2 min readNotes
Views: 0Keeping a research log
A plain, dated record of what I tried, what happened and what I decided. The simplest research habit with the biggest pay-off.
Writing
Journal entries, notes, travel and places, newest first.
2 min readThoughts
Views: 0Attention, from the other side of the feed
I spent years helping brands win attention on social media. Now I think more about how to protect my own.
2 min readLife
Views: 1Temple festivals and the goddess of the sea
Taiwan's folk temples are loud, colourful and close to everyday life. An introduction to temple festivals, processions and Mazu, the sea goddess.
2 min readJapan
Views: 0Kobe: a port city between mountains and sea
Squeezed into a narrow strip between the Rokkō mountains and Osaka Bay, Kobe grew into one of Japan's great ports and one of its most outward-looking cities. A profile of its geography, history and recovery.
3 min readTaiwan
Views: 0The Matsu Islands: granite villages at the edge of the strait
A small archipelago off the coast of Fujian, named after the sea goddess, shaped by decades as a military frontier and known today for stone villages and glowing seas.
2 min readNotes
Views: 1Reading research papers without drowning
There are always more papers than time. The reading habits that help me decide what to read closely and what to skim.
2 min readTravel
Views: 0Planning around cherry blossom season in Japan
Cherry blossoms are beautiful and brief, and their timing changes every year. How to plan a trip around them without being disappointed.
2 min readJapan
Views: 0Mount Fuji and the Five Lakes
At 3,776 metres, Mount Fuji is Japan's highest peak and its most familiar symbol. A profile of the volcano, the lakes at its northern foot, and why Japanese art keeps returning to it.
2 min readThoughts
Views: 0Letting an idea rest
Not every problem gets better when you push harder. Some only get clearer once you step away and let them sit.
2 min readLife
Views: 0One Lunar New Year, two ways: Tết and Taiwan
Vietnam and Taiwan celebrate the same Lunar New Year with many shared roots and plenty of small differences. A side-by-side look.
2 min readVietnam
Views: 0Bắc Sơn: a valley of stilt houses and a sea of clouds
A green valley in the north-east, ringed by limestone hills, where Tày and Nùng villages sit among rice fields and early mornings can fill the basin with clouds.
2 min readTravel
Views: 0How to eat your way through a Taiwanese night market
Night markets are where Taiwan eats, shops and plays after dark. A few habits help you get more out of them, and leave less rubbish behind.
3 min readTaiwan
Views: 0New Taipei and Xizhi: the city around the capital
New Taipei wraps around Taipei like a ring of old mining towns, river suburbs and coastline. Xizhi, on the Keelung River, shows its everyday commuter side.
2 min readNotes
Views: 0Servitization in plain words
Manufacturers selling services, and outcomes, instead of only products. What servitization means and why the digital version is getting so much attention.
2 min readPhoto Essays
Views: 0Rice: the year of a field in Vietnam
From transplanting in water to the gold of harvest, a rice field changes colour through the season. An essay on rice as calendar, landscape and work.
2 min readJapan
Views: 0Kōyasan: the mountain monastery town
High in the forested mountains of Wakayama, Kōyasan is a small town made largely of temples. Founded by the monk Kūkai in the early 9th century, it remains the centre of Shingon Buddhism.