TOKYO — Today was a day of contrasts, starting with the scary before moving onto the scared. The scary came in the form of dancing Elvises. Who knew?
Hold on, we’ll get back to the dancing Elvises in a few.
We started the day gift shopping. I picked up a few souvenirs. Nothing big, but nothing I’m […]

TOKYO — So, I was going to write something about how the night began with a nice dinner at a traditional Japanese restaurant then got a little weird when we went to a “international” bar.
Dinner was great. We dined on some authentic Japanese fare — vegetables, chicken and eel. The eel was interesting. Not bad, […]

TOKYO — From the moment we stepped off the train at the Tsukijishijo subway station, the aroma was evident. The Tsukiji Fish Market was nearby.
We wound our way through the streets, making it to the fish market. I had no idea what to expect, but what an experience. It was hectic. People hustling in every […]

TOKYO — The streets were bright tonight — so much so that it seemed like it was daytime. It might as well have been. I’m not sure what time it is. All I know is: It’s evening here in Japan and we’re going to grab something to eat.
I couldn’t help but snap a few pictures. […]

NARITA, Japan — It’s a shame when you think about it. The first sights and sounds you see the first time you step foot in a country are those of the airport.
There’s no culture. Just a busy and bustling atmosphere that is more frustrating than it is anything else. Perhaps it begins with the customs […]

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN ATLANTA AND TOKYO — “Would you the chicken or pasta?” the steward asks passengers. I begin to shake at the prospect of airline food. It’s one of the world’s true atrocities. Honestly, who else can make a strawberry taste bad?
I wanted to write some treatise on why we travel. It’s enlightenment. It’s about […]

ATLANTA — The trip begins amid a mass of people — chaos as thousands of travelers search their luggage for three-ounce bottles of liquids in “zip-top” bags and laptop computers so they can be scrutinized separately by airport security.
Ah, the joys of flying.
When you think about it, the line moves pretty quickly, but it’s never […]

My eyes caught the clock: 8 p.m. That makes it 9 a.m. Tokyo time. That means I’m leaving at the end of the day — Japan time.
I think the excitement took hold this afternoon when I picked up my Japan Rail Pass. There was something about this that signaled the trip was for real and […]

… Whoever said, “It’s the journey, not the destination,” must not have had a 14-hour flight to look forward to.
Nonetheless, my Japan adventure is about to begin in roughly 36 hours. That means I’ll have the luxury of packing 10 days of clothes into one carry-on and that many days worth of shampoo, toothpaste and […]