We took a taxi after breakfast to Morika Tofu Shop on the very outskirts of Kyoto. Our cab driver did not know how to get there. He had to call in to his station to get the coordinates for his modified GPS. Even, then, he said he had never been there. But he did agree that it was the best tofu, in that Morika-san is widely regarded by everybody as the champion tofu maker in all of Japan. So, we engaged in quite a discussion with our taxi cab driver, his broken English, my broken Japanese. And many hand gestures, voice inflections, smiles and laughs. We drove and we drove, ringing up a huge taxi toll as we went along. We moved from dense inner city, to semi suburbia, to almost country. We turned down a ... read more

After taking the bullet train from Tokyo to Nagoya, we now embark on our second trip using our Japan Rail pass. The first trip was such an adventure, and made us wish that such travel was available in the United States. The seats and ride were so comfortable. The seats recline in a fashion much better than the airline seats. And an adjustable footrest helps the shorter passengers get comfortable. The windows have a pull down shade for those that want to sleep. People are respectfully quiet, and turn their cell phone ringers to silent. When they talk, they generally speak softly, or move to the back of the car. We also had seats in a no smoking, first class car, with only about 10 people in it. We have just a short ride to Kyoto ... read more

Japan's main island, Honshu, is covered by a network of high speed trains connecting Tokyo with most of the island's major cities. These high speed bullet trains are called shinkansen, and operated by Japan Railways (JR). The Tokkaido shinkansen, which we will be using, connects Tokyo to our others visits: Osaka, Kyoto, and Nagoya. This line was inaugurated in 1964 as the first shinkansen line and the world's first high speed train service. At that time, the trains already ran at about 200 km/h. Now, they reach speeds of 300 km/h. We bought shinkansen passes in the states before we left, to help save some money along the way. It was still pricey, but much less than flying or buying tickets piecemeal along the way. There are three basic types of trains: *Nozomi trains stop only ... read more

The huge Tsukiji market dates back to the 16th century, when the military rulers who had just moved Japan's capital to Tokyo wanted to ensure they had a proper channel to get enough fish to their hungry vassals at the nearby castle. Today, Japan is the world's biggest consumer of seafood. The market handles 480 kinds of seafood, bringing around 40,000 buyers and sellers daily. The value of its seafood trade amounts to 1.8 billion yen ($20 million) per day on average, making it the heart of the national seafood distribution system and the biggest fish wholesale market in the world. It is the kind of place that Japanese take for granted, like, say, a big jelly bean factory might be ignored in the West. But because of its long history, the traditional way that the ... read more

Having watched or celebrated the Chinese New Year, brings to mind the Japanese tradition of Obon. Obon is an annual Buddhist event for commemorating one's ancestors. It is believed that each year during obon, the ancestors' spirits return to this world in order to visit their relatives. Though I am not a Buddhist, I do have a good appreciation for some of its beliefs and traditions. My paternal Grandfather came from a family of Buddhist priests in Japan. But I was raised a Methodist, so I guess I can call myself a jack-Buddhist. Traditionally, lanterns are hung in front of houses to guide the ancestors' spirits, obon dances (bon odori) are performed, graves are visited and food offerings are made at house altars and temples. At the end of Obon, floating lanterns are put into rivers, ... read more