Is Kyushu or Shikoku the better Japanese island?
Continue ReadingYakushima Relapse
It’s my second time to Yakushima Island, actually.
Continue ReadingNot a Single Satsuma
I had many expectations about what my trip to the Satsuma Peninsula would bring, though none were rooted in reality.
Continue ReadingWhat Happens in Kagoshima
The most important of all the things to do in Kagoshima is to let what happens here stay here.
Continue ReadingTakachiho Tremor
After having endured the relatively crowded environs of Takachiho Gorge, I really just wanted to sip an iced coffee in peace.
Continue ReadingMilestones in Miyazaki
Time seems elastic and bountiful the first day you wake up not obsessing over something you’ll never have.
Continue ReadingThe Dark Prince of Beppu
I was searching for Satan in the various hells of Beppu Onsen.
Continue ReadingAftershocks and Anti-Climax
The rim of Nakadake Crater is now totally off-limits, which makes a trip to this part of Japan relatively anti-climactic from the get-go.
Continue ReadingKumamoto in the Waking World
I never thought I would walk into my own dream.
Continue ReadingWhat Inari Affirmed
Affirmation, it seemed, was the gift of my trip to Yutoku Inari Shrine.
Continue ReadingNagasaki’s Multitudes
The dam broke as I walked away toward Nagasaki Peace Park—and I’d be lying if I said some of the tears weren’t ones I shed on my own behalf.
Continue ReadingKaratsu Through the Clearing
I was in no hurry to get to Karatsu Castle Tuesday morning.
Continue ReadingFukuoka is for (Ex) Lovers
The food looked ordinary—the style of service was what stood out, and I found it more interesting to document that than to delight in.
Continue ReadingIs Gambling Legal in Japan?
The topic of gambling in Japan is taboo.
Continue ReadingEpilogue: Okinawa
I hadn’t planned to come to Okinawa at all.
Continue ReadingAwaji Free Zone
Apart from Awaji Island, Japan is not a country where I’ve ever seen anything given out for free.
Continue ReadingIs Kobe Worth Visiting?
It was Labor Day weekend, and it definitely felt like the end of summer in Kobe.
Continue ReadingThe Japanese Riviera
Exhaustion, when born out of unexpected joy, resembles something very close to ecstasy.
Continue ReadingThe Truth About Climbing Fuji
A wise man climbs Fuji once; only a fool climbs it twice
Continue ReadingCôte d’Akihabara
Hours before my scheduled Mario Kart tour, Tokyo reminded me of the serendipity that keeps me coming back here so often.
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