Tenugui: The Cloth That Keeps on Giving (and Giving, and Giving…)

Japan is exotic, mysterious, and safe, with world-class medical, transportation, and hygiene systems—a good place to ease into post-pandemic travel.

How one UNESCO World Heritage Site creates a peaceful atmosphere in the midst of over-tourism

(Coming Soon) Before the pandemic, the Chinese government alone issued around a million new passports per month. That's one million new travelers from one country going to another country. Tourism is having a devastating effect on historical sites.

(Coming Soon) Learn the proper protocol for visiting a temple or a shrine because, in Japan, "the nail that sticks out gets hammered."

(Coming Soon) Walk across the bridge to the island of salvation and rejoice in monk Amitābha’s vow to save sinners that repent.

(Coming Soon) Want exceptionally clean streets? Remove the public trash cans from streets, parks, train, and bus stations.

(Coming Soon) Built into each town or city are several temples each with a burial ground. The Japanese veneration of the ancestors includes keeping them close.

(Coming Soon) Since the 16th century, these short-stay hotels have provided a clean and private place for lovers that lack space but need to be together... without stigma.

(Coming Soon) In a country where everyone is a rider, the rules of the road are subtle and unspoken

(Coming Soon) The Kanda Jinbocho district of Tokyo is the hangout for book-smart Japanese readers replete with used bookstores, the birthplace of Iwanami books

(Coming Soon) Mistakes, mistakes, mistakes. On my first trip to Japan, I made a lot of mistakes. Most could have been avoided.