Category Archives: travel

Quick thoughts on getting around Japan in 2023.

Little bit of a brain dump today, based on notes I took while in Japan recently.  It’s become a much more convenient place to visit, as long as you’re like me and live every minute of your waking life tied … Continue reading

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Sugar Overload in a Love Live Cafe

So, I was in Japan for about two weeks recently.  It was my first time since 2017, and my wife’s first time visiting since 2005.  Needless to say, we had a long list of things we wanted to do and … Continue reading

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Twilight? of the Otaku

I’m not a huge Holiday person, but I had the opportunity yesterday to fly down to San Francisco with my wife and spend the day with my in-laws, who are actually fantastic people and not at all the sorts of … Continue reading

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On The Dangers Of Trusting Travel Apps

Part of my prepping for Beijing included installing the offline TripAdvisor application on my HiSense tablet, and it turned out to be both stunningly helpful and fiendishly traitorous. To wit: It was marvelous at looking up hotels and restaurants and … Continue reading

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One Final American Fast Food in China Post

This post represents me FINALLY running out of food photos.  I really didn’t eat that many notable things in China, come to think of it.  When I wasn’t experimenting with familiar fast food chains I mostly lived off street vendor … Continue reading

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McDonalds Sahara Grill Chicken Burger

I sometimes wonder whether people visiting the US get the same comforting feel from the sight of the Golden Arches.  It’s a sign that, no matter how alien the local food, customs, and language may be, there’s at least one … Continue reading

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Public Transit in Beijing

Negative post warning I have a very difficult time loving Beijing. Part of that is almost certainly because the hotel I stayed in was in the heart of the tourist district surrounding the Forbidden City, etc, and that meant that … Continue reading

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Visiting the Forbidden City

I like the sound of that.  The Forbidden City.  Sounds rather like a Tomb Raider level, doesn’t it? At any rate, the Forbidden City, also rather boringly known as the Palace Museum, is a collection of former imperial palaces at … Continue reading

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Random Chinese Junk Food

I have a friend who is a big fan of Kinder Eggs.  These are chocolate treats, sold everywhere in the world that is not the US, that consist of a hollow chocolate egg with a toy surprise inside.  They are … Continue reading

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Speak & Spell Not Included

If I had to pick an unexpected benefit of visiting China rather than Japan, I’d have to say that it was a fairly inexpensive trip.  When I visit Japan, I tend to do a LOT of shopping.  I mostly stick … Continue reading

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