The Cup and the Road

Most of this blog will be deleted by the end of 2020

This blog has lived its life and after two years of consideration, I am finally ready to remove this blog. For now, the only thing I plan to keep are my Shikoku diary posts and a handful of other posts that are useful for me as public notes.

I don’t know when I will finish migrating the contents I want to keep, but I’m committing to removing it by the end of 2020.

Thank you for visiting this site…

Book and Reading List from 2019

While 2019 has turned up many a challenge, finding good books has not been one of them. Last year, I was so pleased with the number of voices I’d discovered that I committed a blog post to my 2018 reading list. Below, you will find a list of books I’ve read this year based on a focused diet: Asia, female voices, travel.

Stumbling upon the American Book Company, independent and family-owned, in…

Japanese-English Food Book Guides in Tokyo

This post is an overview of Japanese-English bilingual food guide books sold at the Tsutaya bookstore in Ginza, central Tokyo. The books I focus on have English, with the intention that these books can serve as alternative Japan travel or restaurant guide books that are written by Japanese people. Most of these books are available on Amazon, though they are much cheaper on Amazon.co.jp or bought…

14 Japanese Female Writers in Translation

This post is a list of list of female writers in Japan, which includes authors, novelists, and translators. All the writers listed have been recognized with at least one of Japan’s literary awards, such as the Akutagawa Literary Prize, Naoki Prize, and the Female Writer’s Award. In recent years, more of them have been translated into English, with some that have other European language…

Brief Notes from Tibet

As I assemble my travel diary for Tibet and let some thematic fermentations mature, here are some notes on the trip based on conversations with people after. The photos and notes are arranged loosely. I have not gone out of my way to describe sites or customs because I remain ambivalent about any authority to speak on the subjects. Also, I’m saving better photos to go with more reflective posts,…

50+ Apps to Travel Japan in 2019

The face of travel in Japan has completely transformed in the past five years. Not only are smartphones ubiquitous, but pay-as-you-go data is finally cheap and accessible to travellers. With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics around the corner, the nation (or at least, Tokyo) is scrambling to host the world with everything from English language funding to English-language apps to help travellers navigate…

EP 03: Lunar New Year Chinese Style, aka CNY

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-4adkd-a76d1f

Skipping school, fireworks, rice cakes, carrot cakes. We almost forgot red pockets! The Lunar New Year cultural hodgepodges we’ve encountered in our Chinese families.

Credits: Theme Song by Podington_Bear – “Thought_Bubbles” from Free Music Archive

All Shikoku Rail Pass Guide & Sample Itinerary

If you’re a seasoned Japan visitor (or an adventurous first-timer), I would recommend trying the two least-known JR Passes: the San’in-Sanyo JR Pass, and the All-Shikoku Pass. The covers all the JR Shikoku routes and some extra private rail lines. This guide explains the JR Shikoku Rail Pass and introduces some highlights for Tokushima, Kochi, Ehime, and Kagawa Prefectures. (more…)

Top section is toilet comfort; bottom section is prevention.

Travel is all about the toilets: tips for female travellers

A high-tech Japanese roadside station washroom break in an overnight coach bus.

Most of us don’t travel to see toilets. The occasional potty may make it into conversation, if it was amazingly gorgeous and sophisticated (Japan or a 5-star resort), or incredibly disgusting [insert anywhere, potentially your home country]. But this universal hole-in-the-ground is, I think, the invisible secret key…

For me, 2018 has been the year of voices. I’ve finally found a steady stream of ways to find interesting and engaging perspectives, especially in text and audio form.

A large “just started” pile of books has collected beside the bed, reminding me of all the conversations that 2018 has brought. In some ways, the texts are a victim of their own success. Many of my most engaging conversations, the…

Takamatsu Anime Locations for Ohenro and Poco’s Udon World

A loose anime location post for the Shikoku pilgrims (henro), otaku and udon fanatics who visit Takamatsu, where the anime Udon no Kuni Kiniro Kemari (Poco’s Udon World) is set. For travellers, this post can serve as cultural context as you look for the exact view the anime shows, while the Shikoku Pilgrimage henro can reminisce about the familiar locations such as Yashima-ji that they passed…

Hong Kong Pride Parade 2018 – Event Recap

This photo essay is an event recap of the Hong Kong Pride Parade 2018, which went from Causeway Bay to Central on Saturday, November 18. In addition to describing the event, I include commentary and background information on Hong Kong’s LGBTQ community and human rights developments in the Asia Pacific Region. The TL;DR: Photos sections are pre-march, march, and favourite moments. Hong Kong’s…

Migrants Pride Hong Kong 2018 Recap

This is an event recap and photo essay for the 4th Migrants’ Pride Hong Kong, organized by Gabriela Hong Kong, The Filipino Lesbians Organization, Filguys Gabriela Association, Share HK, The UNITY Association, Nepali Workers Association, Auto8a, The Same Same Different Association. The parade took place on Nov. 18 in Central, Hong Kong and South and Southeast Asian marchers were joined by local…

Historical Tokyo Walk: Nihonbashi – Fukagawa

Hiroshige’s views of Nihonbashi to Fukagawa, Edo’s Shitamachi. Source: Wikicommons

As part of the Historical Tokyo Walks that follow Edo Tokyo cultural sites, the Nihonbashi-Fukagawa route (日本橋本所深川コース) was taken from the Japanese website guide Sanpo Reikibun. The city has 23 Historical Tokyo Walks, one for each ward. My map has the English translation for the Japanese route summary as well as…

Hiking Japan — An Overview

This post is meant to be an overview for people who are interested in seeing a bit more of nature while travelling Japan, whether it is sightseeing at the top of a mountain or an all-day hike. Whether it’s taking a day out of the cities and visiting the Japanese countryside, planning natural sightseeing when staying in mountain towns, or making a whole trip out of the trekking rural Japan,…