Japan

A golfer recounts recent travels including a birdie in Nebraska, an unwanted television appearance during a second trip to Japan, and the tradition of checking for new potato chip flavors in Thailand after long trips abroad.

Hashtag inimitable. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg-y4z_iO9Q?rel=0&w=480&h=360] For this award.

Spanning travel, food, literature, and culture, this installment of unsolicited advice recommends visiting Thailand in January for its dry and pleasant weather, savoring spicy nori potato chips and Ginza sushi, reading Richard Flanagan’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Murakami’s Norwegian Wood, and visiting the Ponshu-kan sake museum in Japan, which offers tasting from 200 varieties of sake.

A hike up Mount Takao (599 meters) near Tokyo becomes an exercise in “perambulatory couture,” as the author and a companion Guy make a point of wearing wool rather than synthetic fabrics, earning compliments from fellow hikers and rewarding themselves with fruit vinegar soft-serve ice cream at the summit.

A golf report from turfgrass scientist Micah Woods addressing his absence from monthly updates, noting two rounds played in September on bentgrass in Japan and korai in Bangkok, while detailing his busy schedule of grass research across Asia, running, traveling, and publishing over 20 turfgrass articles and journal papers.

A travel food diary from Japan’s Izu Peninsula highlights the pleasures of freshly grated wasabi — milder and more versatile than the tube variety — used on everything from cold soba and soft cream to pickled greens, alongside other regional Japanese dishes like Fukuoka’s tonkotsu ramen and mentaiko before returning to Thailand’s fresh, unadulterated cuisine.

A visit to Taverna Rondino near Kamakura, Japan, offers Mediterranean-style food and ambience with coastal views reminiscent of Italy or Spain, though the surrounding scenery quickly reveals its true Japanese setting.

A series of farewell parties (soubetsukai) across Ishigaki, Fukuoka, and Tokyo featured local foods and drinks including awamori liqueur, yakitori, Ishigaki steak, and an array of notable ice creams, culminating in travels aboard five different Boeing aircraft models within a single month.

A botanist traveling through Japan shares observations on local food and drink enjoyed between fieldwork, highlighting regional dishes like Hiroshima oyster okonomiyaki, kakigōri, and Yaeyama soba, along with a note that Japan excels in alcohol-free beer—with Orion Clear Free earning top marks for its can design.

A golf turf professional describes a whirlwind visit to Tokyo while on a Japan trip, recounting weekend runs through city streets, browsing quirky Zoff eyewear frames, catching up on golf magazines, and dining at notable spots including an award-winning ramen shop, Japan’s best sweet potato restaurant, and a riverside bar serving imperial stout and unusual yogurt and green banana flavored beers.