Wakamatsu Tea And Silk Farm Colony at Gold Hill, California
Updated: Aug. 22, 2023 On Feb. 18, 2012 in Yamagata city, we had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Takahashi Yoshio (高橋義夫), a prominent, Naoki Prize-winning novelist whose favorite…
Spa Resort Hawaiians grand re-opening
Spa Resort Hawaiians in Iwaki, Fukushima is a Hawaiian-themed, hot spring and water park that suffered heavy earthquake damage on March 11, 2011. They partially reopened in Oct. 2011. Finally…
Japan compared to US East Coast
I made this to compare Japan with the US East Coast. Area-wise, Japan is about the same as Montana. But as you can see, it is very spread out, making…
Setsubun at Kanda Myojin
Happy spring! Feb. 3 is Setsubun, which celebrates the coming of spring (even though it’s still freezing here). Every year, I visit a different shrine to watch them throw fuku-mame…
Prefectural die-cut postcards
The Japan Post Office sells these special die-cut postcards (called regional form cards) unique to each prefecture. Each die-cut postcard features a picture of a prefectural symbol which could be…
Happy New Year 2012!
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! Hope you all stay safe, healthy, and prosperous in 2012.
Merry Christmas 2011!
I took this photo inside a department store in Kyoto. It happened to include the three words I live by. Merry Christmas!
Moonstruck in Tokyo
Totally clear skies tonight around midnight in Tokyo. Left shot was taken around 12:05 am, and the right shot was taken at around 12:40 am. The moon was directly above…
2011 Asakusa Samba cancelled
The popular Asakusa Samba Carnival which would have been held on Aug. 27, 2011, has been cancelled. This was announced in June 2011 on the Asakusa Samba Carnival’s official Web…
Japanese-American museums in Japan
Japanese Americans/Canadians visiting or living in Japan should check out my list of Japanese-American museums in Japan. They show the Japanese immigration during the late 19th century and early 20th…