View atop Mohri Tower at night

Sayonara Kauai, Aloha Tokyo

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November 20th 2009
A year after spending Thanksgiving Day driving 17 hours through the barren Patagonia landscape, I decided to spend this Thanksgiving week exploring Japan. It felt so good to pack my travel pack once again - the first time since returning from South America. I landed in Tokyo after dark on the 20th and made my way to the Ueno area of the city which is where my couchsurfing host, Kyoko, lived. ... read more

Asia » Japan » Tokyo

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In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Fol... ... read more