Posted A Shout-Out for Japan Rail Passes.
Category: Asia
A Shout-Out for Japan Rail Passes
This coming week a FedEx envelope will arrive containing two vouchers I’ll exchange for Japan Rail (JR) Passes. In October we’ll fly into Matsuyama MYJ on the island of Shikoku, Japan, at the end of a series of flights from Minneapolis MSP. At Matsuyama’s main train station, we’ll exchange the vouchers for JR passes valid…… Continue reading A Shout-Out for Japan Rail Passes
The Heart Sutra with Tooltips
Posted The Heart Sutra with Tooltips.
The Heart Sutra with Tooltips
10.5 kilometers to the next temple. In October I’ll be going on my annual trip to Japan. My partner will be joining me, now that his work life is in the rearview mirror. I’m planning to introduce him to many adventures I’ve figured out over the past few years. Doubtless, we’ll also find new adventures.…… Continue reading The Heart Sutra with Tooltips
Ramen During a Storm
The video screen showed stunning rainfall on the island of Kyushu, southern Japan, a place I love, while I quietly slurped ramen.
Blue Tarps in a Park
Posted Blue Tarps in a Park.
Blue Tarps in a Park
The homeless at [Tokyo’s] Ueno Park were up early Monday, with hundreds of the park dwellers quietly disassembling their tents and packing their belongings onto carts soon after dawn.Pushing carts laden with their possessions, they plodded toward a small empty plot hidden by bushes and trees.Around 9:40 a.m., about two hours after completing the evacuation,…… Continue reading Blue Tarps in a Park
Poverty and Homelessness in Japan
This afternoon I was a couch potato devouring a new novel, in translation: “Tokyo Ueno Station.” It depicts poverty and homelessness in Japan and deepened my understanding of scenes I’ve glimpsed in Japan. As I expected, the ending was not happy.
A Crosswalk in Nagano
Posted A Crosswalk in Nagano.
A Crosswalk in Nagano
One Monday afternoon in April 2016 I got to see something which, once seen, has been impossible to un-see. I’m standing at a crosswalk in Nagano, Japan, reading a ditty on the back of a man’s shirt: Indian Boys,Indian Boys,Oh how I love those Indian Boys The image of an American Indian dreamcatcher tells me…… Continue reading A Crosswalk in Nagano