Rice Ball and 5 Kobachs Plate from "Thread Cafe" near my house. ​ (rice ball with grains, deep fried-tofu with walnut miso, cutlet tofu...

I am continuing to learn the traditional art of the Japanese "way of tea" for three hours each week.   It is a much more detailed and in...

One of my primary interests in coming to Japan for a year was to further cultivate an art of my own.  For most of my adult life I have...

One of the cultural aspects of Japan that I was very interested in exploring while here was "chado" or the Japanese tea ceremony or the...

There is a way of “being” I am cultivating within myself during this sacred time in Kyoto.  It is slow.  It is mindful.  It is deep and...

It’s just after 10pm darkness blankets the city of Kyoto the streets have emptied rain still lingers in the air neon lights guide my way...

"You don't find books. They find you." I love books. When I moved to Japan and purged almost all of my belongings, there were two...

Today I found water. Lake Biwa outside of Kyoto. After 7 weeks on dry land I found my way to a blue paddleboard and made my way out to...

After 6 weeks of living in Japan, I am now well past the visiting tourist stage and am trying to create some semblance of a daily routine...

“Travel is rebellion in its purest form. We follow our heart. We free ourselves of labels. We lose control willingly. We trade a role for...

As I have now been here in Japan for just over two weeks, I am learning that there is alot more to ramen than meets the eye. My second...

Prior to coming to Japan I reached out and had the good fortune to connect with Kyoto Journal, an award-winning quarterly magazine...

Today I practiced the art of Shinrin-Yoku (森林浴) which is Forest Bathing in Japanese. It is believed that spending time literally...

Cicadas fill the trees throughout the Summer in Japan. Listen with me.

Summers in Kyoto are filled with one festival after another. Tonight I traveled by bike, train, then on foot, hiking the final miles of...

Today I had a remarkable experience. I was riding my bike home along the path that runs along the Kamo-gawa river through the center of...

I woke up to yet another rainy day here in Kyoto, so I decided I would go check out this tiny little arthouse cinema hidden away in a...

“Travel is rebellion in its purest form. We follow our heart. We free ourselves of labels. We lose control willingly. We trade a role for...

I came to Japan to discover more Zen. My teacher is a cricket. I live alone in my tiny traditional Japanese home, mostly empty. It is...

Today I am quietly sitting beside the gentle stream that runs along the centuries old Philosopher’s Path at the base of the mountains...