UCC Gold Special: Japan’s 24-Year Best-Seller

I recently had a fascinating coffee experience inspired by a video from Tetsu Kasuya (World Brewers Cup Champion). He featured UCC Gold Special Blend, a popular, readily available pre-ground coffee in Japan. What’s remarkable is that these beans have been the top-selling coffee in Japan for 24 years straight. While Kasuya used pre-ground, I found… Read more »

Discovering Kibune: A Tranquil Retreat in Kyoto, Japan

A Scenic Journey to Kibune Nestled in the mountains just north of Kyoto, Kibune offers a peaceful escape from the bustling city. To reach this charming village, we embarked on a scenic journey. From Kawaramachi Station, we took a train to Demachiyanagi Station. From there, a bus ride took us to Kibuneguchi Station, the gateway… Read more »

Glitch Coffee Osaka: A Specialty Coffee Connoisseur’s Dream

Love specialty coffee? This video takes you inside Glitch Coffee Osaka, a haven for serious coffee lovers in Osaka, Japan. Here’s what awaits: Prime Location: Easily accessible from Osaka Station via Dojima Chika Center (Exit C93), right next to the Conrad Osaka Hotel. Exquisite Coffee: Immerse yourself in a world of over 20 different varieties… Read more »

Earfun Air Pro 3: Budget-Friendly Wireless Earbuds with a Bass Boost

From Budget Buds to Immersive Audio: My Journey to the Earfun Air Pro 3 My journey began, like many others, with a pair of bargain-basement, $30 bud-style earphones. These little guys let all the ambient noise flood in, so while I could hear my music faintly, it disappeared entirely in loud situations. These earbuds simply… Read more »

coffee beans spilling out of white cup

Decaf Triumphs at US Brewers Cup: Is This the End of Caffeinated Coffee’s Reign?

In a seismic shift for the coffee world, the 2024 US Brewers Cup witnessed a decaf coffee take the crown. Weihong Zhang, wielding a decaffeinated Colombian Typica, brewed a cup that wowed the judges, shattering the perception of decaf as a flavorless afterthought. This isn’t a mere blip – it’s a tremor that could trigger… Read more »

Recycling Nespresso Pods Thumbnail

Recycling Nespresso Coffee Pods

Coffee pods are a simple and fast way to get consistent, quality coffee in an instant. However, there are common issues against coffee pod machines. To reuse coffee pods with my own fresh coffee beans, I need to pay attention to the grind size and dose. Grinding the coffee too coarse will result in water… Read more »

Yokohama Chinatown, Classic Neg Film Simulation

Street Photography with the Classic Neg Film Simulation in Yokohama Chinatown, Japan This is a street photography series using the Fujifilm Film Simulation “Classic Neg” shot in Yokohama Chinatown, Japan. Classic Neg Classic Neg is a film simulation mode developed by Fujifilm that aims to replicate the look of classic color negative film. Classic Neg… Read more »

KansaiGlicoman

Kansai in Kodachrome – Street Photography in Japan

New Japan Street Photography Series A new photo series inspired by Fujifilm Film Simulations. This time I’m capturing street photography in the Kansai region (around Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe) of Japan using the Kodachrome film simulation, so the theme is “Kansai in Kodachrome”. When I switched to a Fujifilm camera, I decided on a challenge to… Read more »

fujifilm X100V

Fujifilm X100V vs X-E4

Fujifilm X100V and X-E4 Head to Head The Fujifilm X100V and Fujifilm X-E4 are both digital cameras with similar features. They have identical image quality because they share the same 26.1MP X-Trans BSI CMOS 4 sensorX and X-Processor 4 Image Processor. However, there are some key differences between the two cameras. The X100V has a… Read more »

Filter/Immersion Coffee Method – with a Generic Drip Machine

This is my favourite coffee brew method. It gives me consistently better results than V60 Pour Over or French Press. It’s a mix of both of those brewing methods; Filter (Percolation) and Immersion. There are specific coffee brewers made for this, but you can achieve a similar brew with a generic drip coffee machine using… Read more »

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  • Pull Up Challenge on Coach.me

    Started a Pull up challenge on Coach.me, a great productivity based app and community. Pull ups are very challenging for me, I can barely do 2. I’m aiming to be able to do 10 after this challenge. This is the video that accompanied the challenge. The preliminary exercises all look excellent. In particular I was… Read more »

  • Gram Premium Pancakes (グラム)プレミアムパンケーキ

      This was my first attempt at a slow motion video. My my camera is a SONY RX100M3 and I took this video at 120 frames per second using the XAVC S codec. I had it on manual video mode and set my shutter speed to 240/sec, aperture at F1.8 and ISO on AUTO, manual… Read more »

  • Kyoto Kamogawa River HDR

    Kyoto’s Kamogawa river in early autumn.