YOKOHAMA, Japan – In the Miyazaki movie “From Up on Poppy Hill,” the Yokohama of the past is on full display. Stone-paved streets along hilly roads demarcate a certain bucolic port-side town. Now, Yokohama straddles the line between the old and new. Industrial structures in Chinatown neighbor temples, rebuilt after a particularly strong earthquake. The …
Category Archives: Asia
Postcard from Kyoto
KYOTO, JAPAN- The geishas stream past in the afternoon sun. One or two, clopping down the stone walkway. Kamo River runs through the heart of town, and since it is a nice day out, the people stroll along the bridge and underneath. Maybe I’m imagining it, but everyone seems to be in a forward mood …
Postcard from Singapore
SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE – Winter is apparently not too late for monsoon season. The clouds in Singapore seemed omnipresent. Light intruded incandescently, throughout the malls that seemed to dot the isle. When one goes to the Tropics in the winter, be warned of monsoon-like conditions. Even in the face of modernity, storms are undeterred. The furies …
Postcard from Nagoya
NAGOYA, JAPAN- The cherry blossoms have long since fallen, but we trade one beauty for another. Along with September comes the scent of autumn; overhead, American planes fly in training formation. The sound impedes into the relative stillness of Nagoya Castle and village. Rice fields populate the surroundings, with a few factories interspersed. The cars …
Postcard from Tokyo
TOKYO – The Shinkansen operator removed a small, laminated card from his front shirt pocket. On it, he tapped the time when the train would pass by Mount Fuji. “Left,” he said, gesturing to the window over his shoulder. He continued on his way checking ticket passes. It felt unnecessary. Everybody was so orderly. On …
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