Living in Japan for the past year, I’ve had an unparalleled opportunity to see the daily life of the citizenry as they go about their daily lives. It’s an aging population, to be sure, but that’s not to say that there isn’t an ever present throng of young people going to-and-fro, usually sporting a school [...]
Earlier today, just as the sun was setting, my brother and I set out to explore the Osaka Castle Park. I’d visited the park on several occasions before, but forgot how massive the park is—over 1.07 million square meters—and how majestic the castle appears, particularly when seen under a clear night sky. The best view [...]
Just before the end of the year, I took my brother to a famous Japanese hot spring for his first onsen experience. I chose for us to stay at the Kamigoten Ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) in Wakayama Prefecture, south of Osaka. What a treat it was! Getting to the Ryūjin spa town was half of [...]
Homeward bound. I’m on my way from Japan to visit my family in Oklahoma for the holidays. Even though I usually avoid traveling on major holidays like the plague, this year I decided to forgo my usual concerns and make a surprise trip. I was able to travel in real lux this time around, as [...]
Just after Christmas, my elder brother in America plans to visit me here in Osaka, marking his first-ever trip to Japan. Of course, it being a cold winter holiday, the first place I’m going to take him is to a nice warm onsen (温泉, hot spring). I truly enjoy onsen, and this time will be [...]
One thing’s for sure: I don’t find Japanese easy to learn. The grammar seems reasonably straightforward, but my inability to read very many kanji, which are the Chinese characters used in most Japanese writing, means I can’t read books very quickly, even with the aid of good dictionaries. However, I have found one really good [...]
