Well, I finally made it here to Japan. Already spent three days in Kyoto, which was nice, although I'm a bit fried on temple-watching (Ryoanji and Sanjusangendo were my faves...)

I love the constant exposure to new design...so many little ideas. I love the sink on top of the toilets utilizing the same water twice, the three-wheeled motorcycles, my sister's fridge with the door that can be opened from either side...

I think it's great that so many people will spend so much time looking so nice, dressing up, etc. and then plop on a goofy looking surgical mask to lower their exposure to pollen and/or prevent the spread of their illness. I was told when Sting first visited, he thought it was "good style" and put one on himself!

Now I've got a good solid month without a whole lot of itinerary, and a JR railpass. Of course, I'll have to make it to Tokyo, but some other things I'd like to do:

-visit an onsen
-see a Butoh performance
-Visit Miyazaki studio
-See the Ise shrine
-maybe Kamakura,Nara?

Otherwise, I don't have a very concrete idea for travelling. It seems that sights alone will quickly become overwhelming and cloying, returning me to the search for that which we long for the most: connection with others, a daunting task in a foreign land. Without an extensive grasp of the language, it leaves the likelihood for such a thing in the cities with English-speakers, or fellow travellers. I don't get too far with the folks here where my sister lives, Kagawa-ken on Shikoku. But then, I've got plenty of Udon to keep me company.

What do you do when travelling to prevent the decline into the numbing world of sightseeing and break through into the world of vivifying travel?