It’s the time of the year when you look back and appreciate. Personally the highlight of 2016 for me was a backpacking trip to the far east together with friends. I do my share of travelling especially in Europe as I work in tourism, but Japan was truly something else.

It is a fascinating country with a unique and foreign, yet familiar culture. We all know Japanese animes, videogames and films. They portrait a very busy and modern country, yet so rich in culture and history. What struck me the most was the friendly and welcoming nature of the Japanese. At the same time the social rules here are very different and one would certainly need more time to understand the inner workings of this society. So I am aware of the snapshot perspective I got. It’s a foreigners view for sure. Nonetheless I was eager to capture the spirit of what I was seeing; the magnificent  temple architecture, marvellous nature and last but not least the people of Japan themselves.

This one is just the first part of a longer series which will stretch into 2017, possibly over the whole winter. It takes some time to curate these and make them online-ready. So come back from time to time and dive in with me into the far east.