Sayanora
My transistor radio comes from far away And when it’s night over here over there it’s breaking day Buck Owens, Made in Japan Nourish twist…
Spirited Away Trailer
We did not have the Healthy Breakfast at $34, nor the American Breakfast at $35. After a bit of lounging we went downstairs to Starbucks and had a reasonable facsimile for $6. Typhoon Nuri, which passed Japan, was supposed to…
I have simple taste. Only the best.
That’s an Oscar Wilde quote. Still: Stephen got a very nice Christmas gift last year–two night’s at the Shangri-La Tokyo. So we packed up the bags and took the train two stops down the tracks then 28 floors up to…
We Do Kaiseki
When I arranged for our Kamakura guide we emailed quite a few times to sort out the itinerary and lunch. The tour is free but you pay for your guide’s lunch. She asked if we were vegetarian and what type…
Stephen and Glenn’s Shogun
Or so it seemed, one shrine following the next. A day away in Kamakura, the ancient Edo capital about an hour away from Tokyo where, arguably, many of the defining moments of Japanese history occurred. A military coup of sorts…
The Remains of the Edo
Another spectacular November day, sunny, occasional clouds, up to 20 degrees, light breeze. No complaints. SS in front of a water lily lake We headed up to Ueno, a large park with almost a dozen museums, a zoo,…
Mt. Fuji Makes an Appearance
There, you can see it in the distance from our hotel room just over top of the skyscraper, underneath the clouds. What a beautiful morning. Sunny and bright. It clouded over but remained warm. At one point my phone…
Things Change With the Change of the Times
And L’As, alas. Worst wordplay ever. My apologies. Foie Gras Sandwich This isn’t a foodie holiday but we did have one splurge up our sleeves at a modernist take on French cuisine, tucked away in a leafy ward, called L’As…
Scale
This is, I kid you not, the map of the rail and subway lines of Tokyo. Tourist version. We had another early morning at the buffet table. SS had what I thought resembled a Rubenesque egg white omelette. …
Ah Wilderness
Shinagawa Station. I did not take this highly retouched pic! Everything has its place. Everything has its order. This is the first hotel I’ve ever stayed at with a seismic activity warning in the room (“Tokyo sits on the Kanto…