One of my students is from a rural area north of Kyoto and last weekend we had the pleasure of visiting his fathers house while returning from the beach along the Japan Sea coast. Plenty of other bikers, like myself, were out touring in the sunshine, especially from Osaka. It appeared that I was the [...]
I`ve been very fortunate to visit a number of beautiful places throughout Japan and the world and summer season back home is certainly one of my favorites. Earlier in the month my dad, brother, friend and myself took our motorbikes on the new ferry (the previous one mysteriously rammed into an island and sank) from [...]
As much as Kyoto is so well known for festivals, it also has a reputation for being an `oven` in the summer but fortunately there are some refreshing solutions nearby. Last weekend after taking in the Gion Matsuri event, Alex, who was visiting from Nara with news of just opening a new Smiths school there, [...]
Recently I`ve been assisting with a restoration of an old style Kyoto house. The owner is managing a guesthouse in New York and plans to convert this Kyoto `machiya` into a guesthouse for Japanese and foreign visitors. Sadly many machiya are being demolished to make way for modern houses and development so local efforts are [...]
After attending a charity event for Tohuku at the International Community House here in Kyoto, one of my students invited us over to his farm. Recently I`ve been helping him with a speech he gave at Kyoto`s International Conference Center. It was his first `in English` to several hundred people at a medical seminar. Originally, [...]
April 24th I took the ferry from Osaka to Miyazaki, Kyushu. 6pm departure arriving the next morning at 8:30am. The ferry crew do a great job securing the motorbikes for the voyage which can get somewhat rough from the swells off the Pacific. The first night I stayed at a `Riders House` – kind of [...]
I think I brought back a few extra pounds with me from my holiday in Canada….the turkey wasn`t the only one to get stuffed. My students were the first to point that out while looking over my photos of Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo and Gabriola and Galiano Island. Usually I visit home during the summer to [...]
Hopefully these photos provide some relief from the heat. Riding back into Kyoto from Tohoku with an additional 2500km`s showing on the odometer, it felt like I was entering a furnace. This was my first visit to northern Honshu and what a lovely part of Japan it is. Refreshingly cooler too. I made it as [...]
Cousins of mine were in Tokyo on a business trip and fortunately were able to visit Kyoto and experience the summer festivities. My students generally don`t have much contact with other foreigners so were pleased to have the opportunity to practice their English with new people. I`m always happy to introduce my family and friends. [...]
If you quickly become tired of the rather bland suds, as I do, that you find at the convenience stores – then your prayers have been answered. A visit to a local micro-brew as my students and I recently enjoyed will not disappoint. This is good stuff! Minoh brewery in Osaka hosted an anniversary event [...]
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