Matt's Travel Blog – An Englishman in Japan (Again!)

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Etihad Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner parked at a gate at Manchester Airport, with catering vehicles and an air bridge attached before an international departure.

Oh Japan, Here we go Again

Well here we are again, me on my way to Japan. This time I went for the Economy Deluxe package with Etihad which includes, 40kg check in, 7kg carry on, priority check in, the priority boarding, extra legroom seats and complimentary WiFi, so yes, I am starting this from 37,

New Look, New Domain

New Look, New Domain

Hi All, Welcome to my new revamped website, hope you all like it!

Changes and Maintenance

Changes and Maintenance

Hi all, you might notice that my blog will be changing over the next week as i move from word press to another blog platform that is less work to maintain and is faster. Also advanced notice that my server will be down tomorrow for about 20 minutes at Midday

Dotonbori Canal illuminated by neon lights at night in Osaka.

Back to Japan - Osaka Again

Well now the days are rolling by and I can’t wait to go back to Japan, especially as the Foreign Office has downgraded their warning to go to the UAE, which is where I am transiting. This is defiantly a huge weight off my shoulders although I did get

Back to Japan - Japanese Alps

Back to Japan - Japanese Alps

First off, some sad news, I couldn’t get any tickets for the Sumo wrestling tournament as all 15 days sold out within the space of an hour, so instead I will be going to a sumo experience show, where someone tells us about the history, traditions and culture around

Stage set with Japanese taiko drums, lanterns, dramatic lighting, and light fog before a performance.

Trip to Milton Keynes and London

Me, mum and dad all went away over the weekend and had a blast. I saw some tickets come up for a Taiko drumming group called, Yamato The Drummers of Japan and because I have seen them before and told my parents about how good they are, we decided to

Red touring motorcycle parked beside a field of yellow flowers.

Motorcycle Touring

Hi all, interrupting my current blog series is some good news and it is that I have passed my Motorcycle test and now have a full motorbike license. I would like to give a big shout out to Lambs Motorcycle training, who has had me since I started my journey

Steam rising from a turquoise hot spring surrounded by rocks.

Back to Japan - Beppu and Nagoya

It is now 84 days to go till it is time to fly to Japan, so here is the second part of my Back to Japan blog. So after spending some time in Kagoshima, the plan was to go to some islands nearby called Kamikoshiki-jime and Shimokoshiki-jima, but

Japanese flag with Mount Fuji in the background.

Abu Dhabi Airport

Back to Japan - Osaka and Kagoshima

Please note that with the current climate in the middle east, I am unsure if I will be going via Abu Dhabi or if I will be going via Finair. Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog, with 118 days left to go till i got back to Japan,

Ruined stone walls on a hillside above a Scottish loch.

Scotland Part 4 – A Long Time to Get Home!

Last Day 31st July After having a nice long Sleep, it was time to have a look around Lochcarron, and Strome Castle was just down the road. After this, I was going to Strathcarron, which is the next village over to get some food, but came across this. Someone had

Panoramic view of the Beauly Firth beside a single carriageway under dramatic clouds.

Scotland Part 3 - John O' Groats

John O' Groats 29th July Now it is time for the long journey up to John o’ Groats from Lochcarron, which took about 5 hours, with a good few stops along the way including the Dornoch Firth Bridge. Finally, John o' Groats was on the horizon and it

Misty mountains on the Isle of Skye beneath dark storm clouds.

Scotland Part 2 – Isle of Skye

Isle of Skye 28th July Today it was time to head towards the Isle of Skye which is one of the reasons for choosing Lochcarron as base for staying in Scotland. First it was time to head to Kyle of Lochalsh where you can take the bridge over to the

Bealach na Bà mountain pass descending towards Loch Kishorn.

Scotland Part 1

In 2025 during the summer, we went up to see my Auntie as it was her retirement from serving time in the emergency services and for that I salute her, but I also thought to myself, that I haven't been into the highlands at all before and the

Skyline of central Warsaw at sunset, featuring the Palace of Culture and Science surrounded by modern skyscrapers.

Warsaw and the Last Bit

Warsaw 6th August Well, one can't go to Poland without visiting Warsaw, can they? Well, when it is a 3-hour drive away they probably can, which is why I decided to take a 2.5-hour train there instead and only cost about £40 for a return

Large black, white and gold mural at the Galicia Jewish Museum in Kraków, featuring a menorah, city landmarks and geometric patterns above an outdoor seating area.

Krakow Jewish Quarter

Originally, my plan was to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau, but unfortunately by the time I came to book the free tour, it was fully booked up. I did say this trip wasn’t as well planned as Japan, right? Krakow Jewish Quarter 5th August I decided the next day to get

Entrance to Energylandia theme park in Poland, featuring a castle-style façade with towers, a clock tower and the park's colourful sign beneath a bright sky.

Energylandia

As some of you might know, I am now into my roller coasters, with the bigger and more extreme ones being better to fulfil my adrenaline junkie lifestyle. So, after I got recommended this theme park by one of my Polish friends from work, how could I not go. Energylandia

Sign for the Wieliczka Salt Mine featuring two miners holding tools on either side of the mine's emblem, mounted on a white wall.

Wieliczka

The Salt Mines - Wieliczka 3th August After resting for a day, I went to Wieliczka which is about 30 mins from where I was staying to go to the salt mines there. They have been used for more than 700 years, since the Middle Ages and only about 2% of

Poland and Germany

Poland and Germany

Well, it was time to go to Poland, and this trip was a lot less planned than Japan was, but I did get to do most of what I wanted to do. Flying to Poland 29th July First off, the flight and the Schengen zone. This was my first trip

The Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) and the Palace of Westminster in London, viewed across Westminster Bridge beneath a dramatic sky filled with large clouds.

Mini Trip to London

Hello everyone, this is a little blog about my long weekend trip to London and some of the things that I got up to. Originally, I was planning to just come down and see the Spirited Away stage show, but I decided to turn it into a long weekend away.

Close-up photograph of a globe focused on Europe, showing countries including Poland, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, with city names.

So What’s Next?

Hello everyone, you probably haven't heard from me for a while and if you haven't then you might have been wondering what I will be doing next. Last year I decided that it was time to look up cheap holidays during the summer and Krakow, Poland

Office desk with a laptop on a stand, wireless keyboard, calculator, notebook and printed business charts displaying graphs and performance metrics.

Japan Finance and What is Next

Hi all, well you might notice some changes to the website over the next few months, but more on that in a bit. So, my budget for Japan was £4,500 which I actually stuck too (not including the extra flight home that I had to book) and here is

Illuminated festival float decorated with lanterns and carvings, paraded through the streets of Kazuno at night, accompanied by musicians and participants in traditional dress.

Towada and My Final Nights Away

So here we are now going towards my final few nights in Japan and as much as most people usually say it when on holiday, I really don’t want to go back home. There is so much to discover out here that I deffo want to come back and

Preserved steam locomotive No. 233 on display inside the Kyoto Railway Museum, featuring a black boiler, red buffer beam and historic railway exhibits surrounding the engine.

Osaka/Kyoto Part 2

I called this one Osaka/Kyoto part 2, but I may as well have named it Kyoto part 2 as I didn’t really do anything else in Osaka, but at least it gives me more of an excuse to come back to Japan again (Something I am already looking

Spa Resort Hawaiians mascot in a hula outfit, surrounded by tropical decorations, carved figures and a beach backdrop inside the resort.

Iwaki and Hakodate

Time to go to Iwaki 17th August Today it was time to move on from Tokyo to Iwaki in Fukushima Prefecture. Iwaki is about 30 miles south of the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant where the disaster happened back in 2011 with the Tohoku Earthquake (9.0-9.1 magnitude) which

Exterior of Matsue Castle showing black wooden walls, white plaster sections, defensive window shutters and a large stone foundation beneath an overcast sky.

Matsue and Sakaiminato

I am sorry that this one has taken so long to get out. Due to an unstable internet connection meaning that I lost about half of this post and an incoming typhoon meaning I have had to change some plans around and move my schedule up too. I am also