15 Steps to Understanding Japan, part 2: Food

February 8, 2010 · 1 Comment 

Any time I think of Japan, and to a greater extent Asia, I cannot help but think of food. Not because I love it or hate it, but because it is frequently unrecognizable to that kinds of foods I normally eat. I love cheese and meat lots of vegetables with a little butter and salt. I like eating both junk and really healthy. In Japan, forget it. There will be almost no junk and the veggies will just be something different too. As an avid traveler, I am used to and embrace the differences. However, for the occasional travel... [Read more]

15 Steps to Understanding Japan, part 1

February 6, 2010 · 2 Comments 

ITKT fans can expect a whole lot of Japan in the coming weeks as I have just returned from tour that included Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama and Tokyo. The trip was a bit of a whirlwind but mostly reminded me how much I love visiting Japan. Moreover, I visited Japan as part of a group that included another ITKT writer, Jenny Block (she can bee seen here opening a can of whoop-ass against a Kisarazu geisha in a festive round of Rock, Scissors, Paper.... [Read more]

Public Bathing and Communing with the Stars in Japan

February 6, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

I have taken many, many baths in my lifetime. And I have been naked among strangers more than once. Yet somehow – despite having dressed in kimono and eaten root vegetables ground into powder and refashioned as jelly noodles – taking a dip in the public bath seemed the most foreign moment of my recent trip to Japan thus far.

Perhaps it was my consciousness of being so fair amidst these honey-skinned women or maybe it was the curves and sway of my Western build versus the narrow hips and small breasts... [Read more]

Mysteries Revealed: Bowing in Japan

January 27, 2010 · 2 Comments 

Now several days into my Trip into Japan and from the 14th floor overlooking Tokyo’s Bay, It turns out there is more to bowing in Japan than simply greeting one another. There is an etiquette that gets taught to young Japanese. Here is the breakdown as it has been explained to me today.

There are four bows in total
* Leaning forward at a 15º angle is for passing someone you don’t know in the street or other situation when stopping directly in front of someone else.

... [Read more]

Authentic Recipes: Singapore Flair

January 24, 2010 · 1 Comment 

John and I have been to Singapore several times. Our son was an exchange student for one semester at the National University of Singapore and often ate at hawker stalls, informal street-side eateries. He said, “A hawker stall was a great place for a filling meal on a limited budget.” Over the years the hawker stalls, just like Singapore, have transformed. The eateries are now hygienic places with food prepared by licensed staff but are still considered places for a good, inexpensive meal. Food is such an integral... [Read more]