travel to Japan

Golden Pavilion, a Zen Temple in Kyoto, Japan

Travel to Japan: How to Use a Japanese Toilet

Traveling to Japan? Be prepared on how to use a Japanese toilet and understand the etiquette of peeing in Japan. Peeing should not be hard. It’s a natural function. But just like everything in Japan, there’s certain etiquette to follow. I spent a month in Japan and one of my biggest challenges was conquering the Japanese toilets to become queen of the throne.

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Finding Rainbows in Tokyo

“Gay-dar” seems to work in every country. Using his to guide us through Tokyo’s streets, my traveling companion Matt led us to the center of the city’s small, yet lively gay quarter called Shinjuku-ni-chome, commonly referred to as Ni-chome. As if reaching a mountain summit and basking in his achievement, Matt placed his hands on […]

Culinary Travel Snapshots Solo with Others

Wordless Wednesday: Flavors of Japan

Food is an important part of travel and during my Fall 2004 trip to Japan, I certainly had my fair share of common and odd bites. Following is a snapshot of my culinary journey through Shizuoka and Yamanashi Prefectures.

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Seeing Monkeys in Japan’s Hell’s Valley

Landing in Japan, my traveling companion Matt and I were on a mission. Forget majestic Mt. Fuji and the sacred Buddhist temples. We wanted to see the Japanese Macaque monkeys of Hell’s Valley.

Solo Travel

Facing Uncomfortable Questions in Hamamatsu

My days were spent learning about Hamamatsu’s government and economy while evenings were spent with my hostess in her piano bar. The dim-lit bar was warm and cozy, accented with Western European influences. A mural of a French castle was the backdrop behind the Yamaha grand piano.

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Losing My Body Fat in Japan

Friends told me I would lose weight in Japan, thinking my palate wouldn’t tolerate raw fish and other new tastes. As I lay on the medical-like table with the lower half of my body snuggly fit into a long, nylon bag, I realized they were right. I spent an afternoon in the city of Shizuoka […]

Snapshots Solo Travel

Wordless Wednesday: Faces of Japan

Like most everyone, I’ve had Japan on the brain since last Friday’s earthquake, tsunami and now nuclear power plant situations. I devout today’s Wordless Wednesday to some of the people I met along the way during my Oct. 2004 trip to Japan. I extend my thoughts and prayers to the Japanese people.

Solo Travel

Art of Bathing in Japan

Two of my worst fears came to fruition during my month-long visit to Japan in 2004: being nude in public and singing in public. Luckily, not simultaneously. This is a tale of my Japanese bathing experiences and karaoke is for another time. I visited Shizuoka and Yamanashi Prefectures, the home of Mt. Fuji.

Culinary Travel Solo Travel

Circle of Eel Life in Hamamatsu, Japan

Yes, I admit it. Prior to a month-long visit to Japan in 2004 as part of Rotary International’s Group Study Exchange, I thought unagi was a karate concept invented by Ross on the television show Friends. A visit to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka introduced me to the sweet and savory freshwater eel called unagi and to […]

Fuzzies, Gadgets & Stuff Solo with Others

My Essays in ‘To Japan With Love’

Five years ago the local Rotary district (6960) sent me and four others to Japan on the Group Study Exchange program and a year later I submitted essays to be considered for a travel anthology/travel guidebook called To Japan with Love: A Travel Guide for the Connoisseur , part of the To Asia with Love […]