Where Globe-Trotting meets Beach-Combing
With the completion of Awa Odori at hand, we American-Japanese dancers asked Sumie-san if we could continue our Japanese cultural training by taking tea ceremony lessons from her. Tea ceremony is serious business, and Sumie-san is a certified tea ceremony master! Wow! Lucky for us, she said yes. But first she laughed. “Japanese dance? Tea…
I felt a particular freedom on my birthday this year that I haven’t felt the last nine years. In 2001, birthday celebrations and festivities disappeared behind the billowing cloud of black smoke roiling out of New York City’s Twin Towers. I figured I’d never feel like celebrating my birthday again. Or even if I did,…
On occasions when I have Mouse trouble, I set a simple but effective Mousetrap. I get out an empty plastic bag, fluff it open and toss it onto the floor nearby. Mouse will get out of whoever’s purse he’s trying to sneak into, stop licking my elbow, or switch off his laser eye beams—whichever the…
“Otsukaresama deshita!” “Otsukaresama deshita!” “Otsukaresama deshita!” After each Awa Odori performance the words rang through the night as everyone ended the night’s work by calling out, “Job well done!” Tonight we had a Job Well Done Dinner where we stood for a formal toast, everyone said, “Kanpai!” and we all clinked glasses. Boys came running…
I must repeat it: I love zipping around Japan on the Scoop. The wind tearing by, the smell of a bamboo grove or the river for a fraction of a second, the sunshine on my skin, and the amazing visibility of my helmet instead of a windshield…my love affair with the Scoop continues. I can…
Here’s what Japanese like: themes. Theme parks, theme restaurants, lifestyle themes—I think it’s part of what makes being a professional tourist in Japan so satisfying. Whatever you do, do over the top. Not surprisingly, when you go to Tiki Tiki Hawaiian Restaurant, you can count on a full-on Hawaiian experience. Love it!The first great thing…
“Johnny and I had a cabbie take us to a mountain fortress and we climbed around the mountain and followed the old stone wall up and down the mountain for miles. It was awesome, and the views were breathtaking. There were watchtowers and gates and everything. And then we came down the mountain from the…
