An entire store dedicated to Godzilla! November 17, 2025 “Listen, this is my death poem: Like dew I was born Like dew I vanish. Osaka Castle and all that I have ever done is but a dream within a dream.” – James Clavell, Shōgun: The Epic Novel of Japan “Oh my….” - The reported last words of Steve Jobs before he died Osaka was always on the list to try and see.  Although we did not have enough time to really do it justice.  Its too big and you can spend an entire trip here alon

November 14, 2025 “But hear me well: The future is unborn. The past is already dead. Only the present is alive. I am here, now.” A Buddhist Maxim There is a person we have seen at various temples and shrines over the past few weeks.  They are usually wearing work overalls but carry only a primitive  stringy broom.  It is more of a large brush really. They are gardeners and their particular task is sweeping up leaf debris off the moss and rocks on the grounds. It is a never en

“Presiding over the Southern Higashiyama Sightseeing district, with a brilliant view across the entire city, Kiyomizu-dera Temple is just about everything a temple shouldn’t be: it’s noisy, crowded, crassly commercial (in its sales of amulets and fortunes), and as gaudy as an attention-starved peacock, but it somehow manages to transcend all of this to become one of Kyoto’s most worthwhile temples to visit.” -Chris Rowthorn Although Japan can be a pleasure in any season to vi

November 12, 2025 "...there was one city that they must not bomb without my permission and that was Kyoto.” - Henry Stimson, US Secretary of War, 1945 So it turns out that Kyoto was the top city on the list of targets submitted for the atomic bomb.  All of this would be ashes if not for this guy. This is Henry L Stimson.  He was a powerful member of Franklin Roosevelt’s inner circle and served as both the Secretary of State and later the Secretary of War (Defense).  According

November 11, 2025 "Tomorrow the Golden Temple would surely burn down. That form which had been filling the space would be lost... And the Golden Temple itself, which had until then been constrained by its form, would be freed from all rules and would drift lightly here and there, scattering a faint light on the lake and on the waters of the dark sea." Yukio Mishima, from The Temple of the Golden Pavilion Their are 3 certain truths about Japan.  The first is, the trains always

November 7-8, 2025 “The crux of the matter is whether total war in its present form is justifiable, even when it serves a just purpose. Does it not have material and spiritual evil as its consequences which far exceed whatever good might result? When will our moralists give us an answer to this question?” ― John Hersey “I was against it on two counts. First, the Japanese were ready to surrender, and it wasn't necessary to hit them with that awful thing. Second, I hated to see

November 5, 2025 "It ended up feeling a little bit like Disney world or a theme park, but every now and then you could find a quiet street, and it would feel like you were actually in Holland." - Alison Park-Douglas We traveled North from Nagasaki by train.  The route was a lazy one that skirted Omura Bay. The last few days the weather has continued to be pleasant and mild.  We are headed for Hiroshima. We stopped on a single platform across from Huis Ten Bosch.  We got off t

November 3-4, 2025 “‘I don’t know, Chuck,’ Ashworth said. ‘It’s better than dropping it into the ocean,’ I answered. ‘Are you sure of the accuracy?” Ashworth pressed. ‘I’ll take full responsibility for this,’ I assured him… From the IP, Van Pelt and Buckley started to coordinate the approach to the aiming point. The outline of the city appeared on the scopes in front of Van Pelt and Buckley. Buckley called out headings and precise closure rates to Beahan, who fed the data int

October 30, 2025 "It looks so peaceful and yet you understand at first glance that a landscape like that could only have been created in the most violent way".  -Anonymous It was dark by the time we got back from Korea.  For this next bit of the trip we needed a car so bleary eyed we made our way to the rental car agency near the airport.  After going through the endless paperwork we finally got the keys. Kyushu Island It is so tiresome, the menu of options you have to pick f

October 28, 2025 "A bowl of bibimbap is like life—colorful, diverse, and packed with flavor.” Anonymous Bibimbap is a popular Korean dish of warm rice served with an assortment of seasoned vegetables, meat, and a fried egg, all mixed together with a spicy chili paste before eating. Bibimbap In many ways it serves as a great metaphor for our last 2 days here in Korea.  We just did a little bit of everything.  There was no real plan.  We just looked at a small map and said, “Le

October 26, 2025 “If the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki had seemed to inaugurate a brand-new chapter in the history of warfare, supposedly making all other weapons obsolete and creating a world where military power rested only with the richest, most technologically advanced nations, then the Korean battlefield defeats of early July 1950 shattered that belief” ― David Halberstam, The Coldest Winter Very early in our marriage we had the opportunity for some overseas tr

October 25, 2025 “Had the street lamps and neon signs always been this spectacularly bright? Why was Seoul so beautiful all of a sudden? Everything that was once nothing seemed special and amazing somehow.” – Sang Young Park Its not fair really.  We have been here less than 24 hours and already first impressions form.  I will take more time for the short few days I am here to see what settles and bear in mind the gleaming city of Seoul is hardly representative of everyone.  A

October 23, 2025 “What do Japanese artisans, engineers, Zen philosophy, and cuisine have in common? Simplicity and attention to detail.” — Hector Garcia “Next time is next time.  Now is now” - Kōji Yakusho. (From  Perfect Days film) Curtis Lemay, the father of the modern U.S. Air Force in 1945 was the newly assigned general to head the American air campaign against Japan. Germany was defeated and the U.S. was moving its enormous bombing assets to the Pacific Theatre to “Finis

October 20, 2025 “These days, all we ever really get are Days to dream, and days to lose. I just need to choose my time.” Ingrid Ellen Michaelson These past few days our pace has slowed a bit.  The Russian Roulette of hotel rooms when traveling at last paid off with a comfortable room and bed. We decided to rest and take things slower for a few days. We are in a good place to accomplish that goal.  This is Takayama in the Hida Prefecture of Japan.  It is located in the Northe

October 18, 2025 “If you encounter a bear while hiking, stand your ground and don’t make eye contact. If the bear attacks you anyway, fight for your life” Verbatim advice from The Lonely Planet Guide to Japan I will come to the Swedish Dinner Club in a moment.  But first….. It sounds at first like an approaching ice cream truck. You are out on a hike and you hear in front of you the approach of tinkling bells. It is not an unpleasant sound just discordant here in the woods.

October 16-17, 2025 “Don't dunk your nigiri in the soy sauce. Don't mix your wasabi in the soy sauce. If the rice is good, complement your sushi chef on the rice.” -Anthony Bourdain Bullet trains are extraordinary technological marvels.  Through very powerful magnets they levitate on tracks achieving frictionless propulsion and astounding speeds.  They can cover distances normal trains take in 1/3 of the time. Japan has pioneered this technology and leads the world in high sp

October 15, 2025 "It is better to travel well than to arrive." -Buddha We returned to Northern Tokyo for a brief visit to the Asakusa neighborhood.  We initially considered staying here during our Tokyo days but it is not on the main metro lines and would have taken too long to get to other locations we wanted to see.  Still the unique nature of the area warranted a look before we left Tokyo for good. The Golden Turd (Tokyo Skytree Tower in background) Perhaps the most un

October 14, 2025 “It’s no wonder Japanese find it so easy to worship nature” Colleen Dobbs If anyone else who reads this missive is as immature as I am, they are familiar with a video game called “Ghost of Tsushima”.  It is a popular Playstation game in which a wronged samurai warrior seeks his revenge against tyrannical foes. As fun as the game is hacking and slashing your way to justice, there is a part of the game that elevates it beyond the usual fare.  The animators have

October 13, 2025 “Life is like a long journey carrying a heavy burden - there is no need to rush” Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu from The Testament of Ieyasu We left Tokyo by train for an excursion 2 hours north to the foothills of the Japanese Alps.  Japan has large mountains that run through the middle and west of the country.  Most, if not all, are volcanic in origin. We traveled there via a futuristic train called the SpaciaX. No, it is not the famed bullet train, that will come la

October 11, 2025 遣らずの雨   (Yarazu no Ame): "The rain that doesn't let you go.” -Japanese Proverb It started raining around 8 am.  Whether...