What makes for a good movie on “A Year To Think”? Compelling subject matter is, of course, king. A strong cinematic concept definitely helps. A narrative arc is never frowned upon. And a surprising emotional component is always home run. But not everything we shot found its way out of our constantly moving post-production facility. […]
AN ARTIST IN KYOTO
Never have we witnessed more love and attention put into a single cup of coffee. Twenty-five years ago, Ishihara transformed his home into a small coffee shop on an unassuming block far off the beaten path in Kyoto. His clientele is almost one-hundred percent regulars. Six days a week, he makes between fifty and sixty […]
CHINA IN JAPAN
Our friend China, lead singer for Pink Martini, was on tour in Japan at the exact same time we were there. Happily, we got to hang out with her in Tokyo and Kyoto, and see her perform in Yokosuka. We came to the concert for China’s incredible voice, but we stayed for “The Handshake.” Check […]
WHAT WE SEE OUT THERE
Two kids on the street in Kyoto where we live. The office in Kyoto where we write.With all due respect to our charming officemates, our housemates are slightly cuter.
EXPECTATION VS. REALITY: KYOTO
Welcome to what we intend to be a continuing series where we examine the collision between our expectations for someplace or something — and the hard truth of reality. In this case, we examine a townhouse or “machiya” we rented for six nights and seven days in Kyoto. Click here to see the listing we […]
HIROSHIMA: A FAMILY REMEMBRANCE
We had always planned to go to Hiroshima from early on in thinking about our time in Japan, but we had thought it would be a day trip from Kyoto. Yet something led us to wanting more time there. We imagined Hiroshima would be a somber place, but our time there was far more vibrant […]
FINN PRESENTS SENSŌ-JI TEMPLE
Speaking in Japanese (with handy subtitles), Finn takes you on a brief tour of Sensō-Ji, an ancient Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, Tokyo. This is Tokyo’s oldest temple, and one of its most well-known. Tourists from all over the world visit Sensō-Ji every year. On the day we were there, we counted eleven different field trips of […]
SHIBUYA CROSSING!
Everybody’s favorite game show at Tokyo’s busiest intersection! Now you can play along! (TIP: Put on your glasses, play video full-screen, and focus, focus, focus!)
TOKYO MORNING COFFEE RUN
When traveling for a whole year, we like to find apartments that give us the experience of actually living someplace — as opposed to being tourists in hotels. In Tokyo, a series of random google searches and obscure links led us to a small (normal by Japanese standards) two-bedroom apartment in a part of town […]