Asia
-
Hiking Mt. Ashigara: from Tokyo
By YiPin Wu, (University of Tokyo, Japan) If you’re looking for a day trip from Tokyo that actually gets you into nature, Mt. Ashigara is one to put on the list. It’s about two hours from central Tokyo, the hike is doable, and on a clear day you get one of the best views of Mt. Fuji you can find. Getting There Take the Odakyu Line to Odawara Station, then head to the east exit to catch a bus to the Kintoki-tozanguchi stop, which is about 50 minutes on the bus. One thing to note: buses aren’t that frequent, so check the timetable before you go. The Trail Mt. Kintoki sits at…
-
Setting Up in Japan: Shopping Guide
By YiPin Wu, University of Tokyo, Japan Moving to Tokyo? Here are the shops you actually need to know about. Daiso (ダイソー) — Your First Stop Seriously, go here first. Daiso is Japan’s famous 100-yen shop, and it’s so much better than it sounds. Plates, bowls, chopsticks, hangers, storage boxes, cleaning supplies, stationery, kitchen stuff, all ¥110 (about 70p) each. Whatever you think you need, just check Daiso first. I managed to tick off most of my moving-in list for under ¥3,000 (roughly £15). I’d recommend doing a big Daiso sweep in your first few days before spending money anywhere else. Nitori (ニトリ) — Japan’s IKEA For the bigger stuff,…
-
A day in my life as a Shanghai student
Eva Tollett – Fudan University – Shanghai, China Of course, every day is slightly different due to my timetable and social schedule but I will introduce what an average day living in Shanghai looks like for me. I have 4 hours of class a day, all Chinese language but covering different aspects like grammar, spoken and written Chinese. An normal day will be from 10-3 with a break for lunch. This does make it feel a bit like school as you are in the same classroom with the same people every day. I quite like this though as it can mean you form really close bonds with your classmates. My…
-
Life at UTokyo: A Guide to Komaba Campus
by YiPin Wu, University of Tokyo, Japan If you’ve ever wanted to study at the University of Tokyo, let me take you on a tour of Komaba Campus — the main hub for exchange students. Nestled just two stops from Shibuya on the Keio Inokashira Line (about 20 minutes on foot), it’s also within walking distance of Nakameguro — known for its cafés and cherry blossoms — and Shimokitazawa, famous for vintage shops and curry. It’s hard to believe this calm, tree-lined campus exists in the heart of central Tokyo. Campus Life In my first semester, I had six classes a week — the minimum recommended. One thing that really…
-
Diaries from solo travelling South Western China
By Eva, Fudan University, Shanghai, China Chinese university holidays are at different times to what we are used to in the UK. The main winter holiday is structured around Chinese new year. We had from early January, after our exams finished, to early March off and were free to do what we pleased. I used this opportunity to travel around China (mainly the Yunnan province) and also make the most of the cheap flights to other countries in Asia. My solo travelling started with a 20 hour sleeper train from Shanghai to Guilin. I could have flown in a couple of hours but opted for the train because it is…
-
Vegetarian Food in Singapore and Southeast Asia
By Micha Raja, Singapore Management University (SMU), Singapore Coming to Singapore, I was initially nervous about the options for vegetarians and whether I would have enough variety of food to choose from. After having lived here for 3 months now, I can confirm, the variety of vegetarian options is incredible! Not only are there pure vegetarian restaurants but even some of the Hawker Centres have pure vegetarian food stalls. There has not been a single day I have struggled with food. One of my favourite go-to foods in the Hawker centres here is a Masala Dosa. There are lots of other Indian food options as well but also Southeast Asian cuisine can be made…
-
Living sustainably in Japan
By Gloria Zheng, Osaka University, Japan I really can’t believe it’s been over 2 months since I’ve arrived in Japan. It has realy been full of ups and downs and I’ve really learnt a lot over living by myself in a foreign country. I’ve also had some time to think about ways to live more sustainably in a country that seems to full of contradictions – where everything seems to be wrapped in plastic with an eco label stuck on- but I’ve managed to find some ways to make daily living more sustainable for the future and the planet. It seems that Japan is in love with plastic with everything…
-
A Singapore Semester 1 Summary…
By Micha Raja, Singapore Management University (SMU), Singapore As Semester 1 draws to a close, I find myself full of several emotions – gratitude, excitement and disbelief at how quickly the past 3 months have flown by. I arrived in Singapore 3 months ago, completely alone with not a clue how the year was going to play out. I was nervous arriving, not sure if I would make friends, settle in well or enjoy the new academic culture I was about to take on. Everything felt so unfamiliar and I remember wondering how long it would take before Singapore started to feel like home. Now I am writing this blog feeling like a completely…
-
17 hours from London to Osaka: A guide to survive
By Gloria Zheng, Osaka University, Japan It has been over a month since I arrived in Japan, so I figured it was time to sit down and write about my experience travelling alone for the first time. I flew from Heathrow Airport in London to Kansai International Airport in Japan (if you’re studying in the Kansai region you’ll most likely be flying here). 1. Book everything in advance I booked my flight the same day I received my visa from the Japanese Embassy in London. This meant that I could get the best savings as as prices steeply rise the weeks following the date you’re planning to fly. I also…
-
3 nights in Linhai, Zhejiang
By Eva Tollett, Fudan University Shanghai, China Travelling around China is unlike any travelling I’ve done before. With the exception of the big cities or rural tourist hotspots, there is little to read about the smaller cities. The past week was Mid-Autumn festival granting us with 8 days of holiday. (Don’t worry, China never slacks off so this was supplemented by having classes on the weekends both before and after.) The internal tourist industry in China is booming. Hotels and flights triple in price during this period and are booked as soon as they become available. Having initially wanted to visit Huangshan (the famous yellow mountains), we soon went off…
-
3 weeks in Thailand on the way home from Hong Kong
After finishing up my time studying in Hong Kong, I thought I would make the most of being in south east Asia and cheap flights, so met up with a friend and spent three wonderful weeks exploring the south of Thailand. I would have loved to have done the north, but didn’t have enough time and decided it would be better to spend more time in each place to properly see it then rushing around just to tick off the whole if Thailand. Phuket: I spent 2 nights in Phuket as this is where I flew into. Phuket was probably my least favorite place in Thailand, I stayed in Patong…
-
No Guidebook for This: Diaries of a Black (African) Female Solo Traveler
By Zahra Sachikonye, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Decolonizing Solo Travel: Why Representation Matters When I would research different destinations to travel, almost all the blogs and travel guides I read were from a very similar perspective. These articles were written by mostly white, mostly Western points of view. Their advice, whilst useful, was only relatable to a point. When thinking about safety, I had the added task of researching the levels of racism in a place, something most people have never even thought of doing. As someone with an African passport, I had to apply for visas for countries most of my friends could just walk into. This…
