Posted A Soldier in Occupied Japan. My partner’s uncle was stationed in Kyoto, Japan at the end of the Pacific War. The story could’ve been so different.
Category: East Asia
A Soldier in Occupied Japan
My partner’s uncle was a soldier in occupied Japan at the end of the Pacific War. The story could’ve been so different.
Show-and-Tell
Started assembling materials for a show-and-tell tomorrow with our 15-year-old nephew and his dad. We’ll be backpacking in Japan for three weeks, traveling by train using national rail passes, and staying in mostly budget hotels.
LEGO Art
Followed building instructions while marveling how Hokusai created Great Wave off Kanagawa in 1831 before the Impressionism movement had started in Europe and while Japan was still closed off from the world. The quasi-pixelated style of the over-loved print lends itself to a LEGO interpretation. Note Mount Fuji and the three boats.
Japan Plan
On a bone-chilling day, planned for warm weather in places I love. Made hotel reservations for a three-week trip to Japan with Dwight, our nephew, and his dad. We’ll fly to Kagoshima, then slowly make our way to Tokyo by train. The pandemic put the kibosh on previous attempts at this trip.
Other Places
While Dwight drove his mom to her home up in Fargo, I planned my quick trip to another distant place, at least in my head. Ramen at the counter of our local izakaya before the Guthrie crowd, then home to a mythical Japan, an anime movie from Studio Ghibli.
Temple Plumbing 2022
Posted Temple Plumbing 2022, a hike in Japan a month ago.
Temple Plumbing 2022
I hiked to two temples of an 88-temple pilgrimage and photographed the plumbing.
Beneath the Surface
Walked past a construction site, which got me thinking about Azuma House in a working class suburb of Osaka. I’d made a point of standing in front of that home last week: it raises questions; with answers I warm to it. “Like” or “Dislike” are not enough.
Japan 2022 Itinerary
I’m home from a solo three-week trip to Japan. As usual, I made it up as I went along based on research, past experience, and whim.
I visited three of Japan’s main islands: Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku. Hokkaido didn’t make the list this time because winter was setting in there and I didn’t want to carry winter clothes.