Alright, I’ll admit it, I am a sucker for good food photography. If you can style your food and photograph it in such a manner that it makes me start drooling all over the page/screen, you’ve done your job VERY well. It does also help to have a “gimmick”. Not in the way that you’re … Continue reading
Every January for the past few years, I’ve started off the new calendar with a list of my travel goals for the upcoming months. I just took a glance back at the last few lists and I am pleased to say, I’ve covered a lot of what I set out to do. We did indeed … Continue reading
It’s taken me awhile to get around to this post and not just because I was waiting until I returned from my latest trip to Japan. If you’ve ever gone through reverse culture shock, you know it can be rather insidious. Things feel overwhelming, then they settle down, then they overwhelm you, and the roller … Continue reading
When I picked up last month’s Review selection (K is for Kabuki), I also grabbed another book called Real Samurai. This nonfiction book is written by Stephen Turnbull, a noted military historian. I haven’t reviewed many samurai books so I thought I’d take it home and give it a go. Continue reading
It’s foliage season, my favorite time of year, and I am stuck in 87*F southern California. Not that palm trees aren’t pretty mind you … 😉  I’m just very excited to head back to Japan in two weeks to catch the autumn leaves in their splendor. (I’m hoping at least. It’s been a bit colder … Continue reading
November is my favorite month in Japan. For much of the low-lying areas of the nation (and a few mountainous areas that have yet to turn), November is foliage month. Autumn in Japan is unlike anywhere else in the world. In my home state of Pennsylvania, our neighboring mountains turned mottled hues of rust, gold and … Continue reading
I had hoped to get this list up at the beginning of the week, but our hot water heater died (and flooded part of our garage in the process) and that took priority at the beginning of the month. How I wish there was an onsen or sento right down the street, like in Japan! Hopefully, … Continue reading
