Most of the gardens I've profiled in this category (and on this site in general) have been traditional Japanese style gardens or gardens dedicated to a particular bloom (like the iris garden outside Beppu). I'm going to break with "protocol" and write up a modern garden I discovered only a short walk from my home... Continue Reading →
Friday Photo: August 2015
In transferring my photos last week from my memory card to my (finally-arrived-and-set-up) desktop computer, I noted that I took around 1200 photos during our week in Tohoku. Yikes. How do I pick a favorite from that? Well, instead of sifting through all 1200 with a very critical eye, I just went with the one... Continue Reading →
Experience: Oboke Gorge Boat Cruise
I've taken quite a few boat rides during my time in Japan, but none of them had been in Shikoku. So during our family vacation to the smallest of Japan's four major islands the other month, we made sure to grab a seat on one of the boats that cruised up and down the Oboke... Continue Reading →
Manhole Monday: Gero Onsen
Many of you who have traveled to Takayama via train have probably passed right by Gero Onsen. Sadly, there isn't a lot of attention paid to it in the guidebooks but I found it an extremely walkable town (albeit a bit of a climb to get to the folk village at the top of the... Continue Reading →