Nagasaki aesthetics, Como Park, St. Paul, MN. Minneapolis and St. Paul are twins; Nagasaki and St. Paul are sisters. In March 2014, I got to meet St. Paul’s sister. I decided not to stay at the Hotel Saint Paul Nagasaki, its name designed to attract my compatriots. I had not come all this way to… Continue reading Nagasaki/Saint Paul
Category: Japan
Nagasaki/St. Paul
Cycled to Japanese Garden, Como Park, St. Paul, then posted about St. Paul’s sister city.
Glass Houses and Buried Museums
The Farnsworth House A Glass House in Illinois Completed in 1951, the Farnsworth House, near Plano, Illinois, is widely regarded as one of the major architectural achievements of the twentieth century. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe took his belief that “less is more” almost to the limit by designing a steel-framed, glass-walled box. The box floats… Continue reading Glass Houses and Buried Museums
Ignoring Barriers
If I’m on foot or bicycle, chances are I’ll go round barriers like this one. In recent weeks, barriers across trails all over the Twin Cities have become a fact of life. Flooding and fallen trees have made walking and cycling more interesting. That got me thinking about a hike back in April on Sado… Continue reading Ignoring Barriers
Cheap Flight to Japan
Got up early to book flights from southern Japan when they opened up today. Round-trip: 70,000 frequent flyer miles.
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
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
End of the Line
Now at Tokyo-Narita, NRT. Posted about the end of the line and what’s beyond.
En Route to NRT
Friday, 8:00 a.m. Bullet train, Nagano to Tokyo. I’ll walk around Ueno Park, then continue to NRT (Tokyo-Narita).
Unimpressed Snow Monkeys
Thursday: Went for a hike and saw snow monkeys in the wild. They saw me, but seemed completely unperturbed.