This cafe has these curious things that appear at first to be camping chairs. But there’s no great outdoors here in Kawasaki. These are bag holders – foldable little contraptions to help customers and avoid them having to put their bags on the floor. Any floor...
Taiga woke up seething, as despite there being snow on the ground, school remains open today in Minatomirai. He’d gone to bed optimistic, with snow forecast overnight and the school putting out an emergency message that it ‘might’ cancel. But at around 6am they sent a...
And just like that… everything was fine again. All because I slept for twelve hours last night. I struggle with sleep here. Part of it is the time difference, we are nine hours ahead of the UK and so I’ll often be up late engaged in zoom calls. That stuff is going...
When I wrote the song Rouse Ye Women about the Cradley Heath Chainmakers’ strike, I knew it needed a singer of super strength and spirit to sing it. I was so pleased when Elizabeth J. Birch accepted my invitation and delivered a powerful and emotive vocal...
Coat, hat and gloves on, I scoop up his school bag / randoseru (?????) by the leather shoulder straps and heave it onto his back. He pushes the door open to leave for school he turns to me, sighs and says: “Another long day at school for me.” It can be hard to get the...
