Osaka worked hard to destroy our perceptions of Japan (and the Japanese for that matter) as spotlessly clean, orderly, practical and efficient. There were cigarette butts in the gutters. 
A toussle looked to be turning into a fight in a car pack in the  back streets of the red light district. Teenagers were sighted hanging out in the streets looking drunk and disorderly.
One of them even glared at us

Hustling with our backpacks through peak hour traffic we have a snappy 2hr ride to Kyoto on an early shinkansen bullet train, a great but expensive, alternative to the previously planned 8hr overnight highway bus. Peaceful, pleasantly flat for the cycling majority, surrounded by mountains and containing 2 000 shrines and temples we’re happy to [...]

Friday night. Tokyo. A perfectly executed arrival time in the world’s largest metropolis.
After navigating by train to Sean’s cute neighbourhood, a 10 min train ride from Shibuya, 3 figures dressed in full Japanese character costumes come cycling towards us. I nudge Adzy to smirk at this Japanese eccentricity, but as they draw nearer the figures [...]

Currarong is a costal resort of natural beauty and is located on the Beecroft Peninsular. It has sheltered beaches in a Marine National park. a 14km beach adjacent to Currarong Creek.
How to get there? From Sydney after crossing the Shoalhaven River Bridge at Nowra, turn left at the 5th set of traffic lights, at Kalander [...]