Traveling with a smartphone has been a revelation. I remember back in 2010 when I first got to Ireland, I didn’t even have a guidebook. (This was quickly rectified once I learned about Lonely Planet from a fellow traveler.) Back in 2014, I still traveled with only a guidebook and a camera. This year, I…
Explorers
I had recently come across a video shared by someone on Reddit. It was a montage of his 2018 adventures on a motorcycle. The song in it (“Explorers” by The Midnight) caught my attention because I think it represents the spirit of adventure. I think there are many people out there, who, although lead normal…
Summary of China 2018
I remember about a year and a half ago, I was in the local Barnes and Noble near my apartment. I wandered to the travel section to look at guidebooks for fun. I saw a section on China and I thought, “I will explore you one day, you land of magical mysteries”. The land where…
#kuidaore #yolo #banzai
While I was in Japan, there were two foods that I made it a mission to eat; Kobe beef and “fugu” (pufferfish). I don’t even remember if I’ve ever had wagyu beef before I came to Japan but I had some melt-in-your-mouth A5 Hida beef in Takayama, which was very memorable. I used to be…
Kakinoha Sushi
When people hear the word “Japan”, the first food most think of is “sushi”. Back in 2016, I enjoyed a wonderful experience eating sushi with my family in one of those sushi joints next to Tsukiji Market. The sushi was fresh and delicious and was worth the experience of lining up on a rainy morning…
Let’s Talk Ramen
Ramen. The food of the people. Shio, shoyu, miso, tonkotsu, tsukemen; all terms most who love ramen are familiar with. I visited many ramen joints during my trip to Japan and each had its own signature broths. All were delicious, of course. Fukuoka is a particularly interesting city when it comes to ramen so if you are…
“Kuidaore”
While I was in Osaka, I learned about a philosophy that I believe all foodies out there can relate to. It is called “Kuidaore” and it means “to eat oneself into total ruin”. Now, maybe not all of us eat until we are financially ruined but I think it’s fair to say there are those…
Senbazuru – The Story of One Thousand Cranes
‘I will write Peace on your wingsand you will fly all over the world.’ Those were the words that a 12-year old girl named Sadako Sasaki wrote about her cranes she folded as she was battling leukemia. August 6, 1945 – Little Boy hit Hiroshima. In an instant, the lives of 80000 people vanished. Another…
Takayama
Out of all the towns and cities I visited in Japan, Takayama is one of my favorites. It is small enough to walk around easily but it has plenty of interesting things to see and eat. One can easily spend 2-3 days there. It gets a little touristy during the day as Japanese tourists come…
Hida Folk Village
One of the highlights of my visit to Japan was visiting HFV. Walking around its expansive grounds gave me a sense of what an old Japanese village was like in this part of Japan. What amazes me was how all the buildings and homes were disassembled in several actual villages in Gifu prefecture, relocated and…