Blogs from Senbon, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan, Asia

Over two billion people worldwide rely on rice as their primary food. According to new study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, increasing levels of carbon dioxide are not only warming the planet, but also severely lowering the nutritional value of key crops like rice. CO2-exposed rice has dramatically less iron, zinc, and B vitamins. Speaking of rice and Japan: Did you know there are over 30,000 certified sommeliers in Japan, 13k of whom are women? A modest 26.5% of all Japanese sommelier candidates pass the exams as sommelier training is quite rigorous there. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Japan’s induction into the International Association of Sommeliers. Japan also boasts countless wine schools and a flourishing wine b... read more

The nature of Kyoto has been preserved as well as the historic sites, while the city has grown with the population of approximately 1.5 million. ... read more

Hello everyone. Our first blog of the trip. We have been in Japan (Nihon) for 3 days, 1 of which we slept the entire day. It is warmer here than back at home. The first day we got out which was Thursday 11th, it was about 15 degrees, with perfect blue sky. It was really weird. It was like being in our autumn again. we have been round many temples, which all have their own unique style. Everything seems so peaceful and delicate. the buildings are all made of wood and are held together with bamboo nails. Wherever we have been we have had to take our shoes off and been provided with slippers. Their gardens consist of many trees, some water and gravel. the gravel they rake into patterns or straight lines. At most temples, ... read more

It's been a laid back kind of day today. We started the day with a walk up to a temple near to our digs. Now normally this would be quite a quiet, calm affair but throw in about 1000 secondary school kids and you've got bedlam! It was fun watching the kids get all excited about seeing foreigners and we enjoyed being interviewed by different groups as we walked around. It was the whole 'celebrity for a day' feeling again :-) At one point we headed down a deserted path, then noticed a small group of girls were following us. For a laugh, I started running away from them to see how they reacted. The next thing I heard was a squeal of horror from the girls who then started chasing after me! It was a ... read more