Japan – Kiyomizu-Dera
After Nishiri, Inga and I continued on foot to Southern Higayashima area as planned. I was enticed there in part by my Lonely Planet guidebook, which said something like “if you only have one day in Kyoto, this is the place to go”. And so, we went! We climbed steadily uphill, still sweating like crazy. And, defying the Japanese custom of not eating in public, we found a little bench, and I pulled out my 500Y peach and ate it while we watched people mill around en route to or back from the temple. Refreshed and recharged from the break, we pushed on and arrived at the...
Read MoreJapan – Nishiri Market
I woke up the next morning in Kyoto, and although I was stiff and sore from my trip, I was also full of energy and excitement and nervousness, ready to go exploring. For our first day, Inga and I were clear that we wanted to explore on foot, since we had spent so much time cooped up the day before. We spent some time perusing our guide books, discussing the options, and finally settled on a walk through the local food market called Nishiri Market and a trip to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple in the Southern Higayashima neighborhood. By the time we really got outside and got moving it was hot hot...
Read MoreJapan – Tokyo to Kyoto
It’s been a long time since I traveled, especially to somewhere new. My oldest son is three now, and I’ve only had a few business trips since he was born. Those were all to SAP headquarters in Germany, and that’s a stark contrast to pre-baby days, when there were periods that I was away from home for nearly a week a month. Furthermore, I haven’t been to Asia since my Master’s degree in the early 1990s. So I knew I was in for a shock … everything from the anticipated culture shock to the massive time difference. I had organized my trip so that my...
Read MoreJapan – Touchdown Tokyo!
This week I’m headed to the Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference (EPIC) in Tokyo, Japan. I have been to Asia before – mainland China in 1991 (shortly after Tiananmen Square) and Bali Indonesia in 1993. I have always wanted to travel to Japan, so I’m stealing a few precious vacation days away from my family to do some visiting. I’m going to spend a few days exploring Kyoto before the conference begins … so I’m going digress from most of my usual topics and share my experiences. I hope you’ll enjoy the journey with...
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