I am headed to Japan because it is my mother country. It was home to both sets of my grandparents, who came to the US at the end of 1800s and beginning of the 1900s. I am going to show my best buddy, Mr. Mike around my home country. We will focus on food, Michaelin stars, hole in the wall joints and big city walks, and less on temples and museums. From the MoneyFesto: Japan really has the best of both worlds, and its juxtaposition is what entices travelers in the first place. You see, Japan not only has a rich cultural heritage and unique traditions, with ancient temples, shrines, and tea ceremonies for visitors to learn all about. But Japan also has cutting-edge technology and futuristic cityscapes like no other place on the planet. url=https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsamplingamerica.com%2F10-foreign-cities-that-feel-like-america%2F&data=05%7C ... read more

Not sure if you saw this, but I am very impressed. This is from Timeout Tokyo. Michelin has just released its 2024 Tokyo guide, but the results aren't what we were used to expecting. While the city is widely praised for consistently boasting the highest total number of Michelin stars in the world, this year’s featured restaurants have 23 fewer stars than those in the url=https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news/michelin-awards-tokyo-restaurants-a-total-of-263-stars-for-2023-1115222023 guide. The number of Michelin stars awarded to Tokyo restaurants in 2023 tallied 263, while this year's guide awards 240 stars. The amount of Michelin-starred restaurants has also decreased, with the latest guide featuring 1... read more

Tokyo has more people than all of Texas, just no drawl or cowboy boots. Over 37 million people live here. And quite remarkably, Tokyo has more Michelin stars than London and Paris combined! On the sporting side, Tokyo is one of only ten cities to host the Olympics more than once. But the greater Tokyo area has FIVE major league baseball teams. And Shibuya Crossing is the world's busiest pedestrian intersection. And Shinjuku Station is the busiest train station. In fact, we start the trip by staying in Shinjuku, and end it by staying in Shibuya. Despite its modern or futuristic landscape, Tokyo has a 7th century temple, and some of the oldest shops on earth. Japan is home to more than 33,000 businesses that are over 100 years old, some dating back to the 6th ... read more

As you are probably aware by now, I have so much information to share about my upcoming trip to Japan. My travel buddy, Mike and I will hit Tokyo, Nagoya (my grandparents' hometown), Kyoto, and back to Tokyo. We also hope to see a dear friend of ours, who studied in the US for many years, and has returned to corporate life in Tokyo. She will provide the "insider's" view and experience, I am certain. (Ironically, she will visit us here in the US next week, just before we leave for Tokyo!) I have researched much of the background information, covering a wide range of subjects, mostly food, but some history, culture, and perhaps unknown aspects of Japanese life. I have done the museum and temple tours, so that will be at a minimum here. But ... read more

I am stopping in Chicago, on my way back from Annapolis/Baltimore and my visit with Dirty Pat, and Mrs. Pat. I am here to complete the last part of my journey to document and discover the places where my parents spent time during World War 2, including their incarceration in Gila, AZ (I visited in March 2023). After my parents eloped to Phoenix, while incarcerated at Gila, they left Arizona on a work furlough. Internees were allowed to leave the camps, provided they had a job in the interior part of the country, to help in the war effort due to a severe shortage of manpower. I plan to visit two locations, the apartment where they lived, and the famous Nisei Lounge. The Nisei Lounge: From their website: Nisei Lounge (at 3439 N. Sheffield) is proudly ... read more