FEATURES
Kyoto, Japan
Kyoto, Japan
Akido: The Martial Art of Harmony and Peace

Shikoku, Japan
Nakano Udon School – Make Noodles to the Music
Words: Celia • Images: Jason
Discover your inner noodle nerd in Japan’s grooviest udon-making class.
Published on Setouchi Reflection Trip
Kagoshima, Japan
In Good Spirit
Words & Images: Jason
To understand Kagoshima, you must know first know its spirit.
Published in Aspire Magazine


Osaka, Japan
Come out and Cosplay!
Words & Images: Jason
Western Japan’s biggest cosplay event takes over the streets of Nippombashi.
Published in Kansai Scene Magazine
Kyoto, Japan
Zen Nuptials for Gay Couples
Words: Celia • Images: Jason
A Kyoto Buddhist monk is doing his part to promote marriage equality by being the first in Japan to offer marriage ceremonies at his temple to gay and lesbian couples.
Published in Kansai Scene Magzine


Osaka, Japan
No Business Like Japanese Show Business
Words: Celia • Images: Jason
U.S. singer-songwriter Natalie Emmons, now the face of Trivago Japan, shares her adventures while navigating the J-entertainment world.
Published in Kansai Scene Magazine
Osaka, Japan
Oishii in Osaka
Words: Jason • Images: Maya Jasmin Kurokouchi
As a focal point for the finest Japanese food, Osaka’s reputation is known not just across the country but around the globe – it has long been considered the nation’s kitchen.
Published in Scoot Magazine


Osaka, Japan
For the Love of Sam
Words: Celia • Images: Jason
When Carl and Elizabeth O’Brien first came to Japan, they couldn’t have imagined that just a few years later, they would be adopting baby Sam – a Japanese boy with Down syndrome.
Published in Kansai Scene Magazine
Osaka, Japan
The Craft Beer Splash
Words & Images: Jason
The craft has been honed, and ji-biru is booming. If you haven’t already, it’s time to sit up and take notice of “the beer of the land.”
Published in Kansai Scene Magzine


Kyoto, Japan
Pure Land Priestess
Words: Celia • Images: Jason
From Kyoto to California, Chicago and back, Ariya Sasaki is an art fanatic and a fashionista, and as fate would have it… a modern-day Buddhist priestess.
Published in Kansai Scene Magazine
Osaka, Japan
Wabori: Getting Under the Skin
Words & Images: Jason
Hori Hiro is one of a handful of old-style Japanese tattoo artists preserving the art of wabori – a time-honored and often misunderstood tradition that may be in danger of being lost.
Published in Kansai Scene Magazine


Himeji, Japan
The White Heron Spreads its Wings
Words & Images: Jason
At last, after a restoration project spanning five years, the iconic Himeji Castle is reopening to the public in full. That it has survived at all, however, is quite the tale of luck.
Published in Kansai Scene Magazine
Kyoto, Japan
The Treasures of Noh
Words & Images: Jason
The face behind the masks: A Kyoto woman forges an uncommon life carving faces for Japan’s oldest theater art.
Published in Kansai Scene Magazine


Kansai, Japan
Conjuring the Supernatural
Words: Jason
August is known as the month when Japanese spirits are at their most restless, and there’s a centuries-old game designed to go hand-in-hand with this time of year. Play if you dare!
Published in Kansai Scene Magazine
Osaka, Japan
Rogin’s Ode to Whiskey
Words & Images: Jason
Poetry for the palate: Seiichiro Tatsumi is Kansai’s go-to man for a true taste of the past.
Published in Kansai Scene Magazine


Kyoto, Japan
Aikido: The Martial Art of Peace and One Man’s Destiny
Words: Celia • Images: Jason
One day in September 1980, a 22-year-old Jacques Payet travelled from France to Japan in search of one of aikido’s greatest masters. A pivotal moment of serendipity awaited him.
Published in Kansai Scene Magazine
Western Australia
Bovines Bathe at Busselton Beach
Words & Images: Celia
It is a strange site to say the least, a bunch of dairy cows swimming in the ocean.
Published by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
