Welcome to the first installment! I was going to begin this tomorrow but I’m looking forward to it too much. Such is the life of someone who has been spending way too much time alone for extended stretches (punctuated by extremely social snippets). For new visitors, please check out some posts from the past month…
Tag: adventure
The World
Staggering, stressed Not wanting to be this way. Blazing humidity, long train ride, dehydration, confusion in train stations This red and black duffel bag–the bane of my existence. I had just arrived in Japan’s second largest city Hiding, I unplug a dusty cord from a pay phone to charge my dead phone Kimiko’s husband runs…
North Korea: Part IV
Unbelievable. My left foot is is South Korea, my right in North Korea. This table is where representatives of both sides meet periodically, along with representatives of neutral nations such as Sweden, Switzerland and Poland. To get to this point, though, we had to switch buses. No outside bus is allowed to get to this…
North Korea: Part III
First thing I saw after clearing customs in the Busan, South Korea ferry terminal? A metal case full of gas masks. Then I knew we were close to North Korea–though still several hours by high speed train. Here’s what you see everywhere in Seoul’s subway stations: A Korean colleague of mine at school first planted…
North Korea: Part II
I’ve found myself in a bit of a black hole phone charging situation here in South Korea so will need to keep it short for now. I hope to be able to post more tomorrow. Thanks, everyone, for bearing with me, viewing my posts and keeping me company during a heck of a lot of…
North Korea: Preface
Suffice it to say, this has been an eventful day in my life. There will be a full report in the near future but it’s late and I’m navigating alone in the bus and train systems of the world’s second largest city, Seoul. Let’s just say for now that my day began with my chasing…
35 Miles
That is how far I will be sleeping tonight from the border of the world’s most closed, secretive, unstable, dangerous nation. Tomorrow morning at 0910, I head to the North Korean border. I will go as close as I possibly can and bring back the stories and photos to share with each of you. Meanwhile,…
Fukuoka:
Quiet. Peaceful. Japan’s southern island of Kyushu. And I’m just happy to be here. The Japanese hooking up excellent vegan food yet again. Fukuoka!
Never Again
8:15 a.m. August 6th, 1945. Hiroshima, Japan NEVER AGAIN. Hiroshima transforms, but always remembers. Always.
Ju On
I awoke this morning not knowing where I’d be tonight. Now here I sit, so overcome with joy inside the American style Italian restaurant Fandango. Norah Jones & Enya calming my fears. I was searching fruitlessly for a specific veg friendly place as well as an ATM that accepts cards issued outside Japan. I walked the…
Journey to Koyasan
Glad my phone’s still here; wallet,too. There are no locks on doors here, at the 900 year old Rengejoin Buddhist temple on the sacred Koyasan mountain. During evening meditation, my phone and wallet were left unattended for a couple of hours. I left behind most of mainstream civilization. This being modern-advanced Japan, however, there is…
A Sacred Space
Mount Inari: one of the most fascinating, interesting, intriguing, uplifting, cool, spiritual places I have ever visited. Yes, there are legions of tourists below at the famous Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine. Especially when you do exactly as a more experienced American traveler in Japan told you exactly not to do, by going in the afternoon….
Don't Let My Parents Read This 