Hmmmmm.  Received a most intriguing yet mysterious text this afternoon by someone with some very interesting news.  But the number is not in my list of contacts and, while I can possibly guess the sender's identity (New phone number perhaps?), I can't be certain.  My "Wait.  Who is this?" response went unanswered and so, for…

Tokyo cityscape Awesome TV Asahi big screen commercial The streets of Osaka The streets of Nishi Azabu Akemi's conversation with Pepper-kun The decontructed/reconstructed truffled egg yolk

Some of the many highlights of our recent Japan trip that I didn't have time to upload while traveling... Our hotel was located close to the Takarazuka Theater which hosts nightly performances of an all-female musical theater troupe comprised of six groups numbering a total of 400 members (graduates of the esteemed Takarazuka Music School).…

We cannot move to Japan.  One in every three girls you find cute. Akemi (December 6, 2018 - Tokyo) Well, we're back home and settled.  Ish.  I fell asleep at 1:30 a.m. last night.  Woke up two hours later, took a Benadryl, and slept in until 10:00 a.m.  Hopefully, tonight, I'll be able to sleep…

The trip back was surprisingly smooth sailing (in so far as we actually flew rather than sailed).  The flight left on time, Akemi and I slept through the first 6-7 hours, then we woke up and watched a movie: Sex and the City and Three Identical Strangers.  I leave you to figure out which of…

A quickie blog entry today as we are in the airport, waiting to board, much relieved we got Akemi's PR card in time because it would have been a major hassle getting home without it.  Our only other option would have been a 28 hours flight to Buffalo followed by a two hour drive to…

With time running down on this Japan trip, I'm trying to make the most of the day and a half I have left.  As a result, today was packed full o' fun. First up, was a trip to Roppongi and a visit to the Mori Art Museum where I took not one, not two, but…

I woke up this morning feeling as though I'd gargled glass shards, leading me to believe either: a) I was coming down with something or, b) Someone had tampered with my bedside water bottle.  After clearing the water bottle, it became apparent that I was, in fact, suffering from some sort of nose and throat…

Another whirlwind day in Tokyo following yesterday's Osaka to Nara to Kyoto to Tokyo jaunt.  We now have approximately two and a half days to squeeze in: Harajuku, Omotesando, Roppongi, Naka-Meguro, and Akihabara.  Looks like Odaiba, Toyosu, and Kichijoji will have to wait until next time. Akemi has been hankering for some vegetables and so,…

On our last night in Osaka, we met up for dinner with Akemi's old university friend, Ayaka, for some long overdue yakitori.  The girls had a great time catching up while I just tried my best to KEEP up.  Fortunately, on the occasions when the conversation went over my head, there was the food to…

We got into Osaka last night and got a room at the hotel where the memorial for Akemi's father was to take place.  Since it was a last minute reservation, we were left with a choice between smoking room and a room behind the elevator.  We chose the latter and, after dining on a half…

Last night, we had our first sushi dinner at Sushi Taichi, a little sushiya (But aren't they all?) tucked away in a little side street in Ginza.  A lot of fun little appetizers, a lot of fantastic nigiri, and two carafes of sake later and we were ready for bed - if not for the…

  Highlights from last night's dinner: sea urchin jelly, tai sashimi, and grilled chicken butts. One of the things I loved about traveling to Japan from the west coast was the almost perfect transition between time zones.  We'd fly in for around 8:00 p.m., have a late dinner, then be in bed by 10 p.m.,…

A quick blog entry since it's 8:20 p.m. Tokyo time (but 6:20 a.m. Toronto time) and I feel like I'm back in my college party days - late night exhausted and giddy but, in this case, alcohol-free.   Our 13 hours flight was uneventful outside of the truly awful in-flight meal.  I honestly don't understand…