Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
Alto Adige or Südtirol is a special place located in the north of Italy, not far away from Austria and Germany. Many tourists come here for summer vacations and you can easily switch between Italian, English and German here. But tourism is not the only reason why in this region most names are not only in Italian but also in German. Continue reading “Alto Adige Autonomous”
What to do in summer time? For my parents the answer was quite easy: they went with us every year to the same flat in the same building (“Haus Windisch“) in Dorf Tirol, Italy. For them it was a great idea because they knew this place well and nearly everybody speaks German – and we didn’t care for seeing other parts of the world. Continue reading “Once again in Dorf Tirol”
I came to Japan first in 2008 for a scientific conference in Tōkyō – and immediately fell in love with this country. It was fascinating to see all these big differences in culture. Therefore I decided to return – but instead of going back to the capital I chose Kyōto as a destination and I wasn’t disappointed. Continue reading “The real Japan”
The Kurama no Hi-Matsuri or Kurama fire festival is a smaller festival in Kyōto, Japan – but still attracting lots of visitors. The people of the village Kurama ignite fires close to their houses at 6pm and 250 burning torches are carried through the streets – smaller ones by children, bigger ones by men; all traditionally dressed. Continue reading “Kurama fire festival”
The Jidai matsuri is an annual festival in Kyōto, Japan. It celebrates the shift of the Japanese throne from Nara to Kyōto in 794. It is celebrated since 1895 on the 22nd of October. It is one of the three big festivals in the city and was originally created to raise the mood of the citizens after the throne went on to Edo (today’s Tōkyō) in 1868. Continue reading “Jidai matsuri”
Japanese children learn to not talk to any stranger. This seems to be deeply engraved into Japanese culture and gives you the feeling of not being a foreigner, as nobody ever takes notice of you – even if you’re the only gaijin on the whole subway train. But it also doesn’t help you feel at home if nobody communicates with you. Continue reading “I’m from Jamaica”
If you’re stuck travelling through Japan there are two major rules I followed. The first rule I would call Learn like a child: if you don’t know what to do, stop and watch other people around you. Repeat what they do and reach your goal. This especially helped with using vending machines only available in Japanese. Continue reading “Vice versa”
One thing is for sure in big Japanese cities: you won’t be thirsty. Everybody that has some space in front of his house seems install a vending machine for drinks. And therefore you can walk through the streets of Kyōto, Japan and find some refreshments every 50 meters. Continue reading “Vending machines”
The most famous sports in Japan isn’t soccer, handball or rugby – it is baseball. Japan was closed for many centuries over time and there was nearly no cultural exchange. But in 1872 the country was opening up and baseball was introduced from the United States. Continue reading “Baseball”
When the European Union published the invitation to a scientific conference in Acquafredda di Maratea I had to look up the location on the Internet. I had never heard of Maratea, Italy. But as the EU accepted my proposal and invited me, I booked a flight to Napoli and took a train to that part of Italy. Continue reading “Deep down in Italy”