I’m in high gear planning travel. Made the first reservation for a summer 2022 backpacking trip to Japan with our nephews (they’ll be 12 and 13) and their dad. We’ll explore less popular, more remote areas. On the way home, we’ll spend time in Hawaii where their mom will join us.
Category: Japan
Cliffhangers
Found a cure for exercycle boredom: a TV drama series, made in Japan, set in an industrial Hokkaido town. It snows a lot, people get murdered, and the protagonist, manga-style, periodically gets sent back in time to put things right. The cliffhangers bring me back. Deep.
A Place Where Masks Are Apolitical
Posted A Place Where Masks Are Apolitical.
A Place Where Masks Are Apolitical
I’ve been searching through my photographs for crowd scenes in Japan. Here’s one at a Tokyo train station: November 2018. Tokyo’s Shinagawa Station. A woman, bottom right, is wearing a face mask. Perhaps she has a cold and wants to protect others, or maybe she’s protecting herself from airborne pathogens. If you look more closely,…… Continue reading A Place Where Masks Are Apolitical
Traveling via Food
Tonkotsu ramen (a Fukuoka, Japan dish) and gyoza, outside, at Zen Box Izakaya, my first restaurant meal since March. I’d planned a trip to Japan, departing in a few days, but it was not to be. I can still travel via food.
Happy Places
Posted Happy Places.
Happy Places
Happy place. A memory, situation, or activity that makes you feel happy.Cambridge Dictionary. November 2019. I’m on a nonstop Delta flight from Seoul ICN to Minneapolis MSP on a brand new Airbus A350. I’m contented, sipping wine, snacking on nuts, and anticipating the Korean dinner I’ve preordered. I look out the window and see only…… Continue reading Happy Places
Only in Japan
Posted Only in Japan.
Only in Japan
As we near the end of our visit to Japan, I’ve been going through our photos looking for examples of “only in Japan.” Ryokan, Yufuin, Northern Kyushu A ryokan is a traditional Japanese guest house. First courses, hors d’oeuvres. Multi-course dinners and breakfasts were served in our room. After dinner, the table was moved and…… Continue reading Only in Japan
Hike on a Sacred Mountain
Hiked on a sacred mountain then dropped about 100 low-value coins into the donation box at a shrine. We’ve been accumulating small change (worth a total of about US$4) and didn’t want to bring it all the way to Minneapolis.