After a two hour nap between our visiting to the Fish Market, and meeting our friend, Itsuyo, we took the subway to Ebisu to meet her. Naturally, we were standing on the wrong side of the station. So, she called, and we finally had the joyful reunion we had anticipated for several months. We headed to the 28th floor of an Ebisu office building for lunch, a Korean barbecue place with a fantastic view of Tokyo. Though it was cold and rainy most of the day, the view was clearly fantastic. We proceeded with a gift exchange, and sat down to [View Full Entry]

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Shouts of welcome greet us as we came in to one of the best food experiences we have ever had. When new diners arrive, or plates of food are complete, the entire crew harmonizes into cacophony of agreement and encouragement. Let me tell you!!! We were escorted to our seats at the very end of a long food bar. Huge groups of 8 to 12 were sitting at big party tables throughout the place. Private rooms upstairs serve party groups, with an added sushi bar as well. Little did we know that we had the best seats in the house. We [View Full Entry]

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Everyone knows that Tokyo is the capital and the largest city in Japan. Tokyo is one of 47 prefectures, although it is called a metropolis, consisting of 23 wards, 26 cities, 5 towns, and 8 villages, including the islands of Izu and Ogasawara. Prior to 1868, Tokyo was known as Edo, a small castle town in the 16th century, became known as the political center of Japan in 1603. In a few decades, it became one of the most populous cities in the world. And the Meiji Restoration in 1868 moved the capital from Kyoto to Edo, which was renamed Tokyo. [View Full Entry]

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The long awaited day and trip are finally here. We are off to Narita Airport in Tokyo, Japan for a trip of a lifetime (we hope). I do have some trepidation about being a Japanese American in Japan, and unable to speak Japanese very well. But it will be a stern test of what little I know and understand from my childhood days with my grandparents, who lived across the street. I will first rely on asking questions and directions. Second, I (we) are taking the Pimsleur Learning to Quick and Easy Japanese. Third, we can always hire a local guide, [View Full Entry]

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One of the hidden delights of the Monterey Peninsula is the Bayonet Golf Course at the old Fort Ord Army base in Monterey. Fort Ord was established in 1917, and closed in 1994. It was the home of the 7th Infantry, and has now been converted to civilian uses, including California State University Monterey. The two sister golf courses, Bayonet and Black Horse, have been converted to public golf courses, and host PGA events. Both courses have been recently renovated. A small portion of old Fort Ord remains under military control as the Presidio of Monterey Annex. We have also stayed [View Full Entry]

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Most of you who read my emails know how much I like champagne, or to be accurate, California sparkling wine. I have not been to the Champagne region of France, but I have been to numerous California wineries. If you did not already know, we call them sparkling wine here, and Champagne in France which is reserved for the region that invented these wines. But I could care less about what the French want us to do. I call all sparkling wines by the name I think they should be called: champagne!!!! The oenophiles in the readership already know the two [View Full Entry]

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Remember watching the old twenty mule team with Ronald Reagan when we were kids? Death Valley Days was a long running radio and TV show created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman. It ran from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series sponsored by Pacific Coast Borax Company, who made 20 Mule Team Borax and Boraxo. The radio show ran from 1930 to 1945. Believe it or not, there were 558 episodes with the longest running actor, Stanley Andrews as "The Old Ranger" from 1952 to 1965. Then he was followed by the slightly more famous Dale Robertson, Robert Taylor, and [View Full Entry]

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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 [View Full Entry]

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The drive over to Zion is mostly flat until the park entrance is reached. From there, it becomes mildly spectacular, then entirely engrossing and magnificent. Mother Nature is a crazy dame, as Cosmo Kramer says. But it is rather cold up in the park, and black ice is relatively frequent in the winter. If we had a 4WD, we would drive all the way through to the east entrance. Avoid this place in the summer, unless you take the tram provided by the rangers. Numerous casual hikes and mountain biking are available, weather permitting. It was a little too cold for [View Full Entry]

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The only bizarre food that Andrew Zimmern of the Travel Channel has spit out on camera is the mighty durian. Durian is the Southeast Asia treat, known better to us westerners as the stinky fruit. It is forbidden in hotels, in so far as signs are placed in hotel lobbies and corridors banning durian from its premises. Now, it is hard to believe that Sheri loves durian, while I still have not acquired a taste for it. They say the taste is like a cross between ripe bananas and custard. But I say it is a cross between stinky sweat socks, [View Full Entry]

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