Can’t help but smile after seeing these buns

A Japanese home in the suburb of Arashiyama (嵐山)

Traditional handicraft from Kyoto. I almost wanted to buy one but decided that I shouldn’t add to the stuff I have at home.

The Japanese people are really adept at charming shop displays like that to lure customers into buying things!

My delicious sushi dinner on my first night in Japan

Antique books with beautiful drawings and calligraphy – the predecessors of manga perhaps?

Even signs telling you not to do something have to be cute.

Do these drawings make a root canal any less scary?

Giant omu rice

The neighbourhood of Sonobe (園部) where my friend lives. It’s 40 minutes by JR train from Kyoto station and feels like an entirely differently world already. Small padi fields are interspersed between houses and the faint aroma of rice whiffs through the air as you walk past.