A little aquarium that is tucked away in one of the corners of Chinatown; the Yokohama Omoshiroi Suizokukan.

Delving into a book, whether it be fictional of factual, and delving into a museum are very much two sides of the same coin for me. They both embody escapism from this plane of existence and both fire my mind by exposing it to new vistas. The human brain metabolises and catabolises knowledge in much the same way as the body absorbs the nutrients we consume. The challenge gifted to each if us when we encounter new stimuli are essential and without such lethargy and stagnation can plague each of us.

Every culture has some form of music, exactly as every culture has both storytelling and myths. So fundamental are these forms of communication and shared experience that they underpin the whole society in which they are found. Indeed, it could easily be argued that both are intrinsically woven together into the very fabric of their mother civilisation. However, even though each typifies so much of the crucible in which they were born, both, especially music, have the power to transcend it.

Travelling is as much about the experience as it is about the destination, but a great location can bring into blossom those joyous wild moments that you will treasure all your life. The young city of Minamiboso has such a place.

‘Why do I stand up here? Anybody?’
‘To feel taller!” Said a young student called Dalton.
Iioka Lighthouse overlooks the Pacific Ocean on the southern edge of the Choshi peninsula in Chiba prefecture known as Cape Gyoubumi or Gyoubumi Misaki in Japanese. It is set high upon sandstone and shale cliffs and affords a great view.

Mount Tsukuba has been a place of both pilgrimage and religious reverence for the last 3000 years. It is said that the two peaks of Mount Tsukaba represent the two gods Izanagi-no-Mikoto, a male deity who is associated with the Nantai peak and Izanami-no-Mikoto, a female deity who is associated with the Nyotai peak.

Shinagawa aquarium was opened in 1991 and is situated in Kumin Park. It is a bit of a walk, about 8 minutes, from Omori Kaigan station on the Keihin Kyuko line, but it is signposted clearly enough to find without too much confusion.

Every year in May they hold a free event at Yoyogi Koen (which means park in Japanese) situated near Harajuku. The premise is to have the hardcore group of members be joined by anyone who wishes to take part and slowly shuffle and lurch their way around the park for an hour or so.

Chiba Castle is not a castle. Sure, it may wear the façade of a castle, it certainly bears the distinctive shape and outward accoutrements of a castle, but it is not, nor was it ever intended to be, a faithful recreation of a historical castle. Herein lays its quixotic charm, for it is, in fact, a museum.

The museum can be found in an area surrounded by grape farms, spas and small clusters of houses and over looked by distant mountaintops. It has been open since the early sixties and began as a private collection before slowly swelling to its current state including over 7’000 individual items.

Hondoji is a large temple complex located in Chiba Prefecture between the cities of Kashiwa and Matsudo. This Buddhist temple here was founded by Nichiro, a disciple of the famous monk Nichiren back in the 13th century after his master went into voluntary exile on Mount Minobu.

Trips to the Eastern part of Japan frequently, and justifiably, focus on Tokyo and its immediate area.