Tokyo, of course, is known for its Anime, Manga, pop culture — but what about Kyoto? When I toted my Anime-loving daughter along to Kyoto, I was worried that she would simply hang out at the AirBNB which, largely, she did. But we did find some loosely “Otaku” things to do in Kyoto (my daughter’s objection to the term duly noted).

Updated for 2019!

Summer is coming! One of the things I look forward to putting on my schedule are the many free and low-cost outdoor Shakespeare performances in local parks. Grab your festival blanket, pack a picnic, and get ready for some Bard.

When you think of the Arashiyama area of Kyoto, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the Sagano Bamboo Forest. But there’s so much more to do in this beautiful area of Kyoto. Plan to spend at least a day here — here are some of the many things to do to make the most of your day in the area.

Just an update before I (hopefully) hit the road.

This recipe was inspired by many things: digging clams in the Pacific Northwest and a recipe from the Frugal Gourmet cookbook, the mussels I ate in a restaurant on Loch Linnhe in Scotland (I haven’t quite approached their amazingness), French Clams Bordelaise. Fortunately steaming shellfish with wine is easy; it’s now made even easier by the Instant Pot!

Tokyo, of course, is known for its Anime, Manga, pop culture — but what about Kyoto? When I toted my Anime-loving daughter along to Kyoto, I was worried that she would simply hang out at the AirBNB which, largely, she did. But we did find some loosely “Otaku” things to do in Kyoto (my daughter’s objection to the term duly noted).

Updated for 2019!

Summer is coming! One of the things I look forward to putting on my schedule are the many free and low-cost outdoor Shakespeare performances in local parks. Grab your festival blanket, pack a picnic, and get ready for some Bard.

Updated for 2019!

Summer is coming! One of the things I look forward to putting on my schedule are the many free and low-cost outdoor Shakespeare performances in local parks. Grab your festival blanket, pack a picnic, and get ready for some Bard.

Looking for info about days gone by in Seattle? Here are eight online resources to soothe your retro Seattle soul, including groups, archives of historic Seattle photos, and other resources.

Guillemot Cove Nature Preserve is one of my favorite Kitsap County day hikes, and great for kids (at least kids who will tolerate the uphill trek back from the beach). While you’re there, visit the Stump House which (legend has it) was a hideout for an outlaw in the 1800s and would have been my clubhouse as a kid if it had been in my neighborhood.

Tokyo, of course, is known for its Anime, Manga, pop culture — but what about Kyoto? When I toted my Anime-loving daughter along to Kyoto, I was worried that she would simply hang out at the AirBNB which, largely, she did. But we did find some loosely “Otaku” things to do in Kyoto (my daughter’s objection to the term duly noted).

I’ve seen posts with tips for solo travel after 40. But do we middle aged women really need special solo travel tips? The usual ones will suffice!

While I was visiting a temple in Kyoto, I heard someone repeating “this is the heart of Zen.” Kyoto is, at least, the center of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism and there were far more temples than I could visit during my time there. Here are ten that I visited from the highly touristed to the more remote.