My final week in Tokyo was a work week. I would sleep in, maybe go out in the late afternoon, and then work into the night so I could be online at the same time as the Workinman home office. Here is just a bunch of random pictures of the places I went andRead more
Breakfast at the hostel Back to Lake Kawaguchi With better weather, we head back to the lake to get better photos. Click for full size Fuji-Q Highland Amusement Park Situated near Mt Fuji, the park opened in 1968 and has since modernized with facial recognitionRead more
To Fuji We travel by train towards Tokyo then divert by bus to head up the mountains to Kawaguchiko. The whole journey takes over 5 hours. The town is named for Lake Kawaguchi, one of the 5 lakes surrounding Mt Fuji. While this lake is surrounded by lodges and other tourist attractions, we are visitingRead more
Kuromon Ichiba Market Located in the Chuo Ward of Osaka, Kuromon Market stretched about 2,000 feet and features roughly 150 shops that feature hot food, fruits and veggies, spices, gifts, and a lot of fish. Kuromon (which means “Black Gate”) started as a fish market around 1822. Man shops will cookRead more
The following day we went to the the Shinsekai district of Osaka, to what is commonly known as Tsutenkaku, named for the prominent tower that was once the centerpiece of a pre-world war I amusement park. The area is now a entertainment district, with a zoo to the east and “Spa World” to the south, andRead more
The following morning we caught a high speed train to Osaka. I love grabbing a bento box for these train rides. I enjoy the lunch as much as any hot meal from a restaurant. They are always well-prepared and filling. Of course I got some Katsu Fishy stuff for Seiko. Some odd “healthy” variety ofRead more
After a long day in Arashiyama we set out to find a good meal. Since I have been eating mostly katsu since I arrived, I decided to eat katsu again. A heaping portion. It was the best I’ve had thus far. We then just walked around. Some places packed with people, others not.Read more
We decided we didn’t get enough of Arashiyama, especially the hillside. A quick snack was a beef flavored hashbrown. Seiko had this soy soup thing. I had Cherry Blossom flavored ice cream We visited the bamboo grove. Jōjakkōji Temple 常寂光寺 This temple was constructed in 1596 and is wellRead more
Shinkansen We took the high speed train from Tokyo to Kyoto. I was a pleasant ride, very smooth. I like these rides the best because I can listen to eat a bento box, listen to music, and watch the scenery. My bento: Beef, pork, eggs Her’s: fishy sampler. Kyoto Arashiyama 20 minutes west of theRead more
The Ghibli museum is located in Inokashira Park on the west side of Tokyo. It is not an amusement park and it’s not really catered to kids. It’s a museum about the traditional animation process. A lot of it is dedicated to history and color. It’s set in a gorgeous European style building (the interiorRead more
Kichijyoji is a neighborhood on the west side of Tokyo, It’s a pretty commercial area. Crispy fried chicken curry for lunch Harmonica Alley Once a post-war flea market, this narrow network of alleys located across from the train stationRead more
It was a chilly rainy day and the crowds were unimpeded at this park, expecting lines to an hour or so in some places. Despite the weather, I rally enjoyed DisneySea. It was large, with attractions unheard of on this side of the planet, and filled with scenic variety…with a food selection to match. TheRead more
The title sums it all up. We went to Tokyo Disneyland, which is located on Tokyo Bay. It was Easter season. I found the park to be pretty much the same as the Magic Kingdom in the US. Almost too much the same. I last visited the MK in 2003 andRead more
With my partner sick, I went out on my own for the day. I just walked around and took the train to the shops in neighboring Kokubunji. Kokubunji There’s not much to this place. Wikipedia tells me this : “Kokubunji is the home of the Hitachi Central Research Laboratory, which contains one of theRead more
We take the train to Kokubunji on the west side of Tokyo to visit the Architectural Museum, a preservation of historic urban structures from the region. Founded in 1993, the complex houses buildings and artifacts generally from the Edo period (1868-1912) and beyond. There is a Musashino Folklore Museum within that does have some older artifactsRead more
Nerd Central After landing and getting settled in Tokyo the previous evening, we head over to a familiar place, Akihabara, where I stayed for a week in 2015. Other than the billboards and the merchandise, things haven’t changed much. Capsule Toys everywhere! And these robot guides are pretty common. I think this video wasRead more
Last night and morning in Pudong I like to take it easy and treat myself the last night of travels. In this case it was a great way to end the cold, wet weather of the last week. My room was at the Pudong Crowne Plaza, what I thought was a straight-shot to the airport,Read more
Up the mountain The plan was to go camping outside of Guiyang – I have no idea where exactly and what amenities the campsite would afford, if any. Mandy picked me up at my hotel and we headed to a noodle joint for lunch. On the menu… well…. I’m not quite sure of the specifics,Read more
Guiyang’s Beijing Opera Upon returning to Guiyang City, Long and myself meet up with Mandy and her her sister and we head to the waterfront to see the opera. The wood sculptures in the opera are amazing. They handed us these classy clappers. We had the VIP treatment with an amazing spreadRead more
Morning view from the hotel balcony Out for breakfast Looking back up the alley leading to the hotel. Wearing traditional Miao clothing. A beef noodle soup. Nothing too heavy or spicy for a change. Then off to explore the streets and alleys A lot of theRead more
Night in Guiyang By the time I arrived in Guiyang, it was around midnight and I was exhausted. I arrived at a hotel I wish I had more time in. After walking in freezing rain for several days, Guiyang was relative warm and dry and this hotel along the riverfront tourism area was awesome. Read more
The hotel breakfast was not bad. A large assortment of items set up as a buffet. Just not as great as the previous hotel. The goal for today is to check out the local open-air market, then head up Tianamen Mountain (4,982 ft elevation), which is south of the city and accessible by cable carRead more
Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge 30 minutes to the east of Wulingyuan is Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon. Once a side attraction of natural space, it is now one of the premiere tourist destinations in the world, and construction is not yet complete. Covering over 23 square miles, the valley (much of it flooded by downstream dams) is a mixRead more
Another great breakfast at the hotel, this time with some pork noodles. It’s still raining, unfortuantely. A 15 minute walk to the east gate of the park… …and then a very long creepy ride up the cable line up to TianZi Mountain. Much longer and higher than the previous. More of these lacqueredRead more
Rain and fog is predicted for the next several days, so the prospects of getting some amazing photos are looking pretty slim. The hotel’s breakfast buffet is amazing. Pork Buns, eggs, sweets… too many things for me to sample them all. Some nice coffee too. This is a view of one of the walls inRead more
For a day or so I just hung out in Shanghai. It was pretty hot and humid, so I took it easy. Watched films, went out briefly to eat. I relaxed. Not every day of travel needs some grand journey. I’m not a huge fan of bubble tea, but when it’s hot out, it isRead more
Walk to Old Town I grab some of these fried street pancakes (filled with ground pork and spices) and head on a walk from the hotel to the Old Street and Yuyuan Gardens. I’ve been there before (in 2011) and it was too packed to be enjoyable, but that was at night and a differentRead more
A bit jet-lagged, I take it easy in Shanghai my second day. I meet up with Pete for lunch and we head to Nanjing Street. Pete Pete treats me to a nice meal at a place we find in a mall. Delicious fried mashed potato balls. Amazing stewed pork We also had dumplings,Read more
A new friend, Pete, picked me up at the airport and helped me locate my place. I had booked this on AirBnB, and while the location was great, and the photos made the place look amazing, in reality it was a pretty run-down building. A former hotel (the Salvo Hotel), it was now under aRead more
Accidentally finding the largest building in the world. Yelp reviews for local hot pot give me an address that led to the taxi driver letting me out in a sparsely populated suburban parking lot next to a huge building. I thought it was some kind of mistake, but the driver insisted. I walked closer, andRead more