The One about the Booths and Stores at Fushimi Inari in Kyoto
You just completed the long walk up Fushimi Inari and by the time you go down, you enter a side of Fushimi Inari quite different than the first. This time, many shops and food vendors line the street and many people taking part in buying Read More …
The One about My Random Musings: Korea Times Music Festival @ The Hollywood Bowl (2017)
This weekend I was at Los Angeles and attended the 15th Annual Korea Times Music Festival @ the Hollywood Bowl. I’ll do more of a write-up when I get back and get situated but for now, please enjoy my latest Random Musings video from the Read More …
The One about Tacos Los Juanes in Lemoore, California
For 2017, for a lot of small towns in California, I have been visiting a few small Mexican restaurants to try the dishes (primarily burritos) and seeing what is out there. In Lemoore, California, I recently tried Tacos Los Juanes. I wasn’t sure about the Read More …
The One about Francois Truffaut’s “Jules and Jim”
Francois Truffaut, one of the founders of the French New Wave, has come off a string of successful films from his 1959 hit “The 400 Blows” and the 1960 film “Shoot the Piano Player”. But in 1962, Truffaut was in love with Henri-Pierre Roche’s semi-autobiographical Read More …
The One about the Dr. Hidesaburo Ueno and Hachiko monument at the University of Tokyo
In Japan, many people have gone to the Shibuya Scramble Crossing in Shibuya to visit the Hachiko Statue. For those not familiar with the story, Hachiko is an Akita dog and the pet of Professor Hidesaburo Ueno, who worked at the agriculture Engineering, Irrigation, Drainage Read More …
The One about Akihabara at Night Pt. 2
Akihabara. The electric city known for its shops of toy merchandise, collectables, video games, electronics, maid cafes and more. And of my favorite experiences is visiting these locations late in the day and seeing how the nightlife is for these areas. Last month, I posted Read More …
The One about Kubota Slugger
In the United States, we are accustomed to ordering online for baseball gear these days and while sports shop retailers still exist, you have your department stores that sell baseball gloves and some who go online to find really awesome quality baseball gloves such as Read More …
The One about Ura-Harajuku
Quite often when one talks about Harajuku, typically it’s about Takeshita St. (and the stores within the street) and Harajuku Station. But there is more to Harajuku past Takeshita St or within that vicinity. Keep going past Takeshita Street and discover the world of Ura-Harajuku Read More …
The One about Lemoore, California
The next area that I am blogging from is Lemoore, California. Known for its Naval Air Base, its Tachi Bingo Palace and the where Journey lead singer Steve Perry had grown up as a child/teenager, the city of Lemoore was founded in April 1871 by Read More …
The One about Taqueria “La Piedad” in Avenal, California
In California, quite often when I visit small towns, I like to sample the cuisine in the area, especially Mexican dishes. I often ask locals of what is the best authentic Mexican restaurants and with the city of Avenal having a large Latino population, the Read More …
The One about Avenal, California
I recently traveled to the town/city of Avenal, California located in the Central California (Kings County) area. With a population of 13,195 (2015), the city is known these days for the Avenal State Prison which provides a thousand jobs to residents in the area. Named Read More …
The One about an Tsuri Yoka Desho catching something very huge in the ocean
One of the most popular fishing YouTube channels, with over 1.75 million subscribers and over ten years of content, 釣りよかでしょう “Tsuri Yoka Desho” (which translates to “Fishing is Great, Isn’t It?”) continues to rake over a fifty thousand viewers per video, with many reaching over Read More …
The One about the Trader Stores in Akihabara
I’m often asked of where in Japan would I go to buy import Japanese video games for a good price. While you can find many places that sell video games new and used all over Japan (such as the plethora of BookOff Stores), in Tokyo, Read More …
The One about Aqua Walk in Ogaki, Gifu
I’m often asked if there is a place in Japan that reminded me of the United States. In Tokyo, probably not. But going farther out to Gifu, visiting Ogaki, the place reminded me a lot like home. With the home of Toyota not far, one Read More …
The One About Wayne Graczyk (RIP Wayne)
It was a few weeks ago that I was promoting Wayne Graczyk’s latest Japan Pro Baseball Fan Handbook & Media Guide and today, I have learned that Wayne had passed away after a game in Kumamoto, helping NTV to cover a game between the Yomiuri Read More …
The One about Cafe Koto in Kyoto
A familiar site for those riding the shinkansen and are leaving Kyoto Station, Cafe Kyoto is a restaurant that offers Japanese and western cuisine for those wanting to grab a bite without paying for food at the convenience store locations around the station. The restaurant/cafe Read More …
The One about Inarisuwa Shrine in Nerima
Located near Ikebuchishiseki Park in Nerima is Inarisuwa Shrine. Also known as Wada Inari Jinja, this Shinto Shrine is also known as Dengoro Inari or Wadaborinari and was once used as a guardian protecting the surrounding Wada district but since the Meiji period, the name Read More …
The One about Jean-Luc Godard’s “Une femme mariée: Fragments D’un Film Tourne En 1964 en Noir et Blanc”
1964. Jean-Luc Godard has had another success with his fifth film “Bande a part” (Band of Outsiders) and began his sixth feature film “Une femme mariée: Fragments D’un Film Tourne En 1964 en Noir et Blanc” (A Married Woman: Fragments from a film from 1964 Read More …
The One about Jodo Shinshu Jokoji in Adachi
While I was in Higashiko, Adachi, I explored the Jodo Shinshu Jokoji Temple. I’m not too familiar with Buddhist sects but Jodo Shinshu (The True Essence of the Pure Land Teaching) is also known as Shin Buddhism. Founded by former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran, Shin Read More …
The One about Going Back to Narita Airport and Suffering Post-Japan Travel Withdrawal
The final day in Japan and if you are in Tokyo and leaving via Narita Airport, you can’t help but feel the sadness that your vacation has finally ended. It’s one thing to go through check out, but this last trip was quite sad. It Read More …
The One about the Owls of Ikebukuro
Located in the entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan is Ikebukuro. While there are so many things to discuss about Ikebukuro, today’s post I will talk about the owls of Ikebukuro. You can find an owl in the center of the city, you can find Read More …
The One about FaSoLa Cafe Coffee & Beer @ Narita Airport
After you go past the major fine restaurants at Narita Airport, as you continue to walk towards your connecting international flight, you’ll find several restaurants that are inexpensive. One of them is FaSoLa Cafe Coffee & Beer near the connection of the main and satellite Read More …
The One about Wrapped Crepe Korot in Shibuya
Located in Shibuya, near homes and apartments not far from Yoyogi Park and Meiji Shrine is a gem of sweetness known as Wrapped Crepe Korot. Established in March 2011, Wrapped Crepe Korot would sell items at stores for a limited time but now they are Read More …