Microblog

Daily Microblog

Defeating Dreary

Apr 7, 2024

On Sunday mornings Dwight does indoor gardening: watering, pruning, cleaning, pest control, adjusting for light, and so on. A 180-degree rotation of this plant rack will ensure even light distribution. Outside, the weather may be dreary, but inside these plants bring warmth and a pop of color.

Sausage Saturday’s Back!

Apr 6, 2024

It’s the first Sausage Saturday at home in two months. Dwight says my braise is so much better than his, pure flattery, it means I cook. It does help to push up the umami by remembering to brown all the ingredients, including the cabbage, then adding tomato paste, shoyu and fish sauce. Meanwhile, Dwight completed our taxes today and I’d rather cook.

Applying a Large Language Model to Travel

Apr 5, 2024

Published a Blog post about how I’ve been using a Large Language Model (AI) when thinking about travel.

Excess Baggage

Apr 4, 2024

It was time to empty my backpack. Some things I never used in Japan include: a spork (accidentally brought two), a SIM remover (I used an eSIM), work gloves (for clambering over volcanic rocks), and various health and repair items (duct tape included). The mental unpacking, however, will take much longer.

Donki Shopping

Apr 3, 2024

I rarely buy souvenirs; however, I have a running joke with my oncologist about Japanese KitKats. So, here I am in a typically garish and cluttered Don Quijote (Donki), selecting boxes of uniquely flavored KitKats for the care team: Strawberry Cheesecake, Amaou Strawberry, Island Lemon, and Tamaruya Wasabi.

A Quiet Trail With a Tiny Shrine

Apr 2, 2024

Completed my temple and shrine quota for this trip with a visit to Kamakura, Japan’s capital from 1185 to 1333. On a hike along a fine trail in the hills above the city, I stumbled upon this tiny cave shrine. The few other hikers I encountered, nearly all Japanese and mostly older than me, seemed unfazed by the trail’s more technical sections.

Yokohama’s Foreign Hill

Apr 1, 2024

In Yokohama, I explored a hillside area that served as the foreigners’ section when Japan opened to the world in the 1850s. The Europeans and Americans who settled here played a vital role in Japan’s modernization. The Foreign General Cemetery offers a glimpse into these lives, like this Scottish islander who became an officer with the NYK Line (Nippon Yusen Kaisha, founded 1885).

Final Stop, Yokohama

Apr 1, 2024

Monday. Travelled by bullet train from Kanazawa to Tokyo, then transferred to a local train for Yokohama (part of Greater Tokyo), my final stop on this trip. On Wednesday it will be a 20-minute ride on the Keikyu Line to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport international terminal.

Cycling the Tedori River

Mar 31, 2024

Cycled the Hakusan-Tedori River Route, a rail trail near Kanazawa where I’m staying. In this photo I’d been cycling towards the Northern Japan Alps for a couple hours; rice paddies flank the trail. I hadn’t realized there was a gradual incline most of the way, so the return trip was faster.

A Walk Around Kanazawa

Mar 30, 2024

Today I was a full-throttle tourist. There’s so much to see in Kanazawa, so many stories. It’s amazing that this major city escaped WW2 bombings. As a result, Edo-period (pre-1868) streets like this one still stand, making them national treasures.

Kanazawa for the Weekend

Mar 29, 2024

I’m now in Kanazawa (blue dot) which will be my base for the next three days. Authorities are begging tourists to return after the January 1, 2024 earthquake devastated areas in the peninsula north of Kanazawa. Today I traveled 144 miles from Osaka via two bullet trains and four local trains. Along the way, I paused for a hike.

Riding a New Bullet Train Route

Mar 29, 2024

Rode on a new section of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line that opened two weeks ago between Tsuruga and Kanazawa. When completed, this line will offer an alternative bullet train route between Tokyo and Osaka.

Himeji Castle: Before the Bloom

Mar 28, 2024

“But it will be so much prettier when the cherry blossoms bloom any day now.” That’s the thinking I was planning on when I caught a bullet train to Himeji. This early 1600’s structure has escaped widespread destruction of castles in the 1870’s, WW2 bombing, and earthquakes. Despite being Japan’s most visited castle, there were no lines early this morning.

The Road to Osaka

Mar 27, 2024

I’m now in Osaka, about 400 miles from Hakata (Fukuoka) where I was this morning. Along the way I broke the journey in Mihara where I put my backpack in a locker and walked five minutes to a ferry terminal on the Seto Inland Sea. I spent much of the day hiking on Ikuchijima and Takaneshima Islands (connected by a bridge).

Being in a Magical Place

Mar 27, 2024

Making the most of a sunny day, I hopped on a ferry to Ikuchijima, an island in the Seto Inland Sea, planning to rent a bike. However, the only option available was an electric one, so I opted for a hike instead. The sight of submerged rails, likely for a boat launch, evoked the wonderful train scene from the anime Spirited Away.

Finding Ramen

Mar 26, 2024

Google Maps helped me escape a grey drippy day via a steaming bowl of Hakata Ramen. Posted When Google Maps Knows Ramen.