Tag Archives: train

Kendama (けん玉): a traditional Japanese toy for training the mind and body

Kendama is a traditional Japanese toy consisting of a ball (玉, tama) and cross-shaped base (usually made out of wood) which are connected via a thin, long string (糸, ito). In addition to the handle, which can be held comfortably with one hand, the base contains three small indented areas of various sizes (called “皿”,… Read More »

Travels in Japan 2015: [Part 15: The gentle charm of Japan’s rolling countryside (video)]

Watching Japan’s countryside rush by outside the window of a fast-moving train always mesmerizes me. There is a natural, peaceful beauty to the expansive fields of green, interspersed with homes bearing bright-colored roofs in shades of orange and blue. The land is fairly flat, so in some places you can see far into the distance, as things… Read More »

Travels in Japan 2015 [Part 2: Transportation]

In this installment of my “Travels in Japan 2015” series I’d like to talk about our experience with various means of transportation we used to move throughout the country, including trains and taxis. Air travel We began our trip at the Miami International Airport in Florida and landed in Japan’s Narita airport (成田空港) with a flight… Read More »

Manga review: 駅弁ひとり旅 [Ekiben Hitori Tabi] by はやせ淳 (Hayase Jun)

One thing that always amazes me about Japanese manga and anime culture is how they can take a hobby and build a story around it, getting really deep into details about that specific field of interest. One such example is Hikaru no Go which focuses on the complex board game Go, and another is basketball-themed manga Slam… Read More »