I consider travel and vacation to be two very different activities. I usually prefer the former, which involves integrating oneself in the culture, meeting the locals, learning a bit of history and getting off the beaten path. Traveling, to me, means attempting to blend in and wanting to leave as an altered and more educated …
This is my fourth trip to Japan, but something is different about this visit. I’ve bypassed the major cities and tourist hot-spots and ventured off the beaten path to Takahara, a small mountain village located in the heart of Wakayama Prefecture, about two hours south of Osaka. I sit in my modest but comfortable room …
It’s easy to be hesitant about trying new foods in Japan. For one, very little English is spoken and there is rarely an English menu available. Furthermore, many Japanese dishes are unknown in the West. So, even when there are picture menus available, the foreign diner most likely has no clue as to what he …
Japan has always been synonymous with all things technological. From the nation’s numerous electronic companies to their futuristic skylines, there is no doubt that Japan is one of the leading countries of the world in technological advancement. Of course this is common knowledge, but one never fully comprehends this fact until he or she has …
With only a few days left before my new job in Korea started, I was made aware that I would not be able to obtain my E2 teaching visa at the Korean consulate in Vietnam. I was told that I would have to hop a plane to Fukuoka, Japan as soon as possible so I …
Six sumo wrestling tournaments are held in Japan every year and only three of those are in Tokyo. Seeing as I was in Tokyo when one of them was being held, I decided that it would be wrong of me to pass up a once in a lifetime chance to experience this quintessential Japanese tradition. …
Despite the nation’s rapidly changing society and uber-modern facade, tradition still remains to be an important thread in the intricately weaved fabric that is Japan. It is noticed in the food, in the clothing, in the sports, and in the very movement of its people. Yet, tradition makes its strongest presence in Japan’s most familiar, …
Tokyo wouldn’t be the same without its legendary skyline of flashing signs of neon and seemingly indecipherable characters, at least to us Westerners. Yet, in a city where uniform electronics shops, yakitori vendors, and kareoke rooms adorn every street block, sits a neighborhood bursting with character and personality, unique in every meaning of the word. …
Japan. We’re all at least a bit acquainted with the Land of the Rising Sun, whether it be through our familiarity of WWII, fighting samurais, sushi, or flashing neon. Whatever images are conjured up in our minds does not dispute the fact that Japan is a nation of rich history, culture, mystery, and beauty. So, …