San Francisco-September 2010

Three days in San Francisco to eat and relax.

San Francisco-September 2010 San Francisco-September 2010

Paris and Dordogne 10/08

Kristina's Big Fat Fortieth in France 2008 (a.k.a. "Nice Church, what's for lunch?")

Paris and Dordogne 10/08 Paris and Dordogne 10/08

Rome 2009

Mozzarella, Museums & Macchiato; A Week in Rome, October 2009

Rome 2009 Rome 2009

Vietnam & Bangkok 2009

Vietnam & Bangkok- 17 days July 2009

Vietnam & Bangkok 2009 Vietnam & Bangkok 2009

San Francisco April 2009

Four Fabulous Days in San Franscico April 2009

San Francisco April 2009 San Francisco April 2009

Rome March 2008

The Big lasagna Tour- Rome March 2008

Rome March 2008 Rome March 2008

Tokyo’s Ameyoko Market and Yakitori with the Local Crew

August 31, 2011
Thumbnail image for Tokyo’s Ameyoko Market and Yakitori with the Local Crew

We all hope for unscripted moments when we travel, don’t we? It’s those precious minutes when you actually get to interact with someone who lives in the place you have traveled halfway around the world to visit, someone who isn’t paid to interact with you (like a hotel employee, tour guide or waiter).

These experiences seem fewer and farther between now that we have up-to-the-minute travel blogs to point the way, yelp reviews to tell us where to eat, and smart phones to guide us on the go. Still, those authentic moments can and do still happen, when you least expect it. And that’s how we found ourselves sharing beer and yakitori with a group of guys at a little stand inside the Ameyoko Market in Tokyo.

We had spent the morning in Ueno Park visiting the Tokyo National Museum, which while partly closed due to the March 11 earthquake, was still worth the visit to see the beautiful historical kimonos, art, and archaeological finds (swords, pottery, jewelery, etc.) of Japan. It was raining so we didn’t feel like walking through the huge park to visit any of the other sights there; various pagodas and shrines, a lake, and several other museums. We did however, pause to take a picture of this life-sized blue whale outside the National Science Museum. A comprehensive visit to this park could easily take several days in better weather.

The Ameyoko Market is across the street from the South end of the Ueno train station and runs underneath the elevated train tracks. There are two larger pedestrian streets which run parallel to the train tracks and several smaller alleys which crisscross underneath. Legend has it this was a place where black market items could be found, especially after WWII. Now it’s filled with everything from discount clothing, to fresh fish and fruit, to small …

Read the full article →

Tokyo’s Ramen Jiro, A Delicious Happy Accident

August 15, 2011
Thumbnail image for Tokyo’s Ramen Jiro, A Delicious Happy Accident

Our trip back to Tokyo from Kyoto was easy and quick. We bought bento boxes in the station for lunch on the 10 am train and had an uneventful and fast ride back to Tokyo.

Shinkansen Kyoto station

When we arrived back at the Hilton around 1:15, our room was not ready. This was especially frustrating because clearly the hotel was not even close to full. We waited at the nearby Starbucks until 2pm. The room was essentially the same as the one we’d had earlier in the week, also on the 25th floor. We were told we had been “upgraded to deluxe” but both of us felt this was a stretch. Show me the “deluxe” I say.

Our plan for dinner was to find a noodle place I had in my notes. The address was not much more than the name of a building and a vague description of a place which is known for its hand made udon noodles. By looking up the building, I found the street and an approximate location on a map, about three blocks north of Shinjuku station. We set to find the place, but have a really difficult time.

Finally, we find what we think is the building, and yes, there’s a noodle place, crowded and with a ticket machine as described. There is no English in the signage, no English on the menu and essentially no English spoken. Inside, there is one U shaped counter with two tiny tables in back.

Ramen Jiro Shinjuku

We stand outside and hesitate for a while, but it’s clearly popular (there was a wait for seats) and it smells incredible, so we venture in. This is the type of place where one pays and orders from a ticket machine and gives a ticket to the guy behind the counter. Unfortunately, there were no photos on the buttons, only Japanese characters, so we have no idea what …

Read the full article →

Fushimi Inari Shrine

August 8, 2011
Thumbnail image for Fushimi Inari Shrine

Exit the Inari train station, cross the street, and you are practically at the entrance gate to the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine. Behind the main shrine temple is a 4km circular route (actually more like a figure eight) which cannot be seen from the start. It’s almost impossible to judge the scope of the setting and we had no map. Did I mention it’s on a hill too? Still, we set out, hoping to see at least some of the hundreds of “gates” dedicated to Inari before the sun went down too far.

Inari is the shinto god of rice and this temple was erected in his honor. The fox is supposed to be Inari’s messenger so there are hundreds of statues of foxes all over the temples and cemetaries which dot the path along the hillside.

After the first set of gates we arrived at another small shrine area where blank prayer plaques called ema and miniature gates can be purchased along with other small religious souvenirs and charms called omamori.

Up and up we walked and walked and walked, passing thru hundreds of torii (sacred gates), purchased and erected as offerings by past and present day worshipers.

Fushimi Inari Gates

It was a cool day but by the time we got to what we thought was the top, we were sweating. Then David spoke to some French tourists, one who lives there and had been before, and she explained that there was more to the route and we were really only near the middle. At that point, there are a few small tea houses so if you want to stop for refreshments you can, or keep walking. It was getting late and we needed to get back but I would love to come back here and plan to spend the whole day to walk the entire route, perhaps …

Read the full article →

Nara Japan; Sacred Deer, Todai-ji Temple and Lunch in a Bus Station

August 3, 2011
Thumbnail image for Nara Japan; Sacred Deer, Todai-ji Temple and Lunch in a Bus Station

Ancient temples? Check. World’s largest bronze Buddha? Check. Sacred deer roaming the streets who will eat our of your hand? Che….whoa…what?

Oh yes, Nara Japan has it all, including a few thousand tame “sacred” deer who are free to roam the streets, wander into shops and restaurants and lounge about the local parks. These deer are considered “messengers of the gods” and are all over the 1300 acre Nara Park where most of the temples and National Museum are located.

We took the shuttle bus from the hotel to the Kyoto train station and then used our Japan Rail passes to take the train to Nara. We got on the first train available and this one looked much like a city subway train. Indeed, it was the “slow” train, stopping at every station, making it a 64 minute trip vs. the faster train which takes 48 minutes.

At the Nara train station, we visited the Tourist information desk and got a map and directions on where to go from there. It’s incredibly easy;  just walk out the station, across the parking lot and up the main street on the left. About 6 blocks later we reached the first of many temples.

At this point we started running into some of the sacred deer. They like to hang out next to the carts where people sell deer crackers (go figure) but really, they are just about everywhere in the park areas.

Nara Deer
See the sign; be careful they don’t “butt” you!

 Our next stop was Todaiji Temple, home to the largest bronze buddha in the world and the temple building itself is considered to be one of the largest wooden structures in the world.

Great Buddha Hand
Buddha’s hand; if his ear is 8 ft long then then hand must be about 10 ft.

 Before we left Nara, I had to give

…

Read the full article →

My 7 links~ A Look Back

July 18, 2011
Thumbnail image for My 7 links~ A Look Back

Recently the web site Tripbase started a blogging round-robin of sorts. The goal? “To unite bloggers (from all sectors) in a joint endeavor to share lessons learned and create a bank of long but not forgotten blog posts that deserve to see the light of day again.” 
The premise is simple; follow the format, answering the seven questions below and linking to the relevent posts on your blog. Then nominate other blogs to do the same. Nicole Durbin from Immersed in the World nominated me (thanks Nicole!) and now it’s my turn to pass the torch.

Some of these posts were tough to decide. This site has gone through so many changes, versions, incarnations and platforms in the last 13 years, how could I pick?  It’s like asking me to pick a favorite child. It’s also very difficult to quantify things like success and popularity of the older posts because my stats only go back two years. Yes, I tend to over-think this type of stuff, so here we go….Enjoy!

Most beautiful post:

One of my favorite places in the world is Rome because of this, it’s also one of my favorite places to photograph. It has it all; beautiful old buildings and ruins, gorgeous food and interesting people. The post from our first day in Rome on our 2009 trip has a little bit of everything and more (the photo of the procession at the top of this post is also from there) Maybe I’m just being sentimental because I’m going back in October, but I can’t wait!

Most popular post:

KindleI was so excited when the newest version of the Kindle came out right at the same time I wanted to buy one I became a woman obsessed. While I was waiting for it to arrive, I was reading and learning everything I could about it. I …

Read the full article →

Nanzen-Ji Temple and Dinner at Asuka

July 10, 2011
Thumbnail image for Nanzen-Ji Temple and Dinner at Asuka

Across the street from the Keage Subway station and the Westin Miyako Hotel, is an arched entrance to a brick lined tunnel with leads to the Southern end of the Philosopher’s Walk. This pathway follows a canal lined with cherry trees and temples.

We arrive in the late afternoon as the weather is turning overcast and chilly so we stick to the closest temple to the Southern entrance which is also one of the most popular, Nanzen-Ji. If we had more time and better weather, we would have loved to spend the day checking out all the temples along the path.

While we never actually saw the canal as it’s North of nanzen-Ji temple, there was water running everywhere; along the sides of the road, out of private gardens, most of it probably coming from the nearby aquaduct (more on that below).

Walking up to the main gate of the temple, a gigantic two story structure, we see three young women in kimonos taking pictures of eachother. I offer to take their picture of the three of them together with their camera and then ask if I can take one with mine. They happily oblige.

 

The temple itself appears closed to the public, but the abbot’s quarters are open for a fee of 500 yen per person. We have to leave our shoes at the front while we walk through the compound on elevated wooden walkways. There are numerous serene gardens and we saw several grounds keepers cleaning and pruning with what looked like tweezers and scissors!

Outside the temple is a Meiji era aquaduct dating back to 1890 which still carries water in it today.

After such a long day of walking around, for dinner we opt to keep it close to the hotel (after, of course, enjoying …

Read the full article →

A Visit To Kyoto’s Nijo Castle

July 4, 2011
Thumbnail image for A Visit To Kyoto’s Nijo Castle

After our morning filled with food, we finally make it onto the subway and exit across the street from Nijo Castle where we’d attempted to walk to the day before in driving wind and rain.

Tip: we bought a 600 yen subway day pass. This is a good value because the least expensive trip is 210 yen so anything after 3 rides in a day is bonus.

Nijo castle is surrounded by high walls and betrays little of what lays inside. The castle complex was built by Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu in the late 16th century. Like most of the ancient structures we’ve seen, this is a series of wooden buildings set on elevated platforms connected by covered halls and walkways.

Inside, everything is serene and there are extensive gardens.  The cherry blossoms are still in bloom here. The main buildings which were used for living and political functions are filled with beautiful murals as well as some odd life-size model reproductions of the shogun and his “people.”

Read the full article →

Kyoto’s Nishiki Market and Daimaru Depachicka (Food Hall)

June 21, 2011
Thumbnail image for Kyoto’s Nishiki Market and Daimaru Depachicka (Food Hall)

Kyoto’s Nishiki Market Street

If you’re interested in food, when researching Kyoto, it’s almost impossible not to come across references to Nishiki street. This market is often referred to as an “alley” but really, it’s quite clean and comfortable because it’s located one of the covered arcade streets running parallel to Shijo St between Teramachi St and Takakura St. 

While the surrounding streets are also covered arcades (which is great in inclement weather like we had), those streets are bursting with clothing shops, souvenir stands and restaurants. Nishiki is all about the food; it’s filled with market stalls catering to every kind of Japanese specialty imaginable, many of them unique to Kyoto. There are all manner and variety of pickled vegetables, fresh tofu and yuba (tofu skin), fish mongers and butchers. There are a couple of well known knife shops here though our budget prohibited any purchase.

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →