Category Archives: Japan, Travel & Culture

Off to Miyajima

Though it is ranked as one of three most famous scenic views in all of Japan (Nihon Sankei), I wonder wearily whether it will simply look as it does in a book. Continue reading

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Hiroshima Okonomiyaki

Attempts to explain this unusual dish take almost as much time as making it. Continue reading

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Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park & Museum

Anyone who was not taught what happened here would never know. Continue reading

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Arriving in Hiroshima

Though it’s not the only city to suffer wartime carnage, in this place the once unspeakable and unthinkable happened. Continue reading

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The Shinkansen Silent Car

From Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima I am in the Number 4 Silent Car. No conversation is permitted and no announcements will be made. Continue reading

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Riding with Constant Uncertainty

As I hurtle through the darkness I can’t help but feel it as a metaphor for existence. Continue reading

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In the Moment

You might notice manifestations of singular beauty and grace in any moment. Continue reading

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New World Sake: Round Two

The first rice-harvesting combine in Canada (recently shipped to Abbotsford from Hokkaido) brought in the harvest destined to become the 2014 Osake Fraser Valley Junmai. Continue reading

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Kyoto Kitcho, Kyoto Hotel Granvia

First established in 1930 in Osaka, Kitcho has grown—along with its reputation for supreme attention to season, setting, presentation, taste, and likely the most famous service in Japan—oh yeah—and expense. Continue reading

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Ryoanji, Kyoto

Ryoanji’s rock garden, the ultimate in Zen art, is a simple rectangle of clay walls, gray-white sand, fifteen stones, and a veranda for viewing. That’s it. Continue reading

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