We went to Yokohama to visit an old high school friend of my mother’s, Kazuko Yamamoto. Our bus arrived in Shinjuku station, early in the morning and Kazuko was very worried about us encountering a homeless person there. A homeless person. One. Coming from the USA and recently from Indochina this was quite a perspective [...]

Kyoto is the old capitol of Japan where the nobility built castles and numerous temples. Through green bamboo forests you can catch glimpses of old Japan surrounded by a restrained modernity. The architecture is careful and tasteful and traditional. Its a bit like an austere Europe done in dark cyprus instead of ornamented marble. Wood, [...]

Japan is supernaturally clean and polite. In our plane trip from mainland Asia we were magically transformed from being some of the tidiest, most respectful people around for miles into obviously the most slovenly and rude. I’ve met clean and polite individual Japanese before, but a whole society of this behavior almost defies believability. Even [...]

What’s stunning about technology in Japan that everyone possesses the very latest gadget. The same thing also seems to apply to public infrastructure, but the Japanese are so cleanly that even things from thirty years ago appear brand new. Everything that can be is automated. Traditional Japanese doors are sliding screens, so modern doors are [...]

Japan is culturally very far from mainland Asia, it has a lot more in common with Europe. Lots of little specialty stores compete along side big chains and traditional culture mixes with an ultra-modern techno fascination. Japan is very clean, very polite and very orderly. Everyday objects are small and efficient. The flora is similar [...]