Spiders scurried away as I pulled open the privacy screen in the telephone booth. Shielding my eyes from the rain, I attempted to fit my luggage and myself inside the impossibly tiny space. The 10-yen coin in my pocket bought me about one minute to talk. “Moshi moshi?” I heard on the receiving end moments…

  There is a certain perception of serenity and poise that I have always associated with geisha. In my mind, they were of another world, gliding gracefully wherever they went. Highly skilled in the art of conversation, dance, and music, they exuded elegance and prestige. Though hanamachi (geisha districts) flourished during slightly different times varying…

My first day in Hong Kong was a whiplash of taxis, neon, and lizard wine. I’d spent the afternoon settling in, watching the world go by outside my walk-up apartment. A parade of crimson taxis, motorbikes, and utility vans drove bumper to bumper with luxury import cars. Open rooftop tour buses passed by, elevated enough…

Kumihama Bay. Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Visit with Atsushi Toyoshima: oyster farmer and innovator. After arriving in the Kyotango Peninsula I suited up in a bright rubber-duck yellow rain slicker alongside Atsushi in his modest blue one as we geared up to head out into the Kumihama Bay. Bringing around the skiff tied behind several larger…

Surrounded by lush green mountains on the island of Kyushu lies the famous porcelain town of Arita. I arrived the day before a typhoon was expected to roll through the island. Inexperienced with natural disasters in foreign lands, I considered if I should change my itinerary and just bunker down somewhere until it was all…