The origin of the Mackerel Road

 

 

My latest for The Japan Times... 

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2026/01/17/travel/obama-kyoto-travel-history-saba-kaido/

On the turntable: Talking Heads, "Talking Heads"

 

Walking the Iseji

 

A week on the Kumano Kodo Iseji, broken into four parts. Over at Heartland...

https://heartlandjapan.com/%e3%80%90vol-1%e3%80%91explore-kumano-kodo-iseji-guided-walk-the-pilgrimage-begins-at-ise-jingu-shrine/

https://heartlandjapan.com/%e3%80%90vol-2%e3%80%91explore-kumano-kodo-iseji-guided-walk-iconic-stone-steps-of-tsuzurato-magose-toge-passes/ 

https://heartlandjapan.com/%e3%80%90vol-3%e3%80%91explore-kumano-kodo-iseji-guided-walk-owase-and-conquering-the-rugged-yakiyama-toge-pass/

https://heartlandjapan.com/%e3%80%90vol-4%e3%80%91explore-kumano-kodo-iseji-guided-walk-seaside-beauty-from-matsumoto-toge-to-shingu/ 

 

On the turntable:  The Tubes, "Outside Inside"

 

Happy New Year!

 

 

A year in reads: 2025

 

On the turntable:  Toku, "Chemistry of Love"

 

 

Writing Fragments 2025

-A sense of entitlement stems from having unrealistic expectations.

-The real American dream is self determination.

-Some of the dullest moments in life I’ve had at the baggage carousel 

-To jump to such a conclusion, you would need a running start.

-Pizza is an edible conveyance

 

 -Like on a 70s airline, I start smokin’ when the light goes out

 

 

On the turntable:  Thin Lizzy, "Black Rose"

 

Sunday Papers: Robert Evans

 

'Luck is when opportunity meets preparation."

 

On the turntable: Todd Rundgren, "The Complete Bearsville Album Collection"   

 

Sunday Papers: Dalai Lama

 

"Don't try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist; use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are." 

 

On the turntable:   The Tubes, "The Best of The Tubes 1981-1987"