Sue has already been in Asia for ten days, doing foundation work in Myanmar (and sweltering in the Burmese monsoon); she flies east through Hong Kong on Friday evening. Our dear friends the Bans and I fly west on Friday morning. If all goes according to plan, we will meet in Tokyo on Saturday. AfterContinue reading “Converging on Japan from East and West”
Category Archives: Japan November 2019
Touching down in Tokyo
Saturday, October 26 After a surprisingly easy flight, I found navigating Narita airport similarly unproblematic. Internet coaches had prescribed a routine for arrival: 1) get lots of cash, because Japan, for all its hypermodernity, is surprisingly credit card unfriendly; 2) get a “cash card” and charge it with lots of money, because the Tokyo subwaysContinue reading “Touching down in Tokyo”
The Cultural Contradictions of Japan
Sunday, October 27 Our first full day took us from the extreme traditionalism of a Shinto shrine to the garish neon modernity of Ginza Crossing. And we loved every minute of it. We had breakfast at our hotel, a buffet with plenty of choices. Our hotel, the Millennium Matsui Garden, doesn’t have a lot toContinue reading “The Cultural Contradictions of Japan”
Mike Dreams of Sushi
Monday, October 28, 2019 We started our day with an excellent light (Western) breakfast at the coffee shop on the corner. Then off on the subway to Shibuya, one of the newer built-up areas in western Tokyo. Shibuya Station is one of the busiest commuter stations in the world; as you exit you’re immediately confrontedContinue reading “Mike Dreams of Sushi”
Off to Takayama…with a Bullet
Tuesday, October 29 We were up and packed bright and early for our first travel day. The cab whisked us to the entrance to Tokyo Station that leads directly to the platforms for the Shinkansen (bullet trains). I had another pleasant but terribly confusing conversation with a young woman at the JR Rail ticket office.Continue reading “Off to Takayama…with a Bullet”
Another Day, Another Shinkansen
Wednesday, October 30 We were hoping for a simple breakfast…until we saw the spread laid out for us. Scallop soup, clam soup, Hida beef with scallions, tuna Sashimi, some magical miso heated on a banana leaf, dried fish, yoghurt with dragonfruit…and several things I’m forgetting. We promised not to eat for a week. The staffContinue reading “Another Day, Another Shinkansen”
Of Gardens and Geishas
Thursday, October 31 We had a light breakfast at a French bakery in the train station–just steps from our hotel–and jumped aboard a loop bus (Kanazawa has a great system of buses that run around the center of town, connecting all the most visited sites). First stop was the Kenroku-en Garden, said to be oneContinue reading “Of Gardens and Geishas”
Kyoto
Friday, November 1 As sorry as we were to leave Kanazawa, we were very excited to see Kyoto. Our express train took us southeast along the shores of Lake Biwa, the largest fresh water lake in Japan. Kyoto station is another contemporary architectural showcase, and easy to navigate. We were soon at our hotel, theContinue reading “Kyoto”
Zen or Pure Land?
Saturday, November 2 After a bit of confusion at the hotel—we wanted something light, the hotel wanted us to do the forty two dollar buffet—we found an a la carte option and piled into a taxi headed for northern Higashiyama and the Philosopher’s walk. The cab dropped us below the imposing gate of Nanzen-Ji. InContinue reading “Zen or Pure Land?”
The Golden Pavilion…and Zen on my Own
Sunday, November 3 The crowds at the popular temples are extraordinary…and it isn’t even peak foliage season! We got an early start today, hoping to avoid the worst of the crowds at Kinkaku-Ji, the GoldenPavilion, but to no avail. The temples on the tourist routes are really hard work; here, as at the Silver Pavilion,Continue reading “The Golden Pavilion…and Zen on my Own”