It’s always wonderful to be back at “my second home” en route to and from my biannual trips to Indonesia. My travels started with a fantastic jazz club in Shinjuku – the perfect way to kick things off! The next day, I headed down to Nagoya on the bullet train to see the Ishiguro family. We've been friends since way back in 1988, can you believe it? Then it was on to Takayama, just in time for their annual Spring Festival, “Sanno Matsuri.”It was absolutely amazing, though super crowded! My wife and I actually went to the Fall Festival there 40 years ago! Time flies! A short visit to a local outdoor “onsen” in the rain hit the spot. Next stop: Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its traditional thatched-roof Gassho-style homes. Unfortunately, the weather was terrible – freezing rain and snow, so I didn't get to see anything. After my Indonesia trip I returned to Tokyo and stayed at my fave ryokan – and hit up my fave jazz club in Asakusa. Then I spent a day and a half with my good friend Kevin Blackburn and his wife Yoko in Nakagawa, a small town an hour north of Tokyo. I stayed at a wonderful ryokan, got to try my hand at pottery with Mr. Fujita-san and explored the peaceful Kentokuji Temple. It was a really lovely, relaxing end to my travels.
