JPN
Across the street from an empty lot in the Osaka suburb of Sakai, sits one of the most famous sites for followers of the Japanese tea ceremony. Tucked between two buildings in a sparsely landscaped lot stands a simple wooden roof above a stone rectangle. Inside that bamboo covered tank a well holds water beloved by the man who refined the tea ceremony, Sen No Rikyu.
The young man writes that he’s staying in a temple on his customs form. An officer questions his entry, “How unusual,” and delays the boy’s entry into Japan as he consults his superior. Within a few minutes the matter is deemed inconsequential and the journey continues on through the airport, onto a bus and two hours later he arrives at the entrance to his temple lodging at Nanzen-ji in Kyoto.
Trips overseas can take months of planning. Visions of famous sites pepper the imagination. You feel yourself standing there – seeing, smelling and hearing it all. Venturing into the world takes a certain amount of surrender. Things however will never go completely according to plan – sometimes for the better and others not. That’s just part of the bargain. At some point, there’s only surrender. Here are two life-changing trips that turned out a bit differently than expected:
Alaska and Mount Denali:
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I woke up in a SoDo doorway
The policeman knew my name
He said, "You can win one at home tonight
If you can go up and Walk today"
I staggered up to see what Yu got
The breeze blew back my hair
I remembered throwing punches around
And takin' AJ's dare
Said who are Yuuuu
Who who
Who who?
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This week in urban exploration for the armchair traveler, another Japanese city-turned-wasteland. This time around it’s the industry town of
It’s 3 a.m. and every nerve in my body wants to stay in bed but quickly the intellect clears enough to remind me that the world’s largest fish market is springing to life just a few blocks away and I’ve been invited to witness the structured chaos within its gates.
As my taxi rounded the corner in Tokyo’s Ginza district, the crowd shifted. Suddenly there were more kimonos present than seen all day. The answer why lay close. It was midday and nearly time for the matinee performance at Japan’s National Kabuki Theater.
It just opened in 2012 but the tallest building in Japan, and arguably the tallest transmission tower in the world, has quickly become a powerful Tokyo tourist destination. The tower is visible from any rooftop vantage, its top often lost in the clouds and nearly 2,100 feet high. What makes it most alluring is the chance to visit the observation decks at the 345th floor (1,148 feet) and the higher Tembo gallery.
Animation isn't just for kids anymore, as any number of vapid local news stories have happily chirped over the years. But even though grown-ups have plenty of animated fare aimed at an older, more experienced audience, there are a lot of kids' shows that are popular with the over-18 set, as well. As with Young Adult fiction (like Harry Potter or The Hunger Games), a good story is a good story, regardless of its intended target audience.
There are movies you want to watch over and over. And then there are ones you watch just once. Sometimes it is because they, in a word, suck. While others are good, the way they end leaves you feeling unsatisfied. Here are a few of them.
