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Category Archives: Japan, Travel & Culture
Dinner at Kita no Mori
On my way to Sensoji I had noticed the simple display: a pot of bushy, russet-coloured chrysanthemums and several bottles of sake on the stoop. This spot, a few steps south of my hotel, is fixed on my highly reliable … Continue reading
Posted in Food, Wine & Restaurants, Japan, Travel & Culture
Tagged Dining in Tokyo, Japan travel
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Sensoji (Asakusa Kannon) Temple
My room is not ready. No matter. I leave my bag with the desk clerk and head out. The enticing light and warmth of the afternoon prompt me to visit Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple, Sensoji, the central attraction of Asakusa. … Continue reading
On the Street in Tokyo
After breakfast I procured my JR Rail Pass and found the connection from Tokyo Station to Ueno Station with surprising ease. I disembark and walk north alongside the overhead tracks on the station’s east side toward my hotel in Asakusa. … Continue reading
Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture
Tagged Homeless in Tokyo, Japan travel, On the street in Tokyo
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Off to Tokyo
After breakfast I board the hotel shuttle back to Narita Airport, validate my JR Rail Pass and follow the signs to the Narita Express (NEX) track for Tokyo. You’d think I did this every day—it’s that easy.
Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture
Tagged Japan travel, JR Train from Narita to Tokyo to, Narita Express, NEX
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Apprehension Evaporates
Pre-departure I confess that my solo venture through Japan worried me. When Yamakawa-san realized I planned to travel around Western Japan for 33 days without a tourist agency, he asked, “How will you catch the right train? The last time … Continue reading
Narita Landing
A year ago today in the late afternoon, after 21 hours in transit from my front door, I landed at Narita a day ahead of myself. Brisk wind. The scarlet sun fallen into night by the time I got through … Continue reading
Koyo: Colourful Autumn Leaves
Last year at this time I prepared for a month of travel during the height of koyo in Japan. Last Saturday, looking for the next best thing a little closer to home, I strolled under the autumnal canopy in Nitobe Memorial … Continue reading
Back to Japan
After struggling to maintain regular posts, I have decided to return to an earlier idea.
The Write for Tohoku Project
Though it is difficult to bear witness to destruction and pain of the magnitude caused by the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake Disaster (東日本大震災 Higashi Nihon Daishinsai), the stories of valour and resilience continue to encourage me in spite of the overwhelming … Continue reading
Transience
Transience seems heavier this year—not the least insubstantial or aesthetic or poetic as drifting cherry petals might suggest. Transience wipes towns from maps. Transience waits on the floor of an evacuation centre surrounded by neatly taped cardboard and folded heaps … Continue reading