I rarely use headphones when traveling. On a long-haul, I prefer to read, snooze, or watch a movie in silence with subtitles turned on. I have yet to find comfortable, compact headphones. Back in 1980, when the Sony Walkman was introduced to the USA, the airlines were still handing out pneumatic headsets in Economy. These…… Continue reading Travel Gear: Headphones
Author: Tom Wilson
Urban Hike: Nordeast Minneapolis
Nordeast, looking towards Downtown.Last weekend, the annual Art-a-Whirl artists’ studio tour drew crowds to Northeast Minneapolis (“Nordeast”). Nordeast was a quieter place back in February when I went there on an urban hike.It was a winter’s day, but I took advantage of the shoveled sidewalks and warm, locally owned businesses for coffee and lunch. I felt a strong…… Continue reading Urban Hike: Nordeast Minneapolis
Traveling with Cherry Blossoms
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
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