I thought November would be a boring month. It wasn’t. December is shaping up to be an enjoyable month too – but one mostly at home, I think. In early November, on a whim because the rain, the short days, and the start of the cold wasn’t very fun – I booked a ten day…
It makes me happy to say that Couchsurfing is not dead. I’ve been grateful for all the friends and experiences that Couchsurfing has brought me through the years and it was unpleasant to think of it as becoming irrelevant and a dying platform. It still might, but for the moment at least, my faith is…
I have to admit, there are many challenges so far to living here but one of the greatest joys has been the time and space to create art. Here are some of the things I’ve painted since I’ve been here. The latest to the earliest. The earliest piece I did here was the tengu (red…
First of all – this wasn’t a regular trip. The reason for the trip was for the teacher training but halfway through the training, I realized that the company was a bad fit for me. We parted ways amiably and not only did they pay me for the training days I attended, but the few…
My grandmother used to say “Boring people get bored” and I have to admit, I may have become a boring person because I am abored as fuck with tourism. At my house or anywhere I live, I don’t particularly get bored as I can usually find something to do but in a city that seems…
It’s been such a trippy year – full of unexpected adventures, changes, and challenges. As many of you know, I mark the seasons of the year with the solstice and equinox – which for simplicity, I count on the 21st day of March, June, September, and December. I also use full moons as a way…
People are always surprised by my writing. “It’s so honest!” “Are you always this open?” “It’s refreshing to have someone share their experience without filters.” Those are just a few of the comments I’ve recently heard and I guess I should address them. I’m a spiritual being having a human experience. It’s baffling, exciting, frustrating,…
I find myself quite alone in my house in Otaru – and in general in the town of Otaru, on the island of Hokkaido, and in Japan. It wouldn’t be accurate to say that I find myself alone in the world as there are people I communicate with on a regular basis via the social…
It took me a while to figure out that Amazon.jp works well here but you need a new Prime membership if you want the free shipping. Once I cancelled my U.S. Prime and changed to Japan, life suddenly got a lot easier. I don’t plan on having a car so being able to have things…
I’m back at the Hotel Villa Fontaine at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan. I know this is an airport hotel, but it’s really deserving of praise for many reasons. A short walk when you exit customs and immigration and you reach the hotel without even leaving Terminal 3. It’s not a luxury hotel, though in…