I want to preface this post by telling you
a) this is just focusing on Glasgow and Edinburgh or it would have been 40 pages long
b) I love Scotland, and
c) if you’re vegan, Scotland loves you (I mean, I’m not saying they don’t love you if you’re not vegan, but you’re DEFINITELY loved if you are vegan, know what I’m saying?).
Last week I went on a flying trip around the country. My first stop was Edinburgh, one of my favourite cities in the UK! Continue reading
Okunoshima, a tiny island home to thousands of bunnies, was one of my highlights of Japan* despite the fact it was an absolute schlep to get to. I’ve always loved rabbits for being adorable, but their behaviour is defined by being prey animals. They spend all of their waking hours analysing where their next predator is, essentially living in a constant state of stress. Rabbits have been known to become paralysed and even die from panic at the sound of an approaching predator. On top of that they’re highly susceptible to diseases, have low intelligence, can’t vomit and have terrible defence mechanisms so the poor things often have a tough time in the wild.
Enter the bunnies at Okunoshima! The island is populated by rabbits ONLY, which means these animals are psychologically different to other rabbits. There’s no native diseases, no other species to share resources with, and without predators, they aren’t prey. I’m no animal behaviour specialist but this basically means they’re like the lions of their own little jungle. The Okunoshima rabbits are very outgoing animals with dusty fur, muddy, leathery feet and (in the elders), a bit of ear missing or a blinded eye. Pirate rabbits! The babies were the only ones with super-soft fur.
The island itself was a poison gas military base during WWII and has quite a bleak history. It’s far from a tourist spot with few signs and maps and certainly no guides or gift shops. It was kind of creepy wandering around between old ruins with blown out windows and through deserted look-out spots… or at least, creepy until you rustle your food bag and twenty eager bunnies appear. I’m not sure I would describe them as “tame” because they’re still wild and not submissive or trained. But they’re hugely confident, and will do anything to get food; they reminded me (behaviour-wise) of the seagulls in Brighton or the monkeys in Kenya who will chance anything to get a bite of your snack. Although I’ll take an adventurous rabbit over a bolshie seagull any day!
It’s very hard to describe so I’ve made a video! If you have 2 minutes to spare please watch because it does a far better job at capturing Okunoshima than my words and pictures ever could. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZW1b_QEOkU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZW1b_QEOkU
*I neglected to post about this back in April!
(Please note: guide at the bottom!)
I’d seen pictures of the light tunnel and gardens at Nabana no Sato on the internet and despite the lack of tourist reviews, online guides or just generally any available information in English, I really wanted to go! Thankfully Sam was up for the adventure and so we made the two hour trek to Nagoya. The Nabano no Sato winter illuminations were created to try and increase visitors to the gardens during the winter, when few flowers are in bloom. We managed to go on the penultimate day of the attraction (open from October 15th – March 31st) and so caught what I imagine must have been one of the few days where the winter illuminations are still open alongside the full sakura bloom. It was breathtaking! The landscape gardens were stunning arrays of peach, pink and white blossoms, all backlit with soft golden lights.
The light tunnel itself was huge – an endless (well, 250m) arc of golden yellow LEDs with soft twinkly music playing and tiny flowers woven into the lights. It felt like we were wandering directly into the sun or straight up into Heaven. The light tunnel opened out onto a blue and purple light garden followed by a life-size (120m wide!) LED replica of the Niagara Falls. It was incredible – my inner geek felt transported into that kissing scene in Final Fantasy X! Changing systematically through every colour of the rainbow, it was unlike anything I’ve witnessed before. I’d urge you to watch my upcoming video for a sense of scale because the pictures don’t really do it justice!
After crossing the smaller Kawaza Sakura tunnel, we spent some time soaking up the festival atmosphere in the park; stalls selling dumplings, crepes and pastries, kids running around the Peter Rabbit LED garden (seriously) and Japanese people catching the sakura blossoms and bunting. It was truly magical. If you find yourself in Japan during the winter months I would really recommend spending a full day there – it’s worth it to appreciate the cotton-candy blooms in the daytime and the unique winter lights at night.
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TIPS AND DIRECTIONS
– From Tokyo, take any train towards Nagoya (most of the Southbound shikansen stop at Nagoya). There are JR shinkansen trains with Nagoya as the destination or many headed for further south that stop at Nagoya en route.
– From Nagoya you want any bus that goes to Nagashima Onsen (there’s about 3, we took the 44). Exit the bus at the “Nabano no Sato” stop. it’s about 320 yen for the bus. Nagashima (the large complex where the garden is located) is a pretty big tourist destination for the Japanese so if you ask somebody they’ll likely be able to help and you can spot Nagashima on most maps from Nagoya onwards.
– Note that the Meitetsu bus station is on the 4th floor of the Nagoya shopping Mall..!
– Your other option is to take a JR or Kintetsu train from Nagoya to Kuwana station – we went on a Sunday when apparently these trains don’t run. From Kuwana it is a ten minute shuttle bus, costing 260 yen.
– The queues for the light tunnel begin about 45 minutes before it gets dark – the park is of a medium size so you will be able to see when a crowd starts to form if you keep an eye on the central area.
– Nagoya is a typically Japanese tourist destination and there were no english maps or signs/English speakers when we went. Now’s the time to brush up on your Japanese phrases! Check online what the entrance price is before you go so you know what kind of ticket you want to get rather than trying to figure it out once you’re there.
– Tickets (1500 yen in the winter) include a 1000 yen voucher towards food, redeemable once you get inside. So don’t bring a packed lunch!
– Also note that the trains from Nagoya back to Tokyo end around 9pm a 45 minute journey back – so don’t stay too long after it gets dark or you might get stranded!
Please feel free to ask any further questions if you’re thinking of going!
(16 Crown Arcade, CF10 1BU)
Vintage Zizou is a clothes and accessories shop for women; for a relatively small premises they have a very varied stock with vintage and contemporary clothes, bags, jewellery, vintage accessories and some gorgeous bridal wear. My friends were quick to drag me away from the wedding dresses before I could spend another half an hour dressed in tulle. Prices were fairly reasonable; I got a beautiful costume jewellery for £6 and one of my friends took home a stunning sequinned top for £25 which was in mint condition.
Troutmark Books is an absolute must-visit if you’re a bookworm like I am. The shop appears deceptively small from outside but once you get set foot inside you’re confronted with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. The shop spans 3 floors and has a huge selection of genres available. The shop owner is very friendly and we spent a long time poring over various titles in this shop. Being the kid I am, I especially loved these old children’s books with beautifully coloured spines and the impressive comics collection.
(16 High Street Arcade)
There are a huge number of cafes around Cardiff and I won’t lie, we chose to go in to Sophie’s purely because we had a Sophie in our group. Sophie’s specialise in crepes and galettes and although there were no vegan options listed they were happy to accommodate and create something new for me. Again this cafe was deceptively small; however downstairs there was a spacious seating area where we occupied the sofa for a good hour or so.
(35 Castle Arcade)
This shop was so beautiful! Light, airy and very well-presented; we spent a long time in here as it was also one of the first places we found with a decent mens section. The shop was split into two sections; vintage on one side (with a great selection of dresses ranging from medium to high prices) and crafts, stationary and wedding bits and pieces on the other side, all laid out impeccably. I’d recommend this shop to seasoned vintage shoppers or crafty people with an interest in aesthetically pleasing displays!
(26 High Street Arcade)
Cardiff is well-known as a vintage destination and I don’t know if Hobos is the oldest vintage shop there but it certainly seems to be one of the most iconic. The stock isn’t hugely varied, instead focusing more on popular vintage items (such as silk blouses and varsity jackets). You’re unlikely to stumble across a sequinned ballgown but the items they are all in excellent condition and available in a good selection of colours and prints. For people who take a more streamlined approach to vintage shopping or those who have a more classic style I’d recommend Hobos. They also had a great selection of upcycled vintage items and retro inspired clothes (including the Northern Soul dress I wore in this post!).
(45 Castle Arcade)
This shop was about to close by the time we got there but a quick look around confirmed that they have a HUGE selection of buttons and beads from all over the world. The shop has been there for over 30 years and they also have a selection of quirky cards and prints. If there was a specific button or bead you were after I imagine you’d be able to find it here but it’s a great place just to browse as well – the shop is quite small but beautifully laid out.
(Womanby Street)
Cardiff Fashion Quarter is almost a miniature shopping mall of independent traders selling a combination of vintage and contemporary clothes, books, jewellery and furniture. It’s based inside a converted cinema and is spread across two floors. Some of our favourite shops were Rhinestone Cowboy, Nelly’s Treasures, Rock-Ola Reborn, Bada Peng and Freak Unique Boutique. The whole space was beautifully decorated with fairy lights, bunting, paper flowers and pretty wallpapers covering the space and each stall had cute displays, we spent such a long time just wandering around and browsing all the cute retro toys!
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Obviously I collect records so I’m always biased towards record shops anyway but even if you’re not a vinyl owner this shop is worth a visit anyway – it’s the oldest record shop in the world.
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So there we go, a few of my suggestions for Cardiff! I’ve not really written any city guides like this before so let me know if it’s useful or if you’d like to see more. If you have any favourite places in Cardiff pop them in the comments so other people can go there too!
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This will be my last post on Rhodes and I’m sharing my pictures of the old city with you. My travel companion Philly and I were so enchanted by the old city that we spent our last evening there, getting lost amongst the cobbled street and staring wistfully at the beautiful displays in all the shops. Most of the roads are nameless and the city doesn’t follow any kind of grid structure so it’s very easy to lose your way. Philly and I soon gave up trying to use the maps dotted around the city and just followed our noses until we arrived at a gate.
The city was warm and welcoming in the daytime despite the imposing stone wall, but by nighttime the old town was magically lit up with strings of fairy lights. The maze-like quality of the streets was enhanced by the darkness and it almost gave the impression that the minute you turned a corner the rest of the town was shuffling itself around behind you! Most of the shop in the old town are open front, with huge archways leading directly into the display area. As we walked past we could gaze in to the colourful, meticulously laid out displays inside with shops selling all manner of items: lace, carpets, swords, honey, ceramics, gold chains, sandals, postcards, stationary, musical instruments, statues and traditional wood and leather crafts. The best way to spend our final evening in Rhodes!
Thank you to Philly for all the photos of me in this post (and my last two Rhodes posts here and here) and for being such an awesome travel companion! You can read her blog here, and follow mine on Facebook, bloglovin and twitter.
TAPE PARADE 