Today I ventured into the Osaka subway for the first time; up till now it was cabs or walking, but my dogs are barking. Osaka Castle is right in the center of town. The castle is impressive; you feel like you have gone back in time or maybe ended up in an epidode of Shogun.ContinueContinue reading “More Osaka Highjinks”
Tag Archives: japan
Adventures in Kyoto with Our Man in Japan
I’m off to Kyoto today. I’m having a problem with my phone and tablet, as neither of them will download apps; I go to the Play Store and hit the download button, and it just says “pending” forever. This makes it impossible to do things like make reservations from Osaka to Kyoto on the JRContinueContinue reading “Adventures in Kyoto with Our Man in Japan”
Yet More Kyoto
Yesterday I did some some exploring in Kyoto. There is another one of those covered markets near my hotel that sells local delicacies. I think Kay would have particularly enjoyed one of their specialities, a bright red whole baby octopus on a stick with a quail egg stuffed in the head for added flavor andContinueContinue reading “Yet More Kyoto”
Last Day in Kyoto
Today I got up reasonably early and took a cab back down to the Gion District, not too far from where I was yesterday in the Geisha quarter. There is a huge Buddhist temple where you can purchase small strips of paper in tiny envelopes. You can pick the general kind of fortune you want:ContinueContinue reading “Last Day in Kyoto”
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”
Wandering Shrink 