Kayaking in the Black Canyon June 11, 2016 The weekend prior had a scorching high of about 109 degrees. But on this day, the weather was ...

Hey, It's Joseph! Kyoto October 8, 2014 I was excited to see an old friend. He's practically a brother to me. I remember our college days...

Tenmatsu Restaurant Nihonbashi Oct. 7, 2014 "I'd really like some tempura for dinner tonight," Alan requested before rolling over to his ...

East Gardens of the Imperial Palace (Higashi Gyoen) October 7, 2014 One of the most beautiful sights to see in the East Gardens of the To...

Tokyo Imperial Palace Plaza October 7, 2014 If you've ever been to the Tokyo Imperial Palace, you know that the inner grounds are not ope...

The Peninsula Tokyo October 7, 2014 My Pen friends know this:  "Once a Peninsula fan, always a Peninsula fan." Having worked for the dist...

Kabukiza Theatre October 7, 2014 Our next stop was Ginza. We originally wanted to catch a kabuki play at the Shimbashi Enbujo Theatre. By...

Tsukiji Hongwanji Buddhist Temple October 7, 2014 On our way back to the Tsukiji subway station, we were drawn to the Tsukiji Hongwanji B...

Tsukiji Market October 7, 2014 The popular Tsukiji Market was on our agenda for the day but I didn't want to wake up before 5:00 a.m. to w...

Akihabara October 6, 2014 There was so much more I wanted to do on our first day in Tokyo. After walking around Ueno Park, we went all th...

Ueno Park October 6, 2014 And just like that, the rain stopped. Looking around, you wouldn't think that it had been raining all morning. ...

St. Marc's Cafe Kyobashi October 6, 2014 Before we could venture out into the city, Alan and I needed to exchange dollars for Japanese ye...

Arrival in Narita Airport Sunday Oct. 5, 2014 Our flight arrived at 7:15 pm and typhoon Phanfone was still lingering in the city. Walking...

SQ11 from LAX to NRT October 4, 2014 I think it's incredibly sweet that my husband Alan decided to take me to the Land of the Rising Sun ...