furthernewsfromtheshire

Leaving Kyoto, Kanazawa Here I Come

I checked out of my hotel in Kyoto and took the train to Kanazawa on the Sea of Japan. One of the little storefronts by the hotel had a pitcher plant in the window, something I’d never seen before. I grabbed a cab to Kyoto station. You can buy your tickets from a machine, butContinueContinue reading “Leaving Kyoto, Kanazawa Here I Come”

Leaving Kanazawa, Headed for Tokyo

This is my last morning in Kanazawa. I packed a lot into yesterday and forgot that I was planning to take it easy. I started out with the breakfast buffet at the hotel, which has an interesting mix of Japanese and Western selections. One offering was a make-your-own sushi hand roll. You get a sheetContinueContinue reading “Leaving Kanazawa, Headed for Tokyo”

Into Shibuya

Today I decided to get out of Shinjuku and see more of the city. It’s a little more daunting than you might think. I really have some trepidation about using the Tokyo subway, and you would too if you saw the subway map. I wanted to see one of the animal cafes, but which kind?ContinueContinue reading “Into Shibuya”

Mind Blown in Shinjuku

Got up and packed in preparation for heading out to Tokyo on the Shinkansen. I picked up a bento box and a Suntory for the trip; this one was about 3 hours with a couple of stops. It arrived right on time, as they always do, and I settled in for the ride. Because IContinueContinue reading “Mind Blown in Shinjuku”

Tokyo

I guess everyone traveling in a really foreign culture is going to misunderstand the local customs, and it was inevitable that I would do that eventually. How was I to know that it was considered bad form to yell at the waiter, “Garcon! More cappuccino, s’il vous plaît, vete, vete!” Actually, that wasn’t it; IContinueContinue reading “Tokyo”

Tokyo to Kobe

It was time to decamp from Tokyo. I couldn’t get a cab, so I took the subway to Tokyo station. It was a little daunting but not as bad as I thought it might be. I’m sitting in the station waiting to pick up the shinkansen for Kobe. Fun fact: this station serves 1.1 millionContinueContinue reading “Tokyo to Kobe”

Kobe

I had one night (got there about 4 PM, check-in time) and part of one day in Kobe. Here was my cunning plan: my flight home, at least the first leg, leaves Kansai Airport in Osaka about 10 AM. That means I will have to be at the airport by 7 AM. Given my strugglesContinueContinue reading “Kobe”

Unforseen Adventures at Osaka Kansai

After an interesting day in Kobe, around 3:00 PM I decided to head for the airport. They have a bus that goes direct, it was easy to get tickets and get on. Once in the bus and traveling on the highway to Osaka KIX, I could see Osaka Bay out one side and urban areasContinueContinue reading “Unforseen Adventures at Osaka Kansai”

Kansai Cafe-The Aftermath

Ok, I need to revise my initial take on the cafe/lounge. Its charms began to pale after the first 8 hours. First of all, there was Sleep Apnea Guy—The Revenge a couple cubicles down. Bless my wife for having the perspecuity to buy me a really good pair of noise-canceling headphones. I can handle aContinueContinue reading “Kansai Cafe-The Aftermath”

Arrival: What Have I Learned?

I’m 2 hours out of Boston and anxious to get home to the little woman, and when I say little, I ain’t joking around; I think my backpack weighs more. Its a long way back from Japan, particularly after you consider the layover. Its about 7000 miles, around a quarter of the way around theContinueContinue reading “Arrival: What Have I Learned?”