At the end of 2023 this blog feels like it has come full circle. After the pre-Covid surge of inbound visitors searching for Mobile Suica information, traffic crashed and never […]
Japan Journal
The Mysterious Allure of Japanese Domestic Group Travel
Like most westerns I was allergic to the sight of Japanese travel groups. I vividly remember local Parisians making fun of them when visiting there one summer back in my […]
Japan Journal
Sayonara Chidorigafuchi
I attended the annual August 15 Nichiren Shu sponsored memorial ceremony honoring all victims of the Pacific War and prayer for world peace at Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery for 15 years. […]
Japan Journal
Two Funerals
When my Dad passed away last November, there was no way our family, my older brothers, could hold a funeral right away. Dad died in Salt Lake City, the family […]
Japan Journal - Japanese Buddhism
Return of The Dragon
It was a very tough winter for the priests working at Keishin-in temple on the top of Shichimensan. There was so much heavy snow that it snapped the utility poles. […]
Japan Journal
Golden Weeks
Golden Week is never a good time to travel in Japan. Tickets are scarce, discounts are impossible to find. Japanese media shows packed Shinkansen trains and traffic jammed expressways. But […]