Ode to Friends It’s true, having friends help widen one’s horizons. Someone proposes a crazy idea, another acts on it and then you find yourself being swept along. Buoyed, raised, pushed beyond your boundaries. It’s really good to have friends. I’d never have run a marathon, if not […]
Always expect the unexpected? It looked like we hit the jackpot when the sakura forcasts started rolling in: full bloom expected on 30 Mar to 1 Apr. Wasn’t that perfect timing? We’d be in town 26 Mar to 1 Apr. So I was expecting something like this. And […]
So we were back again in Tokyo, trying to catch sakuras this time. But the most detailed of plans was derailed by a major factor which we had completely overlooked: the weather. With the temperature plunging to a chilly 4 degrees (and the rain!), the buds refused to stir […]
Osaka may be the kitchen of Japan but Tokyo is the true mecca for foodies. As a friend once quipped: you can’t find lousy food in Tokyo even if you tried. That is, unless you are really unlucky or lazy. Then you may find yourself chomping down mediocre […]
A not-so-perfect plan Last July, we packed the whole family to Hokkaido. Because the venerable ones decreed that if we were heading to Japan, then to Hokkaido, they must go. Since the planner was given a free rein, and in spite of a few, not-so-minor constraints (no driving, […]
the last word 