I wandered into Ueno park with every intention of spending a quiet afternoon watching pandas and penguins at the zoo. I started the day with a visit to the statue of Takamori Saigo, the legendary Ronin then wandered among the various shrines and temples located in the park. I paused briefly at the Kaneiji Kiyomizudo Temple. According to the guidebook, this is where women … [Read more...] about Burning Dolls in Ueno Park
True Stories
JBall: A Real Japanese Pennant Race
It was the middle of a heated pennant race, and there were only three games left in the season when we decided take in a Japanese baseball game. We boarded the train to the Tokyo Dome (aka The Big Egg) with no tickets and no plan. The trip to the stadium itself was more complex than usual. A half a dozen transfers later, we arrived at the Big Egg and were immediately engulfed … [Read more...] about JBall: A Real Japanese Pennant Race
Gin Margaritas in Roppongi
"...The Chinese over there in China, they was all wantin' to eat macaroni and cheese. Don't you think that kind of odd, what with all the Chinese food they got?" - From the movie Mystery Train One of the joys of travel is to experience a favorite cuisine first-hand. Even the best ethnic restaurant seems to be missing something when compared to the same restaurants in a … [Read more...] about Gin Margaritas in Roppongi
Towel Incident At The Westin Tokyo
I blame Douglas Adams for what happened during our last two days in Tokyo. It's because of him that we always take towels with us whenever we travel. Sure, the Westin Tokyo has towels, but we were unsure of what to expect from the budget ryokan on our side-trip to Kyoto. As a result, we lugged a couple of our best bath towels half way around the world "just in … [Read more...] about Towel Incident At The Westin Tokyo