Tag Archives: Japan

Reading the Air

Posted on June 22, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Following my recent visit to Japan, I continue to process the experience and try and better understand Japanese culture. As I have previously mentioned, I was overwhelmed by the complexities of Japanese aesthetics and design that permeate Japanese life. The … Continue reading →

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Coffee with a bullet

Posted on June 18, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Regular visitors to TBTP know that I am an annoying coffee geek. When I combine my coffee fascination with my love of travel, I can be insufferable. When I found myself up early for a trip to Nagoya from Tokyo … Continue reading →

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Waving not drowning

Posted on June 17, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

One of the few disappointments during my recent trip to Japan was the unexpected closure of the Sumida Hokusai Museum in Tokyo for renovation. I did, however, get to visit the wonderful, but tiny Ota Memorial Museum that features historic … Continue reading →

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The Japanese Aesthetic

Posted on June 9, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Traveling around Japan can be a challenging exercise in deciding what to attend to and where to look. The commitment to design and  to aesthetic solutions to  otherwise banal infrastructural objects is well beyond what we have come to expect … Continue reading →

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Minding Your Manners

Posted on June 1, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I’ve just returned from an amazing three-week trip to Japan and was delighted and overwhelmed by so much that I encountered, including the fabulous graphic design work everywhere. Passing through Kyoto Station I spotted a clever ad campaign while heading … Continue reading →

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Tourists get blamed for everything now

Posted on May 2, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Japan is selling off its national emergency rice reserve for the first time since 1995 because prices have doubled, and they are blaming tourist visitors for eating too much rice. France 24 reports that record numbers of visitors are partly to … Continue reading →

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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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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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