For my first full day in Kyoto I decided to… leave Kyoto. I took a small, suburban railway up to Kibune Guchi then walked uphill for about half an hour to reach Kifune Shrine in Kibune. Apparently the spirit enshrined there is not exactly the spirit of water itself, but rather the provider of water…
Month: January 2010
Kushikatsu!
I just rearranged my plans so I can attend the Yamayaki fire festival in Nara tomorrow! This morning, I rode out to the Gekkeikan sake brewery. I didn’t have a map or any real idea of the address, but I had: A rough idea of where it is in the city and what train stations…
Machida Geocache
On my last day in Tokyo, I got out of the city a bit to visit a geocache in a park at Machida. This was about a 30 minute train ride away from the Yamanote line on a private train service run by Odakyu, whose main business is department stores. The train ride was uneventful,…
WTFSnow in Tokyo
We love snow!, originally uploaded by scjody. I said I wished it would snow while I was in Tokyo (I still do – it only snows every few years.) This isn’t what I meant though. I found these guys on a random walk through Shibuya (the “city” in Tokyo where I live) on Age Day….
Pantsless Tokyo
Well, we tried. I saw a post on couchsurfing with plans for a pantsless train ride, part of No Pants 2010 organized by Improv Everythingwhere. The consensus among some Japanese people I talked to the night before is that it would mostly be foreigners – the concept is a bit weird for Japanese. The chosen…
Kyoto!
I just arrived in Kyoto. I took the Nozomi – the fastest kind of shinkansen – which took just over 2 hours from Shinagawa station. I’ll be here for at least the next 4 days… My last few days in Tokyo were interesting. It was nice to be able to explore the city a bit…
Akemashite Omedetou
I decided I wanted Yakitori (meat on a stick, literally “roasted bird”) for dinner, and Just In Tokyo suggested I find one of the many restaurants near Yurakucho Station. I chose the busiest restaurant (which was relative – 6PM is early for dinner it seems) and it was excellent. Great food, friendly service, and as…
Review: BOSS Coffee (rainbow mountain blend)
BOSS Coffee (rainbow mountain blend) LABEL: 8/10. You have a rainbow, you have some coffee beans, you have the BOSS, a surly character. The label also promises Guatemalan Coffee, which Verbel Kint in The Usual Suspects says is the best coffee in the world. TEMPERATURE: 8/10. It came from a vending machine in a can,…
Postcards for postcards :)
I love getting & sending postcards, and I’m in Tokyo for a while… therefore: postcards for postcards. If you want postcards from me during my travels, please do 2 things: Send me your address – even if you sent it before because I don’t have it now. Send me a postcard! The address here is:…
Today I…
Today I accidentally: Bought a notebook for $35. Not a special notebook – last time I bought something similar, it was $6 at Staples. Took a subway line I’d never heard of, that wasn’t even on my map. Found Shibuya’s Love Hotel Hill. Finally saw HachikÅ the dog. Today I quite intentionally: Looked at cheap…