Category Archives: Asia

Tokyo: Thin is in

Posted on April 27, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Looking for hotels in Tokyo, I ran across the 9-story Rakuragu hotel which squeezes in an ultra-narrow site in the Nihonbashi district of Tokyo. Located near the iconic Tokyo Station, the skinny hotel has just 14 rooms, its design prioritizes outdoor … Continue reading →

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We nearly missed it

Posted on April 25, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

April is National Poetry Month. Waka, or Japanese poetry, flourished in the court culture of the 6th to the 14th century in Japan. One of the well-known waka poets of this period was Ono no Komachi (小野 小町, c. 825 … Continue reading →

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Eggciting Travel News

Posted on April 12, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Tomorrow marks the opening of the Osaka World Expo, which will run until October 13,2025. The world’s fair, which is being held at Yumeshima Island outside of Osaka, is projected to welcome 28.2 million visitors. One of Japan’s signature pavilions, … Continue reading →

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Live from around the globe

Posted on April 6, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

TVgarden is an amazing website that allows you to tune in to live television broadcasts from around the world. There have been similar sites, but this one really works. However, be prepared to loose an afternoon or evening to fascinating … Continue reading →

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Tokyo High Line

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Tokyo is planning to follow New York City’s lead and create its own version of the hugely popular High Line. The city will be shutting down a two kilometer stretch of expressway in the heart of Tokyo later this week … Continue reading →

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Deep Fry Everything

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

As I may have mentioned 20 or 30 times, I’ve been planning a trip to Japan and keep falling down Japan related rabbit holes. Like any sane person, I love Japanese cuisine, but as a vegetarian it’s sometimes difficult to … Continue reading →

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Mapping Monday

Posted on March 24, 2025 by Brian D. Butler
Posted in Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe, Maps, Middle East, USA | Tagged | 3 Comments

You have to walk a mile in someone’s shoes

Posted on March 19, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

What a brilliant book/art project . The shoe/book by Magdalena Haras who has taken excerpts from ‘The long Walk’ by Slawomir Rawicz and made them into a book that is also a pair of shoes. Magdalena’s interpretation alludes to secrecy with the information … Continue reading →

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Underground Reading

Posted on March 18, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Nestled in a copse in a corner of a verdant field in Kisaru, Japan there’s an inviting library built to serve local residents of a farming community. Designed by architect Hiroshi Nakamura, Library in the Earth occupies a space that … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Asia, Books, Libraries | Tagged | 2 Comments

Travel Trash

Posted on March 16, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Lately, I’ve been reading travelers’ tales about the difficulty in locating someplace to drop-off trash and recycling while visiting Japan. So, I found this short piece by writer and long-time Japan resident Craig Mod on our cultural impulse to immediately … Continue reading →

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