My buddies
My traveling buddies - from left to right, Sylvia (really fun to hang out with, and lo! one of the five girls in the SCTI program), Tim (really deep, thoughtful guy - a jazz aficionado as well), Sanghoon ("check out my nostrils"), Mike (standing resolute), Han ("Yo, I'm cool" stance), Tafiti ("No I won't put down the alcohol bag for a picture"). I can't be made fun of because I ain't in it!
Hiroshima, Miyajima, and Himeji
May 28th 2006 Thursday evening was Karaoke, quick river visiting, and then home because of a weekend trip to Hiroshima and Miyajima. On Friday morning, at an ungodly hour, I departed for the Kyoto train station. I made my train, although I was later than I would've liked due to traffic, and had a delightfully uneventful Shinkansen ride to Hiroshima. On the way there, since I hadn't shaved before I left, I he
... read more Asia » Japan » Hiroshima
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 
