I’ve mentioned before that a great way to prepare for a journey is to read. I wrote about this in Book and a Backpack: Belfast and have continued to read books regardless of where I traveled. Japan is no different. Before I leave for Japan I hope to have read the following: These are not …
I’ve already mentioned that I have had a long interest in Japan. One of my minor fields in college was Asian studies, but even before that I started studying Japan. I remember two of the most memorable books I read in high school, Musashi, by Eiji Yoshikawa and Shogun, by James Clavell were set in …
When I was in high school, I was a huge fan of the Japanese Drama, Good Luck!! (グッドラック！！) and would watch it frequently. It is the story of a pilot for All Nippon Airways, one of Japan’s national airlines. The show was an excellent resource for showing me Japanese culture and inspiring my flight training. …
With 108 days left until the Kumano Kodo, I will start writing. On my travels on the Camino de Santiago and Camino de Fatima, I wrote more after returning home. This time, I will write in preparation. I hope what I write helps people to plan future journeys on the Kumano Kodo and beyond. 108 …
I have just returned from the 138km walk from Lisbon to Fatima along the Camino de Santiago. I am looking forward to sharing my reflections and the resources that I used on my journey to help future peregrinos. For now, here are some resources I used to plan my trip: The Official site of the …
I just finished a great professional development with NCTA (National Consortium for Teaching about Asia) in which teachers from all over the US, who teach a number of different subjects and grades, got together (virtually) to read The Land of Big Numbers. It came at a time when I was extremely busy and it was …
Absolutely mesmerized by the documentary Ascension which shows modern China through clips of industry, labor, factories, and more. Really looking forward to the discussion at SupChina tomorrow night.
On Twitter, Adam James Smith has started an every-Friday #ReadQuixote trend where people read Don Quixote chapter by chapter every week of the year (DQ has 52 chapters). I picked up Don Quixote at a thrift shop in Philly years ago, not too far from the Don Quixote statue Spain donated to the City of …
Today is the opening ceremony of the 2022, Beijing Olympic Games. It seems like it was just yesterday that Beijing controversially hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008. Now, rather than a global focus on the PRC government persecution of Tibetans in Tibet, it is the Uighurs in Xinjiang who are facing dire odds. I personally …
Thich Nhat Hanh, the Zen teacher, died today at age 95. His teachings have been influential in my life for many years, from first seeing his mindful walking practice in Los Angeles, to visiting the temple where he trained in Vietnam, to reading the the latest work inspired by his teachings, “Happy Teachers Change the …
