The sometimes lush and green, sometimes bare and craggy Taebek Mountains meet the pounding Eastern Sea in South Korea’s northeastern Gangwon Province.  To the north is North Korea, to which…

Suwon, which markets itself as the happy city of filial piety, is an easy day trip from Seoul. You can get all the way there on the Seoul metro subway…

There will be no excuses for this long-overdue post after our arrival in Seoul. It’s been almost a week, and we’re getting pretty settled in. Neither of us knew much…

Hakata is best known for two things: being home to the largest wooden Buddha and Hakata Ramen. We tossed our bags in a coin locker at the station, halfway between…

The first Shinkansen voyage of the trip was a long haul. We left from Odawara Station, south of Yokohama. It was the first day the Japan Rail Pass was valid,…

Hakone and the surrounding area is a traditional gateway for people from Yokohama and Tokyo to escape the city and get out into nature. The area is mountainous and forested,…

The following day, my former homestay sister picked us up to spend a few days with her family. On the way, we took a long, relaxing detour to Sankeien, an…

Arriving at Yokohama Station, I felt like I was back on my old stomping grounds. I lived here for about a year, my senior year of high-school and the summer…

It was a crazy Memorial Day weekend between the Country Cabin Motel and working at the Sasquatch Music Festival in the middle of Washington State. The festival is held at…

We arrived in Chincha just in time for Verano Negro (Black Summer), an annual eventsort of like carnaval, celebrating Afro Peruvian culture, history and traditions.  Here and nearby Carmen are the cradle…