It’s no secret that I love Japanese vending machines–or that they stock an unusually wide variety of foods, beverages, and other items.
Read moreFood Friday: Vending Machines (with Beer)
Kyoto
Kumano Kodo 2023: Kyoto Pre-Hike Adventure
Last week, my friend and I headed south from Tokyo to spend a day in Kyoto before embarking on our week-long hike of the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi…
Read moreA Traditional Kaiseki Meal in the Heart of Kyoto’s “Floating World”
During the Golden Week holidays, I took a three-day trip to Kyoto, during which I booked a meal at Tousuiro, reputed to be one of the best restaurants in Kyoto. The experience proved to be every bit as spectacular as promised.
Read more“Into the Green” on Golden Week in Japan
It’s my week to blog at Murder is Everywhere, so I’m sharing some photos from my recent Golden Week trip to Kyoto. What’s Golden Week? Click the link and you’ll know!
Read moreApple Cake and Autumn Leaves
Kyoto is famous for autumn foliage, but I’d only been there once in autumn (on another research trip, in 2016)–and the timing was wrong to see the colors at their peak. I thought I was too late this time, too, but as luck would have it, I was wrong.
Read moreWednesday Window: December 1, 2021
Autumn foliage at Eikan-do (永観堂)–formerly known as Zenrinji-ji, a Pure Land Buddhist temple in Kyoto. The temple was founded in 853, and remains both an active site of Buddhist worship and practice and one of Japan’s most famous sites for viewing autumn leaves.
Read moreInarizushi – Sushi Without Fish
that I don’t go to sushi restaurants, and can’t eat most types of sushi, there are a few types that I can eat–including one that saved me a lot of embarrassment on a solo hike in 2016.
Read moreMacaque Some Friends at Arashiyama Monkey Park!
Arashiyama Monkey Park, where monkeys roam free and humans are in the cage…
Read moreSeikanji – a Hidden Mountain Temple in Kyoto’s Higashiyama Ward
While visiting Kyoto’s Kiyomizu-dera on July 6 (2021), I made a side trip to visit Seikanji–a mountain temple with beautiful views that most visitors don’t even realize is there.
Read moreKiyomizu-dera: A Mountainside Kyoto Temple With a Sacred Waterfall
On July 6, 2021, I celebrated my 50th birthday with a trip to Kyoto’s Kiyomizudera–one of my favorite temples in the ancient capital (partially because it combines two of my other favorite things: mountains and waterfalls).
Read more