If you have done any research on Japanese cooking, you will have heard the term “umami”. All Japanese cookbooks, cooking shows, etc. will talk about “umami”. It is said this it is what gives Japanese food its unique flavor. The term is a shortened version of “umai” (delicious in Japanese) and “mi” (taste in Japanese)....Read More
My plan for today on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage was to visit Temples 1 though 10. If you look at a map of Shikoku with the temples shown on the map, you will see these 10 temples are very close together, heading generally west from Tokushima. I started the day by driving from my...Read More
By: Mike Robers, Owner As previously printed in March 2017 newsletter. There are many things different and unique about travel in Japan. Of these, there is one thing that I have come to really enjoy: Japanese baths. Everywhere you go in Japan, there is hot mineral water either gushing out of the ground or...Read More
What is it? The Shikoku Pilgrimage is a multi-site pilgrimage of 88 temples associated with the Buddhist monk Kukai (Kobo Daishi) on the island of Shikoku. Large numbers of pilgrims (known as henro in Japanese) still undertake the journey for a variety of reasons (if you ask 100 people why they are doing it, you...Read More
Movies can be another fun and interesting way of learning more about another culture, and this applies to Japanese films as well. Traditional Japanese performing arts, such as Kabuki, Noh and Bunraku are audio visual. There is typically very little plot and character development when compared to western performing arts. The main purpose of these...Read More
After a few train rides and a long flight, we are back in Colorado. Corina and I spent our Jet lagged nights (3am texts when sleep just won’t come) talking about...Read More
Miyajima Island may be one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring places in Japan. Even the ferry ride from Hiroshima to the island is quite something. Seeing Miyajima Island from a distance as you slowly ferry towards the port gives you a glimpse into all of its splendor. When we arrived on the...Read More
The Yatagarasu (three-legged crow) plays an important part of the mythology of Hongu Taisha. The first is a statue is on a post office box on the Hongu Taisha grounds, and the second is a banner at the main gate of Hongu Taisha. It is said the Yatagarasu is a messenger of the Shinto...Read More
This has been an incredibly fast paced and adventurous trip for us. There is so much to see in Japan, and we have only seen a small bit of it. After trekking from Magome to Tsumago, we went to Takayama. Takayama is in the Japanese Alps and is filled with beautiful scenery and delicious...Read More
