Travel
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Cafe of Mistaken Orders
I was waiting on the article to be posted in Japan Times before posting this, but have realized that every single one of their articles is paywalled. So we won’t wait. Goddess and I, along with our German friends, took the train across town to visit “The Café of Mistaken Orders,” which I learned about…
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Fukuoka – Gateway to Asia
From ancient Chinese influences to Mongol invasions, from Samurai fiefdoms to Buddhist influences, Fukuoka is quite a vibrant prefecture. We had only a few days, because that’s how I booked it, but that was enough to hit the high points without feeling like we really missed something. To be sure, there’s another week or two…
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Change of Scenery
Two+ weeks in Tokyo went way too fast. There is so much there that we need to see. But Tokyo isn’t all there is to Japan. It was time for us to move on and experience parts of the country that we haven’t before. And we wanted to do it in ways that we hadn’t…
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Architectural Meanderings — Japan Edition
If you caught the early post Architectural Meanderings, Summer 2026, you probably picked up on our appreciation of structures. Japan is no different. Everything from the ancient—or a faithfully rebuilt replica of something ancient—to the modern. So our first entry in this blog harkens back to that post from early September. That’s right, another Frank…
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Festivals and Samurai Archers
We are thankful for the time that we have had in Tokyo. Not only because we have been able to spend more time in just Tokyo than most try to cram all of Japan in during one vacation. We know that we are blessed. But the timing, completely driven by the sail date of our…
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47-Ronin, Memorials, Temples and Shrines
It’s difficult to turn a corner in Tokyo and not find a temple or shrine. As a refresher, temples are Buddhist while shrines are Shinto. Most of you have some familiarity with Buddhism, but likely haven’t had any exposure to Shinto. Shinto is basically the national religion of a country that isn’t very religious. It’s…
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Tokyo Week 1 – Night Views
Taking a Trans-Pacific cruise and arriving in Tokyo is a lot different than taking a flight. Since leaving Alaska, ship time was adjusted back one hour every night (except the night that we skipped September 29th). That rolling the clock back every day ensured that we arrived in Tokyo Bay on Japan Standard Time. So…
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Land of the Rising Step Count
Yep, that’s the same pic that I ended the previous with. Because it really sets the scene. Once we disembarked the ship, we were met by a dear friend of ours, who will hereafter be referred to as Nihon no megami Japanese Goddess), although I may just go with 日本の女神. Anyway, it was midday, so…
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I’ll Go More a Rovin’, With You My Fair Maid!
After the sun basking in the previous episode, we sailed through the islands into Prince William Sound, picked up a pilot, then cruised into College Fjord, Alaska for more glacier spotting. College Fjord has a large collection of tidewater glaciers, meaning that they reach all the way to the ocean. There was also a large…
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North to Alaska
If you’ve had the privilege of seeing the perspective of the last picture in the last post, you’ll recognize that view of downtown Seattle as being from the Lido deck of a cruise ship docked at Seattle Port’s Pier 91. It’s the second time that we have had that view, the last back in 2018.…
