Location: Japan
I met my first talkative local wandering Osaka looking for the famous Umeda Sky building.
You can find a lot of dead sea creatures at Tsukiji Fish Market but you wont find much whale meat.
Right in the center of the biggest city in the world an experiment in agriculture is being conducted.
2015 led me back to Tokyo. This time I spent most of my time in the district of Sumida in Tokyo's Northeast.
The Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo is a run-down testament to the ambition of some of Japan's most celebrated post-war architects.
The small coastal city of Joetsu on Japan's north coast highlights some of the problems facing modern Japan.
Earlier this year I tagged along with the Australian/International off-pissed ski team to the slopes of Myokokogen. Matt chose Myoko because the guidebook gave it four and half snowflakes out of five in the 'powder' category. Also because our plan called for us to go from there to Kyoto and then onto Tokyo and we wanted to make sure our itinerary doubled as a tongue twister.
The old capital of Kyoto is home to about 1600 temples and countless smaller shrines.
A selection of images from my January 2012 trip to Japan.