After a long day in Arashiyama we set out to find a good meal. Since I have been eating mostly katsu since I arrived, I decided to eat katsu again. A heaping portion. It was the best I’ve had thus far. We then just walked around. Some places packed with people, others not.Read more
We decided we didn’t get enough of Arashiyama, especially the hillside. A quick snack was a beef flavored hashbrown. Seiko had this soy soup thing. I had Cherry Blossom flavored ice cream We visited the bamboo grove. Jōjakkōji Temple 常寂光寺 This temple was constructed in 1596 and is wellRead more
Walk to Old Town I grab some of these fried street pancakes (filled with ground pork and spices) and head on a walk from the hotel to the Old Street and Yuyuan Gardens. I’ve been there before (in 2011) and it was too packed to be enjoyable, but that was at night and a differentRead more
Morning in Dali Old Town before train to Lijiang A snack some sauce-covered flap of something on a stick. Not bad. Streets right outside the old town have some good bargains. I bought a traditional Dali Blue tie-dye cloth here. Killing some time in a temple in the oldRead more
Day Two Plan: With the weather seeming pleasant, so I was looking forward to heading to Mount Emei, the highest of the 4 sacred Buddhist mountains of China. Once there, I would explore the giant gold elephant-styled temple, and probably come back with an amazing pics like this one to the right (not my pic). Meanwhile, I would enjoyRead more
Woke up at a decent hour each day due to some construction outside the window. After the war Akihabara became a center for resale of military surplus, specifically electronics parts. To this day it’s the go-to place to buy electronics. While the pop culture establishments and department stores dominate, you can still find a lotRead more
Another full day in Lijiang broguht me the realization that I could spend weeks photographing here. Every twist and turn uncovered a mix of multiple cultures, their art, their lifestyles, languages, and their welcoming to this village. I could have snapped megapixels of everything I saw while I was there, everything that astounded me, butRead more
The next morning we wake up early to visit the temple and then eat before our flight back to Lijiang. It seems as though in the Tibetan plateau, things get off to a late start. 9 am and many things are closed. People are just starting their day. Before entering, we circle clockwise 3 times. TheyRead more
After the Monastery we returned back to Shangri-La old town and I set out on my own to explore the temple before the sun went down. Music is playing and people are dancing in the square. Turns out there is a huge temple on a hill right around the corner from myRead more
Down from the mountain, we head back to Shangrila Old Town and then to the north to Ganden Sumtseling Monastery (松赞林寺) in the late afternoon. Built in 1679 by the 5th Dalai Lama, and the size of a small village, this is the largest monastery in Yunnan and one of the most important Buddhist monasteries in China.Read more
Somewhere in Shanghai We head out from my hotel to a supermarket, because I want to buy candy. My guess is that this is the Huangpujiang River. Here’s the CarreFour Supermarket. Jingan Temple We then go to Jingan Temple, which is in the heart of the city. it was originally built in 247 AD,Read more
Japanese Food in China We head to a Japanese chain restaurant. This is beef ramen. Beef teriyaki kabobs. I have had teriyaki meats many times in the USA… this one really rocked my world. Authentic teriyaki is less sweet, more salty, potent. It coated the beef and transformed its flavor into a whole new experienceRead more
For my second trip to China, things are a bite more straightforward, more familiar, more comfortable. I replicate parts of my first journey for less culture shock when landing. I skip through Shanghai and land right back in Chengdu to meet with my good friend Jing and revisit my new favorite foods. This time, IRead more
Nope. Not Today. The morning of the 15th, I was just too sick to do anything. Plans, whatever they were, had to be cancelled. I’m not sure what Jing did that day. I just slept. Went out a bit at night to get some food. Just a few shots from the hotel balcony.Read more