Author: Forest Key

I’ve been traveling to Japan for decades and have been an ardent fan of Japan-Guide.com, a superb destination travel website that highlights areas of interest to visitors and uses a 3 star system to highlight the best and most exciting cities, temples, natural landmarks, festivals, and other attractions.  In 2024 I’m hitting some of the back-catalog of this site to complete visits to more remote and 2nd and 3rd tier towns that i expect will have very few western tourists–especially in the midst of winter.

I’m flying in to Osaka from LAX, a great option to avoid having to arrive and depart from Tokyo and the resulting extra travel to to/from, and generally high costs of Tokyo. From Osaka I can get to lovely Kyoto by train on day of arrival and make that my first few days base camp to get over jetlag, and pick up my Rail Pass when i’m ready to start my train rides.

I’ve been to Nara several times, it is marvelous. But there are SOOO many things to see, Todaji Temple, is indeed, amazing (have visited 2 times before and blown away both times).

I spent the day visiting near-Nara temples and walking 15m (30,000+ steps), yikes. These temples are beautiful but each requires some gymnastics to reach by train. From Nara they are a good 45 minutes or so of walk/train combos. Was a great first day here.

A rainy day in Kyoto afforded me time to get 9 miles of walking around town and superb coffee stops everywhere. Tons of single source pour-overs and delicious flavors. Of course you then have to carry your coffee cup around for hours, as there are no public garbage cans anywhere in japan!

Day trips today to both Iga Ueno and Hikone castles were delightful; nearly 5 hours cumulatively from Kyoto to get to the two and back, but I made real progress on my super lengthy and involving book, Infinite Jest.

The first real leg of this trip is the venture to the north coast of Matsue with a stop-off en route via Okayama to the town of Bitchu-Takahashi. The JR Train stations usually have locker storage, I was able to pop bag at the station and set out on a lovely 1hr each way hike up to the top of the hill where the Bitchu-Takahashi castle was protected by a funny Cat-Lord!

After a day around Matsue I’ll hit Izumofor some more sites en route down the coast to Hagi.

During the lovely sunny day I took a morning visit the absolutely stunning Adachi Museum of Art which punched hard in both its insanely beautiful Japanese gardens, and, one of the most interesting modern art (20th century) collections of Japanese paintings and ceramics. Unfortunately I could not snap pictures of any of the art, there were some stunning gorgeous works and really compelling variations of style that I have never seen anywhere else.

Izumo en route to Hagi turned into a adventure. The Izumo Taisha shrine was great but maddeningly, the main shrine can only be peeked at from afar as it is surrounded by a wooden wall in its entire perimeter. The main shrine is a HUGE wooden structure, 100ft+ tall it would seem. I could only marvel from afar.

As expected the train ride along the north-western coast hugging the Sea of Japan was absolutely delightful. However strong winds knocked out the tracks (fallen tree?) and i had to divert to Yamaguchi for the night… tbd if I make it to Hagi.

Early start for first coffee arrival at the Yūtoku Inari Shrine 祐徳稲荷神社which has a nice 20 min hike to a nice viewpoint overlooking the valley, passing through a few hundred tori gates which are fun for photography.

Hit Dazaifu on my way, grabbed lunch and perused the town but must say it was jammed with visitors from China snapping pics and enjoying the CNY (all the power to them) which kind of bust the mood of being out and about solo, so took a long walk up into the woods and to some minor Buddhist temples. Then made my way to Fukuoka which has the fast Shinkansen terminal so I hit the town for some extra steps, reading time at a cafe, and a yakitori dinner at the station before heading home. 25k steps this day, rounding out my first week in Japan where I averaged well over 20k steps each day—woohoo!

Arrived at Beppu the famous onsen (hot springs) town, where I got rained on pretty hard but still enjoyed the town tremendously. My little hotel (like I’m sure all hotels in town) had a great built-in onsen bath as well as private bath areas that I rented for my own splash party.

Challenging weather day although I did make it to the lovely Aoshima island for a brisk walk and a delightful $6 lunch.

So onwards to the southernmost city of Kyushu, Kagoshima. A+ for the cute guest house, only $40 bucks a night with real charm and great views.

I’ve seen dozens of restored samurai homes, but this one in the Senegan garden’s right adjacent to my lodging was beyond adorable. I wanted to move in—so inviting to walk about on the tatami floors and the peek-a-boo views of the volcano and bay.

If I had more time and it was summer (a lot of nature parks and islands to see, not so good in winter) I would try to hit these places: Kitakyushu, Yutoku Inari Shrine, Yoshinogari Historical Park, Takachiho Mountain Town, and mostly the sub-tropical green island of Yakushima Island which Japan-Guide rates as a 3 star attraction (aka, i trust them, awesome!)

And, the exchange rate and whatever else is going on in Japan with the economy—wow, super affordable. Delicious meals for $6-10 dollars for lunch (set meals). And a great sushi lunch for $25!

Ok so Kumamoto was a bit ordinary in that i didn’t get a distinct vibe. The castle got really hit hard in the earthquake a dozen years back, and is essentially a construction zone / modern recreation—one of my least favorite Castles and that’s saying a lot, since I’ve seen nearly 20 of them!

After a layover and delicious meal in Hiroshima (love this town!) i took the early ferry today to Matsuyama on Ehime island.

For my birthday I did out and back day trip to Ozu & Uchiko, about 40 minutes by train from Matsuyama. Both are super cute but very very small towns, and because it was low season, there were only a couple dozen tourists in the towns and a lot of the shops and cafes were closed. The wax museum in Ozu was a hit, some rich family from the 1880s who made a killing in wax production. And a rich guy’s mansion who margined labor in the Philippines in 1910s, built a mansion for himself in Uchiko. So—rich guys from the 19th century who built mansions in their home towns, was the theme.

On my way back to mainland and the shinkansen to Nagoya I took a hike around the Kotohira Shrine. The steps up the hill weren’t as bad as the hype—took about 30 minutes.

From Nagoya I spent the day finishing my book and riding out and back to the Ise Shima shrines on Shima Penninsual (Ise), which didn’t allow any meaningful photography (out of religious respect) which means I have little to show here, but it was really stupendously beautiful. Infinite Jest was a marvelous read, I’m glad I got through it. Kind of sad it is over.. time for a new book.

Got a lot of steps in walking between the shrines, still holding my 7 day average at 25k steps a day, which has to be a personal best in a long time?

After getting stuck in a 2hr line to try the local Tonkatsu chain, i got my butt out early to a random location of the chain and had a very tasty brunch at 10:30 am!

Kanazawa was delightful as always, cold and snowy.

And to Tokyo to catch Adam finishing the Tokyo marathon.

And to Hokadate where it REALLY is snowing.

On way south to break up the long distance back to Tokyo hit Sendai as a regional hub (eg: cheap hotel by train station) and made it up to Yamadera Temple near Yamagata.

And finally a sunny day after a week, although still plenty chilly. Took the leisurely walk around the bay dotted with cute islands over at Matsushima.

Nikko!This is a fabled 3-star destination according to Japan-Guide, full of amazing ornate temples and a nice nature setting. Particularly intrigued by the Toshogu Shrine.

Ran out of time and didn’t make it to Aizu, Geibikei Gorge, Hiraizumi, Morioka, Aomori, and Hirosaki so those remain for future visits. Even with 4 full weeks, couldn’t see everything!

Kamakura last 3 days were a nice relaxing break for some visits with friends and first meals in 4 weeks with someone else (not alone).

Amazing trip. Really lovely last days with Adam and his family, visiting the Team Lab museum and grabbing a pastrami sandwich at the club in Tokyo before heading to airport..

I attended an absolutely stunning, wonderous, life-affirming, beautiful, profound, and deeply moving and spiritual 5 day retreat in the Sacred Valley near the town of Urubamba: Sapan Inka Spiritual Retreat Center, managed by highly ethical and loving guides and mentors who approach ayahuasca with tremendous reverence, indigenous cultural respect and reciprocity, and a modern psychology and therapeutic approach.

I did my research to find a Ayahuasca retreat using a variety of sources, and found the review website AyaAdvisors.org to be particularly useful as it has hundreds of first person accounts from visitors who have journeyed at the various facilities in Peru, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, Jamaica, and other countries where this medicine is revered and practiced in safe and legal facilities that are overseen by very experienced by guides.

The Sapan Inka retreat center is in the town of Urubamba in the Sacred Valley, about 90 minutes from Cusco the regional capital and center of tourism in Peru. I chose the Sacred Valley for my retreat as opposed to one of the Amazon jungle basin centers which are common near Iquitos and Pucalpa—Ayahuasca comes from the Amazon after all, and the Shaman masters from various Ayahuasquero traditions are all Amazon provenance. However, i personally feel a very strong connection to the Andes and the high altitude air, clouds, expansive vistas, and indigenous tradition of the Inca empire and native and mestizo people of this region.

They say that Ayahuasca “calls you” which for me it very much did, to this place and at this time in my life. I had made my reservation to visit Cusco for the 4th time of my life (i first came in 1993, and have returned several times since—this is my favorite place to visit as a tourist on earth!) and had not originally planned to try ayahuasca. It was only months after I already had my ticket and some of my airbnb and hotels booked, that I felt the call to research and then book a spiritual retreat. It was amazing, the feeling of “oh, this is my calling, i feel it”. Like being summoned by the plant medicine. I know that sounds cray cray, but it is genuinely how it felt.

I stayed 9 days before the retreat in a marvelous Airbnb home in the town of Urubamba. From here I focused on my diet (no meat, no salt, no oil, no spice, no coffee, no sex!) and did a lot of reading, walking, relaxation exercises. I also did day trips to Ollaytaytambo and Pisac, cute as heck towns with amazing Inca archaeological sites.

I did a ton of journaling before, during, and after my journey. This was a fundamental part of the experience, it helped me prepare, reflect, and integrate all of the amazing elements i was shown by the medicine journey.

Here are some of the many vistas from my hikes in the valley in the week leading up to my ceremony. The Sacred Valley and its energy, fresh air, amazing clouds, Inca sites, and general “magical” energy, were a central part of the overall experience for me.

From the Sacred Valley main road connecting Urubamba and Pisac I kept noticing a very interesting zig-zag road up towards a cliff that connected to a even zig-zaggier pedestrian route up-up-up and over onto the top of a sheer cliff face. On Google Maps I saw an archaeological site for an Inca city called Huchuy Qosco (sometimes spelled Juchuy Cosco), and was drawn to this place.

On AllTrails there were a few hiking routes, either from the valley itself (2k feet straight up, not appealing) or various 7-10 mile hiking routes from Chinchero area or from Tambomachay in Cusco. While several blog posts outlined how to do these routes solo, i wanted the safety of a guide (since I was traveling solo) for such a rural and steep climb. I found Victor, a wonderful local guide, using GetYourGuide app, and together from 6am Cusco departure we made the amazing trek. I highly recommend.

The highlights:

• Stunning climb to 14,400 ft pass during the first 90-120 minutes of the hike. Not as difficult as it sounds, the slope gradient was mild.
• Beautiful expansive views of the valley below from the pass, and as you descend, peek-a-boo views into side canyons and along the main cordillera of the Andes.
• Changing flor and grasses as you descend from 14,000 feet all the way down to 9,000. Walking poles really made this easier on my knees. Path is solid, not dangerous or loose.
• The amazing Inca city, with very well preserved square, fountain, grain storage rooms, ceremonial and high-class residences including the best 2 story preserved building I’ve seen at any site, in the amazing city of Huchuy Qosco.
• Amazing views from the Huchuy Qoscco main plaza, a football field sized flat grassy space with astonishing 180 degree views of the valley—it feels like you are floating on a flying spaceship.
• Even more dramatic views as you descend rapidly the 2,000 feet from the Inca site, down to the city of Lamay.

Here’s my AllTrails route which was a variation of the route that others had posted in the app, similar but different starting point. The Tambomachay starting point I’m told is the “original Inca trail” and would have been fun to attempt, a little longer by 4 miles.

Some friends from China and Chile were visiting NYC for the first time and we compiled these notes based our own recent extensive time spent visiting our son at college in Manhattan.

• Google Maps is great for manhattan, very easy to take subway everywhere.  You can use your iphone to automatically enter the subway, you have to turn on TRANSIT feature in Wallet, then, you just put iphone on the reader and you beep in/out.  Not sure about the kids…
• Broadway musicals are amazing, shows with lots of singing and dancing and great costumes.  NYC and London are the two best places in the world to see these type of shows, they are really incredible.  The Lion King is superb, amazing costumes and songs and the kids will love.  This website is the industry website (the group of theaters team up to market the industry) and has links to tickets.  All the shows are great, just a matter of finding family friendly ones.  They are SUPER.  You can sometimes get same-day tickets for really cheap, if you go the day of to Times Square booth at 10am there is a booth, and you can get really cheap last minute tickets.  This last-minute booth is THE OFFICIAL booth of the industry–so safe, and cheap.  They want to sell out the shows so they tend to release the tickets to that the theater is full, better for everyone.  but, since you only have 4 days, better to plan ahead and just buy–i use SeatGeek app sometimes, or, the show website if there is available.
• The “East River Ferry” is super fun and cheap.  It is a public ferry much like a subway, that stops in various places and goes north/south up and down the east-river, so you get great views of the city.  It is only like $3 a person… so a really fun way to get a boat ride with nice views.  We sometimes take between manhattan and brooklyn, such as getting on here and getting off here.  That gives you a nice 20-25 minute ride, and you get off in DUMBO which is a fun neighborhood in Brooklyn.  
• In Dumbo (very fun outing), great coffee from japan brand, and walk along the water-front where there is kid playgrounds and fun things to see and GREAT views of manhattan.  Walk here, here, here.  If you take the ferry to Dumbo, you can take subway back to manhattan very easy.  Kaustubh and Tywen live in Brooklyn, so close to here.
• The “HighLine” is a old railroad track that has been turned into a walking path, super pretty and not too long for kids.  Start here at this new mall Hudson Yards which has some nice tall buildings and a very very high up observation deck (much better than the Empire State Building observation deck which is famous but old and not great), walk along here, to here,  and end up here at the Little Island which is delightful for kids.  If still energy, all of this water front park is also fun and has more pretty park so keep walking south along the river.  Our favorite adult modern art museum is here too, The Whitney, so you can do that quickly so the kids don’t get bored–30 minutes worth it, always good art and a neat building with good views.

• Central Park is amazing and big and has lots of really pretty areas to walk and it is safe during day (at night be more careful of course).  There is a famous zoo, pretty lake paths, and much more.  You can rent bikes or skates or other wheels and poke around. The natural history (night of museum movie) museum is right by the park so good to do that on same day.
• The 9/11 memorial park is a must see, the museum is there too but we haven’t gone–maybe too sad.  but the park and fountains are lovely and the buildings around there nice and close to this famous subway station (famous architect, worth quick visit) and famous Wall Street statue where the financial center is.
• Tours and ferry to statue of liberty leave from here if you want to actually stop on the island where the statue is to get close to it.  What a lot of people do instead, is take the FREE ferry to Staten Island which goes right by the statue… we’ve done this.  It is a nice commuter ferry full of locals, and you can see the statue great.  Just take ferry to staten island, and then get back on and take back.  It is free, or very cheap, can’t remember.  The tour is expensive, crowded, etc.
• The “wangfujing” of nyc is called Times Square, super crowded with stupid tourist brands but must see, and, the broadway shows are here, so good to go the day you go to a broadway show.  
• Washington Park is famous and worth walking through, safe, but you will not think it is, lol… it has more street people and students as it is center of NYU University.  This is where people play chess outdoors (in many movies) and lots of other famous movies take place here.  The neighborhood just south is full of restaurants, lots of college kids.
• Chelsea Market is a nice “market” with lots of restaurants and things to see in a nice neighborhood.

Some restaurants in NYC to try

• Most good restaurants in nyc use RESY app for reservations (owned by american express).  
• This is a really famous pizza restaurant in Brooklyn, 100+ years old I think.  If you go to DUMBO during the day, you could try to go to this restaurant for lunch (they may only be open for dinner) or get there right when they open for early dinner.  VERY GOOD pizza.  Super famous, no reservations.
• Eataly is a super fun lunch “italian market” full of dozens of different italian food stalls, pizza, fish, sandwhiches, cheese/meat plates, etc.  They have indoor and outdoor seating… it simulates a “italian market” and is a famous chef/owner.  Really fun and great food.  It is by nice park/plaza, and, there is a “harry potter world” thing i always see big lines for and lots of kids, never been.
• Shukkette is a sensational and super popular middle eastern restaurant hard to get reservations family friendly, use RESY app.  Same owners have Shuka which in some ways is just as good and in a better neighborhood close to SOHO, so either one is great.  
• Brunch in soho at this place is amazing, a little fancy, but pretty and very special (indoors best, outdoors too hot)… requires reservations on RESY.  This is also good for brunch, famous but #2 of these.
• Near soho, famous ice cream with 20 minute lines, good for after dinner at night on a hot night.  Fun to wait in line and people watch.
• if you miss china, sizchuan, and 
• Korea town GREAT KOREAN, our #1 bbq, new york times favorite a bit fancier, and a general tofu/korean that is superb and cheap and has a michelin bib gourmand (some waiting out front)   
• there are SOOOOOOO many great restaurants, i think the best food in the world… so you really can’t go wrong.  if you tell me what neighborhood your airbnb is in i can make more recommendations.

Wild flowers poppin’ Feb 11 ’23.

The waves were happening.

Diablo Canyon in the myst

We just kicked off our “year of living in airbnbs” with a lovely stay in Palm Springs. The warm temps and blue sky were absolutely lovely.

Cristina’s mobility just so-so but plenty of hikes!

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When i lived in california in the 90s i was a huge mountain bike enthusiast—Mt Tam in Marin County was at my backdoor, and I loved the arduous climb and accelerating descent it afforded just minutes from my home in Mill Valley. Somewhere along the way to Washington, Chile, and Beijing i lost track of riding… but on a recent visit to California the idea of off-road biking was reawakened and I’m excited to hit the trails again. The Trailforks app on iOS is an awesome resource to find terrain to explore, and it turns out there is a ton here in Washington state within easy drive of Seattle.

So, after plunking some real money into new bikes for myself and a +1 friend (my son this summer, imagining visiting friends in the future), i thought I’d post the serial numbers and bike descriptions here for safety. I also registered the bikes with the bikeregister.org and 529 Project websites, great community indexes of bikes to help cut down on theft and return of bikes.

For myself, a Specialized Epic Hardtail model that is oh-my-god-so-light. The teal color will hopefully keep me visible to drivers on city roads! Large frame, serial number WSBC614123071N. I have been riding around the city and it really does feel like it “pulls you up the hills” it is so darn slick/light and boy do 25+ years (since my last bike purchase) make a difference in tech!

My son/friend bike is a Specialized Stumpjumper mountain bike, black frame in M, with serial number WSBC604317566P. Red highlights, front and rear shocks, drop post seat, 29” wheels. I look forward to riding both of these, the smaller M frame a slightly better fit for downhill posture and clearance from the frame… as a 5”10 height (down from 5”11 a decade ago?) I’m right on the edge between these M/L frame sizes.