Christmas in Japan can be both exhilarating and a minor bummer for those more accustomed to the gluttony of American-Style celebration. The exhilaration, as for myself, comes from the knowledge that come Christmas morning I will be doing something unique in the particular neighborhood I live in – opening oodles of presents, listening to Christmas […]
Finding places to walk, hike, climb, outdoor exercise in general, can be a harrowing experience in the Tokyo Metroplex. This is especially true if you lived part of your life outside of urban centers – outside of Asia. You do need a bit of an imagination, the ability to cancel unwanted visual (and auditory) information […]
Motosumiyoshi’s annual summer festival (natsumatsuri, 夏まつり) was held August 27th and 29th. We made a couple quick pit-stops, enjoyed some yakitori (chicken skewers, 焼き鳥), perused the festivities, watched a couple omokuji (portable shrines, おみこし) carry themselves by, and generally didn’t stick around too long. It got pretty crowded around the shrine these few days, […]