Last week DUKE CAPO in Shimokitazawa arranged their annual summer event called the Capo Fes, and several talented artists made their appearance. Among the performers was my good friend Will, who also happens to be an amazing singer.

Yuma, Will and I

Will @ the stage

Before the event

The bar

Will presented a number of songs, among them some which he has composed himself. Here is however his interpretation of the song "Want You to Want Me" performed at Capo Fes:

A couple of weeks ago NHK featured a show about Norwegian "Slow TV", a phenomena that recently has become very popular in Norway and also made some headlines in other countries.

• All blogposts from Tokyo
• All blogposts about Norwegian stuff abroad
• Yokohama : Norwegian Skolebolle in World Porters
• Norway Food Festival in Tokyo!
• Tokyo Cafes: Cafe Fuglen - Norwegian style Coffee & Vintage Furniture
• Norwegian 17. May Celebration in Tokyo 2014 - 東京でのノルウェー憲法記念日
• Norway Yumenet Presentation in Tokyo (Norsk Salong)
• Japan Hardanger Club (日本ハルダンゲルクラブ) Performance at the Norwegian Embassy
• Norway in Japan: Arne & Carlos Knitting Event
• Celebrating Norway's National Day at the Embassy in Tokyo!
• NHK on Norwegian Slow TV／NHK放送：ノルウェーのスローテレビ
• NHK E-Tele: "Gretel's Magical Oven" and Norwegian Waffles
• The Norway-Japan Society: Yakatabune Dinner Cruise on the Tokyo Bay (屋形船)

While in Hong Kong you might want to take a short trip up to the Victoria Peak to get a magnificent panoramic view of the metropolis. As a plus, this destination gives you the chance to take a ride on Asia's oldest funicular, the Peak Tram. The funicular dates back to 1888, and has been one of the symbols of Hong Kong for many years. 

Waiting for the Peak Tram

View towards the greener areas of Hong Kong

The Peak Tower where you can pay an entrance fee to get access to the Sky Terrace with a 360° view of Hong Kong

Hong Kong seen from the Sky Terrace

A panorama showing the view of Hong Kong

Hong Kong seen from inside the Peak Tower

All in all it was nice to see the view of Hong Kong from the Victoria Peak, and for people who want to see more of Hong Kong than the inside of a shopping mall it would for sure be a well spent afternoon. We didn't stay until after sunset, but visiting during the evening might be an alternative if we ever get the chance to come back to Hong Kong again in the future.

Thank you for reading! Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below
Anette

• All blogposts from Hong Kong
• Sightseeing in Hong Kong: The Dragon Back Hiking Trail
• Sightseeing in Hong Kong: The Peak Tram and Victoria Peak

Royal Plaza Hotel

JJ Hotel

Kimberley Hotel

Harbour Grand Hong Kong Hotel

Although Hong Kong is more renowned for its many shopping opportunities and delicious food than for its natural surroundings the city is actually situated close to beautiful mountains providing great hiking opportunities for those who long to get away from the bustling city life. 
For Yuma and me this hike was in fact the first thing we chose to do for our stay in Hong Kong. Neither of us are particularly found of shopping, and as the first day of our vacation fully at our disposal we decided to charge our batteries.

The bus terminal at Shau Kei Wan

A sign showing the way to the Dragon's Back

Prepared for all sorts of emergencies

The beginning of the trail

The Dragon's Back

After a lunch at a local restaurant we went down to the beach too. We spent some time strolling on the sand dunes before heading back to Hong Kong.

One of Hong Kong's many specialities; the egg tart. Delicious!

Thank you for reading! Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below
Anette

• All blogposts from Hong Kong
• Sightseeing in Hong Kong: The Dragon Back Hiking Trail
• Sightseeing in Hong Kong: The Peak Tram and Victoria Peak
• All blogposts about Hiking

Royal Plaza Hotel

JJ Hotel

Kimberley Hotel

Harbour Grand Hong Kong Hotel

A poster outside of Washi no Sato proclaiming the UNESCO intangible heritage status

During the last couple of weeks I've had a visit from my mother and grandmother, and while I've been busy with work during the weekdays we did take some small trips during their weekends here.
For the first weekend we took the Shinkansen bullet train down to Kyoto, where we changed to the JR line heading for the ancient capital Nara. Despite having lived two years in Kyoto this was actually my first time visiting Nara.. Just about time for a visit then, one could say.!

Sakura flowers by the Himuro Shrine

We were visiting Nara early in the cherry blossom (sakura) season, and luckily there was one small shrine along the way to famous Todai-ji (東大寺) temple called Himuro Shrine (氷室神社) where the flowers already were blooming. Apparently this shrine has a history stretching back to year 710, and it is also known for having some of Nara's earliest cherry blossoms.
We also found some other cherry blossom trees by some of Nara's famous temple buildings. Among them was, as mentioned, Todai-ji. In the picture below you can see Todai-ji and a blooming sakura tree.

Todai-ji in itself is one of the main temple buildings in Nara, and is of course a must to visit if you have the chance to travel here. With what is known as the world's largest wooden building the main hall known as the Daibutsuden (or the Big Buddha Hall) was a marvelous sight. We all felt pretty small in front of the gigantic bronze Buddha statue inside the hall called the Great Buddha (Daibutsu). It weighs 500 metric tonnes, and is the largest bronze statue of Buddha in the world.
But there are other things to see besides the temples in Nara. In fact, Nara is pretty well-known for its many deers. Nara's yuru-kyara is in fact a deer with Buddha-head (although just like Ishikawa-ken's mascot hyakuman-san he is struggling with his lack of popularity, it seems he just isn't kawaii enough for the Japanese people..). In the Shinto religion deers have been regarded as messengers of the gods, and in Nara the deers roam the grounds as they please. Tourists can buy them snacks, and we saw a lot of fat deers that seemed to have eaten too much of the snacks they are fed by tourists. Although the deer of course are wild animals and might butt you if you tease them they are generally used to people and very friendly. Yuma and I used the opportunity to take some selfies with them, and it didn't seem like they minded.

You can write your wish on a deer-shaped ema (絵馬)

A lazy deer that had gotten too much food from tourists

The deers are literarily lined up to greet you.

While we did spent most of our time in Nara roaming around in the parks and visiting temples our main reason for the short visit to Nara wasn't just the sightseeing. My boyfriend proposed to me at the end of last year, but our parents still hadn't had the chance to meet each other. This time my mother and grandmother had the chance to meet Yuma's parents for a nice lunch at an old ryokan (Japanese traditional style inn)/restaurant called Kikusuiro.
The building dates back to the late 19th century, and along with the restaurant and hotel business they also arrange weddings here. I have added some pictures from our lunch below:
Our trip to Nara was very short, but we still got to see a lot in only two days. Most of the places we went by were quite typical tourist attractions, but for people visiting who are interested in eating at a historical Japanese restaurant I would definitely recommending stopping by Kikusuirou.

• All blogposts about Cherry Blossom
• Mt. Fuji & Sakura Viewing: Maruyama Kouen (丸山公園) and Iwadono Castle (岩殿城)
• Tokyo Cherry Blossom Spots: Nakameguro's Meguro-gawa River (目黒川)
• Hiking in Tokyo: Sakura viewing (花見) at Mount Takao
• Cherry Blossoms and Jogging in Tokyo: The Imperial Palace (皇居)
• The Tsubame Sakura Matsuri: Cherry Blossom PR & Last Minute Preparations
• Behind the Scene of the Tsubame Sakura Matsuri Festival - The Oiran Dochu
• Sakura Season in Kansai - Hanami in the Expo ’70 Commemorative Park!
• Spring in Japan: Sakura Season and Hanami in Kyoto!
• Spring in Kyoto: Ritsumeikan University Orientation Week and Cherry Blossom Hanami!
• Sakura Season: Weekend Trip to Nara

Japan has a number of famous places for people who enjoy winter sports like ski and snowboarding, and with its steep mountains and beautiful powder snow, it is a popular ski destination from people from near and far. One of the places well-known for people who enjoy winter activities is Shigakōgen in Nagano. With 21 ski resorts it is one of Japan's largest ski areas, and during the 1998 Nagano Olympics, a number of the games were hosted here.