Category Archives: Uncategorized
Japan ‘23: Akihabara and Ueno
Eventually I had to make my way back to Tokyo so after Nagano, I stayed two nights in Akihabara. Akihabara is Tokyo at its geekiest, home to multi-story hobby shops selling plastic models and figures for every anime and manga series, cosplay shops, maid cafes, the list goes on. I figured it would be a …
Japan ‘23: Nagano Day 10 & 11
The last couple of days in Nagano were just lovely. On Saturday, we had a delicious breakfast at the inn and I took pictures of birds coming to the feeder outside the dining room window. We spent some time helping with the kitchen cleanup. Then Mariko and I walked around outside. She showed me the …
Japan ‘23 Day 9: Nagano & Pension Azalea
I slept so well last night. This morning everyone left for work/school so I made some toast and coffee for breakfast and sorted through my photos, caught up on texts and emails, and watched Japanese television, though I didn’t understand much of it. It was sunny outside so I went for a walk around the …
Japan ‘23 Day 8: Nagano
Today started with a beautiful Shinkansen ride from Tokyo to Nagano. Through the train window, the landscape changed from city buildings to suburbs to farms to mountains. My good friend Mariko met me at the train station. It was another 5 year reunion. Of my 3 friends here, I probably talk to Mariko the most …
Japan ‘23 Day 7: Yokohama
Today is my last full day in Yokohama and my last day to see Takako, so we met again at Yokohama Station. We walked around a shopping center there and found an Asian Fusion restaurant for lunch. I had fried fish with a vinegary dipping sauce and a mixed salad with citrus dressing. We sat …
Japan ‘23 Day 6: Kamakura
Today I met up with another friend, Takako. We also met via language exchange and we have been meeting on Skype almost every week for the past 6 years. It was so great to see her again. We met at the Yokohama subway station and together took another train to Kamakura. Kamakura is a coastal …
Japan ‘23 Day 5: Arrival in Yokohama
Another more relaxed day. 2.5 hour Shinkansen ride to Yokohama and local train to the Bashamichi area. My hotel, Hotel Edit, is much more modest than the last two. The area is quieter. Lots of office buildings. The hotel room is very small but cozy. In the lobby they have 24 hour coffee and also, …
Japan ‘23 Day 4: Ukiyo-e
Today was bit different from the last few. The lack of sleep and jet lag were starting to get to me a bit. I only had one thing scheduled, a mini-class at the Kamigata Ukiyo-e museum. The class didn’t start until 11:30 am but I wasn’t sure of the location so I left early and …
Japan ‘23 Day 3: Uji and Osaka
Today I met up with my friend, Saori, who I have not seen in 5 years. We met via a language exchange and we Skype once a month. She met me at my hotel and we took several trains to Uji, a city in the Kyoto prefecture. The sky was cloudy and rain was predicted …
Japan ‘23 Day 2: Osaka backstreets
Lowkey morning and then took the Shinkansen to Osaka. I got to the station early to try to find the elusive vegetarian ekiben (train station bento box). It was not to be found (the response was an unequivocal “nai!” with hands crossed). Finally I just asked for a bento with a lot of vegetables and …
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