I am much calmer here and sleep less than in the US. I think thequiet nature of the city is so calming after NY. It takes lessenergy to survive as a tourist, so I need less sleep. My food cravingsare dimmer and I am more grounded and my meditation space is clear.
The fact that so [...]

Photos: Kyoto garden near temple, tea ceremony, Buddha in Tokyo.
I explore Tokyo and Kyoto using the public transit systems. The subways are pristine, efficient, fast, and very quiet. The Japanese barely speak during their commutes. I know that their poor social skills account for a high suicide rate, but I am reveling in [...]

(Kyoto mikados posing for photographs. Tea house where geishas serve and entertain their guests.)
I am about to commit my next Japanese sin: walking to the breakfast room at the ryokhan in shoes. I didn’t realize that I am supposed to wear my slippers and robe inside the hotel and not just in my room. When [...]

Photos: Restaurant in Kyoto
Kyoto Love House
I take the shensen bullet train to the ancient capital: Kyoto. I find a room in a ryokhan, traditional Japanese hotel with a rice mattress on the floor. After seeing the Golden Temple, I go for dinner in the historic Gion area, near the super expensive tea houses where geishas [...]

Left: “Have a comfortable time” Love Hotel.
Right: I am taking a photo of the electronic photo board of available rooms.
Rost in Transration (Lost in Translation) Japanese Rove Hoters (Japanese Love Hotels)
In Tokyo, I have to check out Japan’s famous “love hotels”. I have heard as much about them [...]

Left: Sushi bar with spigot for hot water.
I am horrible with chopsticks. In the US, I ask for forks and knives in Asian restaurants and sometimes eat sushi with my hands. Here, I don’t want to advertise my gaijin moronic table manners, but as much as I try to hide, my chopstick faux pas reveal [...]

Above: Musical and heated Japanese toilet.
I start my New Year noticing these peculiarities of Japanese culture:
Duck walkers: Many women walk like ducks. They point their toes inwards and walk very slowly. My cousin’s wife thinks this comes from the fact that women had to point their feet inwards in order to be able to [...]

Left: Girl in traditional kimono.
Right: Washing hands before approaching shrine.

Below: Masses of people [...]

(Chofu Jendai-Ji Buddhist Temple, New Years)
I came to Asia because I wanted to start my new year in a new continent and have a shock to my system. Spoiled with being in countries where I spoke the language or could at least read the alphabet, I wanted to see how this street-smart adventurer would fare [...]