It's a start

Sundays: Bonanza
for pedestrians. Many
streets closed to autos.

ATMs bitchy?

ATMs bitchy?
Tip to travelers: Try one
at a post office.

I am a tub of guts

Fatty tuna's price:
unbearable clarity
that he's in peril.

Makes sense, in a way

Japanese TV:
profoundly unserious,
unlike its viewers.

The gohyaku-en-koka

Potent in pocket,
target of counterfeiters:
the five-dollar coin.

Host country always correct

Tokyo's "maid cafes,"
where visitors are greeted,
"Welcome home, master."

Kiyosumi Gardens

Carp, turtles slumber,
young irises clump, trees sprawl.
Only the Earth moves.

Matsuo Basho's
celebrated inscription from
sixteen eighty-six:

This Tokyo metro

This Tokyo metro:
a Gordian spaghetti
we slurp standing up.

Make hay while you can

Make hay while you can,
kiddo. A slim black briefcase
is in your future.

Shading our footsteps

Shading our footsteps
in tidy Tokyo, all the
trees seem manicured.

Obama's visit

Japan's rationale
for extra security?
"Qaida hates U.S."

Ohio goes Imus

To say, "Good morning,"
there's no better mnemonic.
Unless there is one.

What Bob Harris told his wife about Tokyo

It's not fun; it's just
(pause) very, very different.
-- "Lost in Translation"

Push-button banquet

Push-button banquet:
hot and cold drinks, underwear
and yes, tomatoes.

Kurumi Mansion

Entertainment malfunction

Sorry, says captain.
You must watch "Walter Mitty"
over and over.

Flight 169

Japanese heads loll
forward like heavy poppies.
Sleep catches us all.