So I'm back in the US of A. What can I say? It was a long trip home. Couldn't get to sleep on the plane despite the luxury of having three seats all to myself.  At least the return flight is significantly shorter --- listed at 12 hours 30 minutes compared to 15 hours f...

I have no idea where this is going to go today. Maybe my camera has lost it:s zoom function, but my brain and my emotions are zooming all over the place. And for you grammarians ... I:m using a Japanese keyboard to type this so, substitute : for an apostrophe, and * fo...

I love my camera. A couple years ago I bought this wonderful zoom lens (18 to 250). Very practical for traveling about where I want to take both landscape shots and close ups. Well ... yesterday ... something locked up in the lens. Now ... it is constantly zoomed in. I...

I never sleep well the night before a morning airline flight. Especially when it involves at least a 2 hour trip by multiple trains to get to the airport. Couple that with the fact that in all the years I've been coming to and traveling around Japan, this is the first...

 The best laid plans … they say that the easiest way to make the gods laugh is to tell them your plans.

It was all arranged. Shoko’s mother was staying at the “care home” for a few days. Shoko and I planned to leave for Yokohama Sunday morning. We would explore the are...

It’s been a quiet couple of days. No major excursions. Just spending time with Shoko. Daily life.

Much of Shoko’s daily life these days　involves taking care of her mother. Making meals. Helping her dress. Doing laundry. Because of my visit, Okaasan haｓ graciously agree...

I called Shoko yesterday morning to let her know what train I was taking from Kobe to Tokyo so she would know what time to expect me. Before we got off the phone ... "Jean ... It's a beautiful day. Make sure you sit on the left side of the train so you might have a vie...

Yesterday I had a day mostly to myself. I started off with "big sized" coffee, egg and toast at the usual place then went to the Kobe Nunobiki Herb Garden. That involved climbing lots and lots of steps just to get to the boarding point for the cable car that would take...

Or maybe I should title this ... Wandering, Eating and Drinking in Kobe ...

Yesterday morning I met Rose, a colleague from the GBP and now a good friend, for a wander around Kobe. We met at our favorite coffee house near the ShinKobe Shinkansen station. We had happened...

Some of you will remember that I used to lead Temple's participation in the Global Business Project in which I mentored a team of MBA students who were working on a real consulting project for a company in Japan.  From 2009 - 2011 I spent two weeks in May in Kobe worki...