At first glance, Naha, Okinawa, didn’t look much like the images of Japan that had been imprinted on my mind while exploring Tokyo, Kyoto and Kōchi. Japan’s smallest and southernmost island seemed a world away from its northern counterparts, with palm trees, a beachy vibe and a main street that shouts instead of whispers. Any … Read More
“When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what the storm is all about.” ~Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore It takes about 45 days to walk the 1,200-kilometer Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage on Japan’s Shikoku Island. The route is comprised of 88 temples and other … Read More
“This place and this moment Never cross again. Each and every memory Of good encounter, however, Lingers on Like the sound of a temple bell.” ~Yoshihisa Tashiro, Interpretation of Buddhist phrase, Ichigo Ichie One day is clearly not enough time to spend in Kyoto. Japan’s former capital city is rich with more than 1,600 Buddhist … Read More
“A wise man will climb Mt. Fuji once; only a fool will climb it twice.” ~Japanese Proverb Mt. Fuji can be an elusive creature. Japan’s tallest mountain and active volcano is notorious for revealing picture-perfect views of its snow-capped peak one minute and then disappearing into a fog-shrouded outline of itself the next. It’s as … Read More
“The heart of the person before you is a mirror. See there your own form.” ~Shinto Saying Japanese people do not shy away from the topic of religion. In fact, they seem to thrive on the subject, eager to share their philosophies and explain how two coexisting faiths define their culture. Our three tour guides … Read More
“The temple bell stops, but I still hear the sound coming out of the flowers.” ~Matsuo Bashō Rain was threatening the early morning sky as we began our second day in Tokyo. Herb and I were headed with our tour group to the city’s old town district called Asakusa and its Sensō-ji Temple, Tokyo’s oldest … Read More
“Be a traveler, not a tourist.” It’s a sunny November morning outside a banquet room at the Tokyo Hilton Shinjuku, where tour director Theo is sharing stories about life in Japan. Tours weren’t departing until 9 a.m., but people had been dribbling in for more than an hour, having succumbed to jet lag’s unwelcome 2:30 … Read More
“And so onwards…along a path of wisdom, with a hearty tread, a hearty confidence…however you may be, be your own source of experience.” ~Friedrich Nietzsche, Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits Two years ago, Herb and I put a deposit on a cruise in 2023 that would take us round-trip from Tokyo … Read More