why i love japanese vending machines
Among the more prominent features of each and every Japanese street I walked down were the vending machines. Whether it was next to a love hotel, a legit hotel, a…
goodbye japan, hello kitty
As I made my way to Tokyo’s Narita airport for a long journey back to North America, I contemplated my time in Japan as the varied scenery of the Japanese…
shinjuku tokyo’s golden gai
Golden Gai is a small, hidden area of Shinjuku in Tokyo only a ten minute walk from Shinjuku station. I had heard a lot about this area as a “must…
the japanese yen is a dangerous currency
It is common knowledge that Tokyo is not a city for the thrifty. In fact, according to a February report from the Economist, Tokyo it is the most expensive city…
kyoto’s kinkaku, or golden pavillion
Kyoto was quite a surprise. I didn’t know much about the city except that it was the location for the the UN climate change conference that became known as the…
the hiroshima peace park and the atomic dome [vlog]
![the hiroshima peace park and the atomic dome [vlog]](http://flyingnorth.net/wp-content/themes/advanced-newspaper/timthumb.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fflyingnorth.net%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F04%2FD69AE51B-AE81-4426-8DA4-A2FE3CC4E88B0.jpg&q=90&w=80&h=66&zc=1 "the hiroshima peace park and the atomic dome [vlog]")
Very little remains of the city of Hiroshima from before August 6, 1945 when the world’s first use of an atomic weapon changed the Japanese city – and the world…
koyasan and the daito, or great pagoda
Koyasan, Japan is a center of Buddhist study and practice, located in the Wakayama Prefecture at an elevation of approximately 900 meters [2900 feet] above sea level. The town was…
and you thought the glass of milk was expensive
Knowing several European languages is no help in Japan. In Osaka in particular, there is a decided lack of English speakers, even in the main tourist destinations, and I was…
do not bring things with loathsome smell to osaka
After arriving at my hotel in Osaka’s Namba neighborhood, I relaxed a while and then checked out the place in more depth. The Osaka Namba Washington Hotel Plaza is in…
flying seoul-o: haneda to gimpo
After a night of pod living in Tokyo’s Haneda airport and a few skipped heartbeats [Did I just do the Yen math wrong and withdrawal US$1000 from my checking account?…