Time in the Desert

Time in the Desert

I recently spent a few days in Joshua Tree upon my return to the USA. Coming from Japan, it was surreal to be walking through the Mojave Desert. I was suddenly in the old west full of cacti and cowboys. The land is bright and the views vast. Shadows stretch long in...
A Tunnel Between Worlds

A Tunnel Between Worlds

One morning in Kyoto, I set out to explore the famous torii of Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine. I woke at 5am and put my body on auto pilot, following my phone’s directions to the nearest station that headed there. Few people stood on the platform as the melodic chimes...
The Joy of Japan

The Joy of Japan

When I was a child, my parents gave me a small porcelain statue of a geisha. It belonged to my father’s mother who passed away before I could form a memory of her. The statue was all white with pale blue and pink markings. The geisha knelt with a small drum...
Three Nights in Nara

Three Nights in Nara

Long ago in Japan, a deity appeared on Mt. Mikasa riding a white deer. For centuries after his visit, deer were seen as messengers of the gods and to this day are protected under a national treasure status. Nara is the present day area where these once sacred...
Taken With Tokyo

Taken With Tokyo

I arrived in the mighty metropolis of Tokyo after a sleepless ten hour flight from Australia. Dazed by the bright morning light, I heaved my bags through a sea foreign faces. Unknown to me, I was walking into a spring holiday and people had flocked to the Asukasa area...
Two Months in New Zealand

Two Months in New Zealand

My time spent in New Zealand was like a peaceful dream on this journey. I started living with such ease that I didn’t want to leave. Time slowed and the beauty of the country settled in. I spent one month on each island and traveled by car, bus, plane and boat....