Journal

Osaka Castle's main tower against a blue sky

27 Aug 20252 min readTravel

Osaka Castle, and how to read a Japanese castle

Osaka Castle is one of Japan's best-known landmarks. A little history helps you see what is original, what is rebuilt, and why the stone walls matter most.

21 Aug 20252 min readNotes

Composition with lines and frames

Two of the oldest ideas in composition, leading lines and frames within the frame, and why they still work.

Lotus flowers, a teapot and fresh vegetables on a wooden table

6 Aug 20252 min readLife

Tea in a Vietnamese home

In Vietnam, tea is less a drink than a gesture. Notes on green tea, lotus tea and the cup of iced tea on the pavement.

Glass towers in a Taipei business district

21 Jul 20252 min readThoughts

What digital transformation really changes

Buying software is the easy part. The harder change is in how a firm makes decisions, who it listens to, and what it decides to sell.

The arched footbridge at Sanxiantai on the east coast of Taiwan

2 Jul 20252 min readTravel

Taiwan's east coast by train

Between the Central Mountain Range and the Pacific, the east coast is the slower, greener side of Taiwan. The railway makes it surprisingly easy to reach.

Neon signs stacked along a narrow Japanese street

2 Jul 20252 min readNotes

Photographing neon at night

Neon signs look effortless to the eye and surprisingly hard for a camera. Notes on exposure, colour and reflections.

11 Jun 20252 min readLife

Matcha, from tea ceremony to latte

Matcha has travelled from Japanese tea rooms to cafés all over the world. What it actually is, how it is made, and why it tastes the way it does.

27 May 20251 min readPoetry

Dream

Some nights I dream of days: four rows of greens, flowers in twelve vases.

A wooden temple hall among maple trees at Ryōan-ji, Kyoto

9 May 20252 min readTravel

Temples and shrines in Kyoto: a short guide to etiquette

Kyoto has Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines side by side, and each has its own small customs. Knowing a few of them makes a visit calmer for everyone.

Coloured drinking straws in a glass against a white wall

9 May 20252 min readThoughts

Measuring the right thing

Marketing taught me to love metrics. Research is teaching me to distrust the easy ones, and to ask what a number is really standing in for.

Waves washing over dark rocks in a long exposure

9 May 20251 min readNotes

Long exposure basics

Silky water, streaks of traffic, empty-looking streets. What a long exposure does, and the few tools and settings it really needs.

Tan in a teal waistcoat in front of banyan roots

17 Apr 20255 min readThoughts

When to stay silent, when to speak

A fight with my brother, a friendship that ended in silence, and what I learned about words.

3 Apr 20252 min readLife

Half sugar, less ice: learning to order milk tea in Taiwan

Bubble tea was born in Taiwan, and ordering it here is a small language of its own. Notes on sugar levels, ice levels and why the drink matters.