It could be another week before the buds on our apple tree explode; spring blossoms come late in Minneapolis. Back in March, I hiked up Kaimondake, a volcano in southern Japan for a day with Cecilia, a twenty-something from Sweden. She was traveling with the cherry blossoms, through Japan, from south to north. She would end…… Continue reading Traveling with Cherry Blossoms
Author: Tom Wilson
Travel Gear: One-Time Password Generator
My smartphone and tablet make it easy to access my Internet accounts, maybe too easy: what happens if my devices fall into the wrong hands, or if a username and password are somehow intercepted? On my most recent trip, I used a YubiKey Neo one-time password (OTP) generator. My usernames and passwords are generated and…… Continue reading Travel Gear: One-Time Password Generator
End of the Line
I’m on a fast train when I see a single train track peeling off into the distance. I want to go where that track is going. Maybe the end of that single track is a remote place I can use as the start of an “Ekikhara hike,” a hike from a train station. Beyond the…… Continue reading End of the Line
Plain Views of Sado Island
Rice Field #1 Today, I explored part of the plain that bisects Sado Island (an island in the Sea of Japan, off northern Honshu, Japan). Walking on level ground gave my knees a rest after walking up a mountain the previous day. Beyond wanting to be in the countryside, I didn’t have a specific plan.…… Continue reading Plain Views of Sado Island
Meeting Bashō
The moon and sun are eternal travelers. Even the years wander on. A lifetime adrift in a boat, or in old age leading a tired horse into the years, every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home. From the earliest times there have always been some who perished along the road. Still I have always been drawn by wind-blown clouds into dreams of a lifetime of wandering.
Temple Plumbing 2014
Just after you enter the grounds of a Japanese temple, there’s always a fountain for ritualistic rinsing of hands and sometimes the mouth. Here’s examples from the temples I visited April 2, 2014 when I walked the route of part of the Shikoku Henro pilgrimage (“Shikoku 88”). I wrote a similar post in 2013 when I visited…… Continue reading Temple Plumbing 2014
A Day to Forget
OK I admit it: I got tired of figuring out this place all on my own, so I signed up for a “Landmarks and Viewpoints” tour for foreign visitors. This was a day to forget.At exactly the appointed time the bus rolled up to my Okoyama (Honshu) $26 a night capsule hotel (Hotel River Side).…… Continue reading A Day to Forget
A Night in a Capsule Hotel
A night in a capsule hotel is a uniquely Japanese experience. Reception on left, shoe lockers on right You could arrive with no luggage, just what you’re standing in. After a decent night’s sleep you leave next morning, well-rested, bathed, and fed, in freshly laundered clothes. $26 a night, including tax, gets you a clean,…… Continue reading A Night in a Capsule Hotel
Passing Through Cedar
A Shared Culture When I’m in Japan I feel happiest and most comfortable when I’m hiking. When I pass another hiker in rain gear on the trail, a cheery “konnichiwa” is enough said. We look at each other, knowing we are sharing the same experience. A shared culture across different cultures lets me belong. Pursuit…… Continue reading Passing Through Cedar
Traveling to a Different Mental Place
This week I move from an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean to an island on the edge of the East China Sea: from Hawaii Big Island to the little island of Yakushima, Southern Japan (195 square miles, population 13,178).