Ikebukuro Station

This picture evokes vivid memories. April 2013, I’m underground in Tokyo, in Ikebukuro Station, the second busiest train station in the world with over 2.7 million passengers a day. I never walk up on the surface of Tokyo. I’ve just arrived from Matsuyama on the island of Shikoku, the nether regions of Japan, to catch a train back out of…… Continue reading Ikebukuro Station

Japan’s Islands off Islands

Sakurajima, active volcano off Kagoshima, Southern Japan, March 2013The winter is setting in, and won’t budge for another four or five months: it’s time to think about travel to warmer places like Southern Japan.One theme of my next visit to Japan is “Islands off Islands.”Japan is an archipelago consisting of thousands of islands. Four are…… Continue reading Japan’s Islands off Islands