Why Does It Keep Raining In Japan?

I’m all on my own today. P and I ate breakfast and he hopped on a shuttle bus to Narita, after which I slipped out into the hazy glow of morning. I only had one thing on the agenda for the day, and I knew it would likely have to be accomplished in the morning, […]

Sometimes I’m Not Smart Enough to Order Food in Japan

Today is P’s last day on this trip. We are trying to get a couple typical Tokyo experiences in. One of those, according to the guidebook is Meiji Jingū a Shinto shrine built to honor Emperor Meiji, whose reign encompassed the period in which Japan transformed from an isolationist state to a modern nation. We […]

Something’s Fishy Around Here

The Japanese eat a lot of fish. This is an island country, so nothing about that statement should be surprising. I enjoy fish, but if I didn’t do so, then travel here might be difficult because it can show up in unexpected places. For example, P stated this morning that the boiled vegetables at breakfast […]

The Japanese Really Do Eat Fish for Breakfast

Heated toilet seats are the best thing ever. It sounds ridiculous, but there you have it. The Japanese are on to something, and they have them everywhere here. The toilets overall are extremely elaborate. They spray from behind and from in front – wherever you need cleaned. Some of them have a dry cycle (although […]

A Journey To Old Japan

We woke this morning and checked out of our hotel. Our train wouldn’t be leaving for a few hours, so we we used the spare time to visit the old imperial palace. The Japanese Imperial Palace was located at this site from the 12th century until 1869 when the capital was moved to Tokyo. Over […]

Sometimes We Need Fuzzy Creatures Badly

Time for another day trip: this time to Nara, the old old capital of Japan. For reference, Tokyo is the current capital. The immediately prior capital was Kyoto, and Nara preceded that. We have heard that Nara is a great spot for a day trip from Kyoto. The train ride took us about 40 minutes, […]