Sometimes it’s my birthday. This year, though I’d rather have lost a year and gone back to 21, I turned 23. Mom came to visit me in Tokyo, and we…
Frost might Crack the Trees and Split Rocks
It is undeniable that Japan has recently grown into a global tourism superstar. The numbers look tremendous on paper: arrivals increasing year after year, bringing money and energy into the…
Of Yuna and Dennis, people like Fireworks
I spent only four nights on the small and remote island of Rebun, population 3000, seeking quiet solitude. However, the universe had other plans, and threw some of its most…
How we Gave Up on being Pilgrims
For a while now Indi has been talking about going on a pilgrimage. The hikes have been going great, goals reached, peaks climbed. So she wants to increase the challenge,…
Different Priorities
Indi and I get along really well. Be it movies, music, or people, we often find our interests aligning, long conversations blooming where they cross, while also maintaining a sense…
Indi Tells a Story
The sky was blue and beautiful, a good day was in sight. Despite the poor sleep of our previous night, we were ready to hike up to Mount Gassan. The…
The Kingdom of the Monkey Skull
Noon on Yakushima Island. We have been hiking for nine hours, and are still far removed from our destination. Amidst the vines and boulders I spot something surprising right before…
The Return of the Fat Monkey
South of the Four Countries and the Nine Provinces there lies an island, touched, neither by the slow but all consuming hand of time, nor by the oft haphazard, chaotic,…
Out of Service: Escaping Tokyo’s Timetable
Tokyo is a world unto itself, with a population larger than most countries, innovation and creativity to match, and a public transit network that knows no equals. Over forty railway…
The Seventh Floor
Recently I came across an article by an interior designer, showing off a bar they opened about two months ago. Intrigued, I tried to locate it on a map of…