A night in a capsule hotel is a uniquely Japanese experience. Reception on left, shoe lockers on right You could arrive with no luggage, just what you’re standing in. After a decent night’s sleep you leave next morning, well-rested, bathed, and fed, in freshly laundered clothes. $26 a night, including tax, gets you a clean,… Continue reading A Night in a Capsule Hotel
Month: March 2014
Passing Through Cedar
A Shared Culture When I’m in Japan I feel happiest and most comfortable when I’m hiking. When I pass another hiker in rain gear on the trail, a cheery “konnichiwa” is enough said. We look at each other, knowing we are sharing the same experience. A shared culture across different cultures lets me belong. Pursuit… Continue reading Passing Through Cedar
Traveling to a Different Mental Place
This week I move from an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean to an island on the edge of the East China Sea: from Hawaii Big Island to the little island of Yakushima, Southern Japan (195 square miles, population 13,178).
Our (Rented) House on Hawaii Big Island
The family that built this house in 1947 still owns the house. We get to rent it for a week, something we’ve been doing every other year since 2010.The house makes for great punctuation in our family’s lives. We get to be with our nephews when they were 1 and 2, then 3 and 4, and now… Continue reading Our (Rented) House on Hawaii Big Island
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park 2014
We keep coming back to this park. There’s trails at sea level, there’s a trail going to almost 14,000 feet to the snow-capped summit of Mauna Loa, and there’s plenty trails in between. On two recent trips, we backpacked to remote areas where we pitched our tent. This time (March 2014) we stayed at the… Continue reading Hawaii Volcanoes National Park 2014
Honoka’a after Dark
The hotel duty manager warned me: Honoka’a shuts down by 8:00 p.m. That’s why I’m here. It’s time to go out on the town. At night, this old sugar cane town takes on an unfamiliar hue, reminiscent of sepia-toned photographs from a different time. I wonder what is going on. The sodium street lights seem… Continue reading Honoka’a after Dark