Mirakutei ramen in Portland, Oregon

Whenever we visit a “big city” these days we try to find the best ramen they offer. Ten years ago such a thing would be impossible in the USA, but there are now decent ramen shops in some places. Portland is one of them. This time we tried Mirakutei (味楽亭). The waitresses were all Japanese. The cooks were Mexican, but the ramen was still authentic.

Three of us had the, above pictured, Tonkotsu Ramen. One other went with the Original. Everyone was satisfied. The Original is your more typical Japanese ramen. The Tonkotsu is subtle but still wonderful.

Mirakutei is east of the river on Burnside.

Posted on March 29th, 2014 under Japan, Oregon. Tags: food, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, portland, ramen, reviews. Comments Off on Ramen in Portland

Buddhist monk in Japan begging for alms

In many countries, beggars are homeless and can be somewhat aggressive in their tactics. In Japan, the homeless don’t beg, and the only “beggars” you see are clean, fairly well dressed, and silent.

Posted on March 26th, 2014 under Japan. Tags: people. Comments Off on Japan’s begging is different

Japanese girl in summer yukata

Posted on March 24th, 2014 under Japan. Tags: Tokyo. Comments Off on Hot summer nights

Nippori Station – Tokyo, Japan

Posted on March 22nd, 2014 under Japan. Tags: Tokyo, trains, yanaka. Comments Off on Nippori Station (日暮里駅)

Photomerged panorama of the Shosenkyo hike

Hottest day of the year, hottest part of Japan, extremely humid, and I was going to go on a long, uphill hike. The good news was the hike was mostly in the shade. Most people drive up to Shosenkyo these days via a car or bus. Don’t do it. Walk up. It’s a beautiful journey that you will mostly miss in a vehicle.

Posted on March 18th, 2014 under Japan. Tags: arakawa, hiking, kofu, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, photomerge, shosenkyo. Comments Off on Hike through Shosenkyo Gorge