On the surface, Hiroshima, Japan, was like any other large metropolitan city. Traffic streamed down the broad boulevards. Trams trundled noisily past on tracks set in the middle of the street. People hurried along sidewalks under a searing sun. Yet from the moment I set foot in Hiroshima, I felt wrapped in a cloak of … Read more
I’d been walking half a day in scorching heat when I arrived at the gorgeous entrance to Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto, Japan. I looked up the steep steps and questioned whether I really wanted to tackle yet another temple complex. Perhaps the entrance was all I needed to see. In the end, I wiped the … Read more
Many Japanese still wear the traditional Yukata, a casual cotton version of the more formal silk Kimono, as everyday attire. I found this to be so in Kyoto more than in any other place I visited in Japan. The streets were full of Yukata-wearing men and women. And while those in the city center were … Read more
Senso-ji Temple, located in the traditional Tokyo neighborhood of Asakusa, is said to be the heart and soul of the city. During the day, huge crowds of locals and visitors flock to the site. On the approach to the main hall, they light incense at the giant urn and allow purifying smoke to waft over … Read more
Using the Metro in Tokyo, Japan, can be a bit daunting. I’ve ridden subways in cities all over the world, from Shanghai to Paris to New York City, but none is more complex than the system in Tokyo. Even the official map of the system looks like so much spaghetti. The single most confusing issue … Read more
