Sep 23, 2012

Once upon a time, at a village in the Nasu highlands, there lived the most beautiful young girl the people had ever laid eyes on. She had the longest, shiniest, smoothest hair; it was her custom to slowly and carefully wash it by the waterfall. Travelers, thirsty for fresh water, would lay eyes on her bathing near the river. They were smitten by her lovely face...

Sep 21, 2012

Where to go when you want to see night views overlooking Yokohama Bay in Japan? The obvious choice would be the 60+-storey Landmark Tower’s observation deck. But the admission fee is rather expensive there. If you’re pinching pennies like me then place to be is the Yokohama Marine Tower. It’s right at the end of Yamashita Park, offering a...

Sep 12, 2012

There are parks with man-made lakes, then there are those natural lakes that are also parks. Usuiko is in the former category, but it’s not just for the sake of pretty. What’s in a lake? We saw this one on the map while driving through Gunma Prefecture in Japan. We were glad we decided to stop by. Totally worth...

Sep 9, 2012

We live in the big city, and sometimes we fantasize about owning a summer home in Karuizawa 軽井沢. I wrote about this beautiful place before, and over the years of visiting this part of Japan there is still plenty to write about and many things to love. This summer we visited the northern (北 “kita”) area above Karuizawa, aptly called...

Sep 4, 2012

Somewhere, not so far away, is a small Buddhist temple where the flowers bloom year round. The gardens are planned with care, so that regardless of the season everyone who sets foot on the temple grounds are greeted with the beauty of flowers. (Continued after the Japanese...