A few weeks ago a former classmate reached out with a question: I'm bringing my son to Tokyo for a visit. Any tips? My brain immediately starting buzzing with ideas, and here is what I have come up with so far. But first, the disclaimers: I don't live in Tokyo itself, but in Yokohama--about 45 minutes …

Continue reading So You’re Coming to Tokyo!

This past weekend Mark and Cy set out for their boys' ski weekend. That meant a second girls' weekend in a row for Tessa and me! We haven't ventured into Tokyo as much as I'd like, so I planned an outing to some pop culture sites in the Harajuku and Shibuya neighborhoods. Our first stop …

Continue reading Girls’ Weekend: Monster Cafe, Harajuku, and Shibuya Crossing

I learned something incredibly cool about Gala Yuzawa, the area we are visiting this weekend. In an earlier post I mentioned that Gala Yuzawa is one of the only Shinkansen stations right at the base of a ski resort. The other day our lodge's owner told me that the gondola to the top of the …

Continue reading Shared Bath? No Problem!

Our lodge sits at the foot of at Ishiuchi Maruyama ski resort. So this morning we woke up at 7:30, had a leisurely breakfast at 8, and hit the slopes.   A snow gauge showed a depth of about 1.5 meters, all of it natural. I didn't notice snow making equipment anywhere. Last night the hotel …

Continue reading Ishiuchi Maruyama

Tessa and I are on the Shinkansen bullet train bound for Gala Yuzawa, a ski area about 250 km from Yokohama. We boarded the train at Tokyo station. But first, we picked up snacks for the ride: a sandwich for Tessa and bento for me.    Inside the train looks about as unexciting as your …

Continue reading Bullet train!

Tessa and I are on our way to Tokyo station to catch the Shinkansen to Niigata prefecture for our ski weekend. Our current ride is the Limited Express, with seats more like a commuter train--and Train Shop magazine!    Train Shop offers the same goofy wares as the late, great Sky Mall, only better ("I …

Continue reading It’s Sky Mall, Only On the Train. And in Japanese!

The elder child and I are off on a ski weekend this Friday! When we last skied in early January we took the whole family and drove in an overstuffed rental minivan; this time the two of us will travel via the shinkansen bullet train. We will board the shinkansen at Tokyo station, an hour from our local train station. …

Continue reading That’s One Strong Cat