Author Archives: Brian D. Butler

Going In Style

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I finally managed to see Wim Wender’s superb film Perfect Days. This truly moving and heartfelt movie centers on a Tokyo resident who is employed cleaning a set of special public toilets in the Shibuya City district. If you haven’t seen it, … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Film, movies, Tourism | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

How we live now (almost)

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

It’s been more than a year since I read Paul Lynch’s Booker Prize winning novel Prophet Song, but I’ve been thinking more and more about it lately. Prophet Song takes place in an alternate Dublin. Members of the newly formed secret … Continue reading →

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Writer’s Dog

Posted on February 12, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

 

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The Trial

Posted on February 11, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the posthumous publication of Franz Kafka’s chilling novel of the nightmare world of authoritarian repression and merciless bureaucracy. I remember reading the book only after I saw Orson Welles’ chilling film production. Somehow … Continue reading →

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First there is a mountain…

Posted on February 10, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is Taranaki Maunga, or Mount Taranaki, has peaked to sentience—at least in a legal sense. … Continue reading →

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Would You Pay to Stay in a Shipping Container

Posted on February 9, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Researching hotel accommodations for an upcoming Japan trip has resulted in some unusual options. One of the oddest is Hotel R9 The Yard. This chain with the industrial-sounding name is notable for its unique lodgings, which are made out of storage … Continue reading →

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et cetera

Posted on February 8, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

It was W.H. Auden who said: ‘there are good books which are only for adults, because their comprehension presupposes adult experiences, but there are no good books which are only for children.’ The great discipline of children’s fiction is that it has … Continue reading →

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Your AI Travel Guide

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I am still dubious when it comes to AI travel tools. I’ve tried out some AI trip planning with disappointing results. But how about navigating tourist sites with your very own AI travel guide, ready to reveal the stories behind … Continue reading →

Posted in apps, Architecture, Art, Asia, Europe, Maps, Museums, Public Transport, Tech, Tourism, USA | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Spain says: Ausentarse to tourists

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Chronic overtourism has prompted Spain to implement significant restrictions on travelers as local resistance grows. Long a welcoming destination for global travelers, Spain now faces the challenge of balancing its thriving tourism economy with the well-being of its communities, which … Continue reading →

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Remember the Moments

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Try to Praise the Mutilated World By Adam Zagajewski Translated By Clare Cavanagh Try to praise the mutilated world. Remember June’s long days, and wild strawberries, drops of rosé wine. The nettles that methodically overgrow the abandoned homesteads of exiles. You must … Continue reading →

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