Category Archives: Uncategorized

Tokyo, Japan We spent the day strolling in the Ginza district. It’s synonymous with luxury, and here one can see every global brand possible. Commodore Perry in 1851 would have been amazed to see what opening the Japanese market ultimately meant to the rest of the world.

Tokyo, Japan …this gorgeous view of Mt. Fuji. It’s one we might have had from our Shinkansen today, had the weather not been so overcast. We took our final bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo, as we now start to wind down our journey. Our hotel turns out to be rather stunning — with aContinue reading “Imagine, if you will..”

Kyoto, Japan You heard it here first. I have climbed my last mountain in Japan. Today we thought we would visit the Arashiyama Monkey Park, where a special breed of monkeys cavort at the top of a mountain. This was one of those sites where the guidebooks say it’s 20 minutes from the base toContinue reading “Climb every mountain…”

Kyoto, Japan Another lovely weather day, which we spent admiring the arts and handicrafts that Kyoto is known for. We managed three design and crafts museums, and could have done some real damage in the gift shop of each of them, had we not been mindful of the packing consequences.

Kyoto, Japan We woke up in Osaka today, had a farewell breakfast with cousin Pam, and stepped outside to find that something highly unusual was going on with the weather. First of all, it wasn’t raining. Secondly, it wasn’t humid. And — most surprisingly — it was comfortably cool and sunny. The beautiful weather heldContinue reading “A miracle occurred”

Osaka, Japan We returned with Pam to Dotonbori today, having signed up for a guided tour of the area. And while we did have an entertaining, bouncy tour guide with excellent English, we also had heavy rain throughout the second half of our trip. But the humidity was so heavy before the rain that weContinue reading “Did we miss anything?”

Osaka, Japan That pretty much describes the walking tour we took of the Dōtombori neighborhood, probably the most iconic view of Osaka. Frankly, it makes Times Square look dull – and rather, well, square. Here, it’s all about shopping, with everything from luxury brands to vintage American jeans and tee shirts.

Himeji, Japan Just one more castle! Today we went to the granddaddy of them all, Himeji Castle. About an hour by train from Osaka, the castle is considered the top wooden building in Japan, and began life in the 14th century as a fortress, then shortly after became a castle.

Osaka, Japan Today was mostly spent going from Hiroshima to Osaka via one of the lovely Shinkansen bullet trains. It’s the only way to travel. We weren’t planning any major sightseeing today, but thought we’d drop by Osaka Castle, just to pay our respects.

Hiroshima, Japan We took a short trip today. By ferry, we went to Miyajima, a picturesque island about 8 miles off the mainland of Hiroshima. After going down the river in Hiroshima, the ferry traveled into the Seto Inland Sea.