Hi friends, The roosters started at 4:30am again. I desperately needed to exercise, so I went for a run in the morning with Jake. I did a little under 3 miles along a little river/canal in this weird suburban-rural neighborhood, which would have been really nice had there not been construction up and down the…
Author: Alex Bitterman
12/1 Takachiho and Aso
Hi friends, Got a late start again. The roosters (I kid you not) started crowing around 4:30 and repeated a couple more times by the time I was up for good around 8:30. I think they got it wrong the first time, but I can’t be sure. Stopped at 7 Eleven for some more salmon…
11/30 Fukuoka –> Kumamoto
Hi friends, We woke up and checked out. I was hungry so we walked down the street until we found a cute looking cafe, IENA Coffee. I had a chocolate chip cookie and an iced coffee that was balanced, with just a hint of the normal bitterness of iced coffee. I really like that everything…
11/29 Fukuoka
Hi friends, I woke up late and took a while to get out. We walked around the quiet back streets of Fukuoka and headed toward Ohori Park. We stumbled upon a modern, trendy-looking shop, &locals, which I insisted on checking out. It turned out to serve miso soup and Inari sushi (rice and savory fillings…
11/28 Tokyo –> Fukuoka
Hi friends, Today was a good day. Some of the best ramen I’ve ever had, one of the most enjoyable train rides of my life, and a lot of quality time with friends. I’m in Japan! I woke up early again and packed up. The ride to Tokyo station was quick, and we easily exchanged…
11/27 Exploring Tokyo
Hi friends, Just after I awoke before 8 (there should really be a rule against noise in a shared room before at least 9am), I felt the beds start to shake. At first I had no idea what was going on, but then I realized: it was an earthquake! It shook for about 30 seconds…
11/26 Tokyo
Hi friends, Still in awe here. Started today by getting a SIM card, which was quick and painless. Then we went to Shinjuku, which is one of the main tourist areas. Shinjuku station is enormous. It’s like penn station and grand central station and kings cross all had a baby that was also shiny and…
11/25 Arrival
Hi friends, I write to you from Japan, where I am captivated by one thing after another. The plane ride, on a Japan Airlines (JAL) 777 plane, might have been the best economy plane ride of my life. The seats had ample legroom, even for me, and the extra inch of width was really noticeable….