? I chose to…
Random rants in Category “Rants“
Year in Review 2020 a.k.a. how I lived through covid19 in Japan
[Feature photo: Robo-dinosaurs serving as receptionists in Henna hotel in Osaka] I still remember the day that people around me in Tokyo started feeling anxious about the then new covid19. All eyes were set on Asia and Europe was still quiet. On the 25th of February we were preparing to set off for a trip…
Tokyo: A house in the city
The other day, I asked a girl why balconies and doorsteps in Tokyo do not have any kind of illumination source most of the time. She responded that the basic concept is that you are out at work the whole day and when you return you draw the curtains, turn off the lights and stay…
Hiring paperwork highlights in Japan
Recently, I had to be re-hired from a Japanese company i have been working with as a part-timer for three years. All this time, my employment was handled stress-free through a dispatch company – for a hefty amount from the employer’s side. Apparently, in Japan there is regulation mandating that one is not allowed to…
Should I go study in Japan?
Usually, people decide to pursue graduate studies in another university or even another country rather than the one that they obtained their bachelor degree from. For many, Japan seems like an ideal choice; an opportunity to live in the orient without the pressure of work. Especially now that European institutions are highly competitive and with…
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