Wrote about traveling to a different mental place.
Category: Asia
Hawaii, Japan 2014
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Walking into Forbidden Places
We were riding the Delhi metro when we became aware of dirty looks, and, oddly, all the other passengers were female. Then it dawned on us we had stumbled into the women-only coach. The fine for this infraction was higher than for riding on the roof, and it was being regularly enforced. The subway train was moving, we… Continue reading Walking into Forbidden Places
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
Ikebukuro Station
Wrote about a vivid two-second memory from a trip: Good travel = a succession of little things.
Japan’s Islands off Islands
Sakurajima, active volcano off Kagoshima, Southern Japan, March 2013 The 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… Continue reading Japan’s Islands off Islands
Decoding a Crane
What are we thinking? I’m in Japan. A lone crane swoops low over a large, exquisitely landscaped pond. There are two other bystanders; they smile contentedly as the crane reinforces a common bond, evoking fragments of mysticism, national treasure, longevity, good fortune, origami, the number 1,000, childhood memories, and current dreams. I’m seeing a crane… Continue reading Decoding a Crane
Travel Gear: Portable Router
In Japan I like to go off the beaten path where guide books are not helpful. Daily research using the Internet becomes essential for me to navigate that often-opaque country. I use a portable wireless router because most Japanese hotel rooms have (free) wired Internet, but no wireless Internet. I’ve set up my router with… Continue reading Travel Gear: Portable Router
Travel Gear: Makeup and Mirror
I noticed the woman when I was riding the Busan (South Korea) subway at morning commute time, earlier this year. She was middle-aged, and quite unremarkable until she started her morning makeup routine. Seated in the crowded carriage, out came her creams, brushes, and other makeup paraphernalia. She then painstakingly, unselfconsciously transformed her appearance, right… Continue reading Travel Gear: Makeup and Mirror
Travel Gear: OpenStreetMap
Minnesota in the summer is just too lovely, so I won’t be traveling far this month. That doesn’t stop me thinking about the mechanics of travel. When I was in Japan earlier this year, handheld electronics hugely contributed to my ability to navigate the geography and the culture. Or, to be more precise, the software… Continue reading Travel Gear: OpenStreetMap