Category: travel

Between Heaven and Earth

After recovering from three somewhat harrowing days driving a rental car on the road in Japan, we learned , despite the high points of the trip, not to do it again.  I also relearned that there is a very small margin of error between life and death on a snake like one lane curving  road … Continue reading Between Heaven and Earth →

MOVE OVER!!

Setting. Somewhere along the coast of the Kii Penninsula, Japan. Mid- Autumn, early afternoon. Narrow road. Driver, operating a car on the "wrong" side of what he's accustomed to, has strong tendency to drift to the left towards perilous drainage ditch.  No road shoulders.  Passenger and driver both displaying symptoms of anxiety. Prologue "Move over.''  … Continue reading MOVE OVER!! →

Aging Gracefully Off the Beaten Path

Since I learned to drive, I've always had the urge to explore places off the beaten path.  I love to follow an unknown road deep into the countryside.  The same impulse still resides in me today.  Yesterday, it took me and my husband on a wonderful detour just on the city's edge. Following a recommendation … Continue reading Aging Gracefully Off the Beaten Path →

serendippity doo dah

Long-range plans are not my forté. Sometimes,they are neccesary, but in general, I prefer to make it up as I go along, follow my instincts, and see what might appear.  Sometimes this results in a clash with my scientific husband who is a more linear thinker.  He has called my seemingly random excursions, "aimless wandering."  … Continue reading serendippity doo dah →

A Foreign Eye on Kyoto’s Jidai Matsuri

Who doesn't love a parade? Kyoto has three important matsuri during the year. JIdai matsuri is one of them.  I've seen the other two, one in spring and one in the suffocating hot summer.   I had not heard of the Jidai matsuri until a few days ago when a Japanese friend of mine confided … Continue reading A Foreign Eye on Kyoto’s Jidai Matsuri →