My smartphone and tablet make it easy to access my Internet accounts, maybe too easy: what happens if my devices fall into the wrong hands, or if a username and password are somehow intercepted? On my most recent trip, I used a YubiKey Neo one-time password (OTP) generator. My usernames and passwords are generated and… Continue reading Travel Gear: One-Time Password Generator
Month: April 2014
End of the Line
I’m on a fast train when I see a single train track peeling off into the distance. I want to go where that track is going. Maybe the end of that single track is a remote place I can use as the start of an “Ekikhara hike,” a hike from a train station. Beyond the… Continue reading End of the Line
Plain Views of Sado Island
Rice Field #1 Today, I explored part of the plain that bisects Sado Island (an island in the Sea of Japan, off northern Honshu, Japan). Walking on level ground gave my knees a rest after walking up a mountain the previous day. Beyond wanting to be in the countryside, I didn’t have a specific plan.… Continue reading Plain Views of Sado Island
Meeting Bashō
The moon and sun are eternal travelers. Even the years wander on. A lifetime adrift in a boat, or in old age leading a tired horse into the years, every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home. From the earliest times there have always been some who perished along the road. Still… Continue reading Meeting Bashō
Temple Plumbing 2014
Just after you enter the grounds of a Japanese temple, there’s always a fountain for ritualistic rinsing of hands and sometimes the mouth. Here’s examples from the temples I visited April 2, 2014 when I walked the route of part of the Shikoku Henro pilgrimage (“Shikoku 88”). I wrote a similar post in 2013 when I… Continue reading Temple Plumbing 2014
A Day to Forget
OK I admit it: I got tired of figuring out this place all on my own, so I signed up for a “Landmarks and Viewpoints” tour for foreign visitors. This was a day to forget. At exactly the appointed time the bus rolled up to my Okoyama (Honshu) $26 a night capsule hotel (Hotel River… Continue reading A Day to Forget