Food and Farming Canada

An interesting thing I’ve noticed while here in Japan is the prevalence of vending machines. They are everywhere…and seem to sell everything, from bottled water, soft drinks and iced coffee to yogurt, food and comic books. Brightly lit, their colourful fronts easily attract busy consumers who need something on the go, which is interesting in a [...]

We had lunch at a popular Japanese restaurant in Ginza today – their other location is on International Drive in Orlando, Florida! A group of six of us had our own private dining room, where we worked hard to eat our meal without resorting to the Western knives and forks that were thoughtfully provided to us. [...]

Japan is a unique mix of old and new, as this picture shows. This morning we took part in an optional tour of the Imperial Palace Gardens and Ginza, a well-known shopping district. The Imperial Palace, which is open to the public only twice a year (Dec 23 – the Emperor’s birthday and January 1 & [...]

So after a long and thankfully uneventful flight from Toronto, we finally arrived at our hotel in Tokyo last night. I was surprised by too things: the heat and humidity (32C at 6 pm) and how incredibly clean everything is. I can’t wait to start exploring!

I am travelling with Owen Roberts, my co-chair for the 2011 [...]

As I’m getting myself ready to head off to Japan for the IFAJ congress, I’ve started trying to learn more about the country I’m about to visit. It seems a country of contrasts – of bustling urban centres and stunningly beautiful countryside, of ancient traditions and cutting edge technologies. This picture of the famous Shinkansen – [...]