During our time in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture we were able to explore the ancient fortress on the hill, Matsuyama Castle. A cloudy and rainy day made the castle seem overly gloomy, but there were facinating historical artifacts and displays inside the castle that made up for it.

A little known sports bar in Nihonbashi got my attention last year with its Philly theme and pursuit of an authentic cheesesteak. The owners just returned from a pilgrimage to Philadelphia to show off their version. So it must be good right? Well, I did the taste test, and...

Over the years I have seen many pictures of The National Diet Building in Nagatacho, but never actually came close to visiting it. Well, finally that day came, and it was grander than I expected. And we even got a chance to visit the Parliamentary Museum and the National Diet Library before our tour started!

I've been a paying customer of OpenAI for a while in order to use their ChatGPT AI product suite. In the past I've used AI to generate lesson quizzes, at which it did a credible job. Recently I decided on a project for this Samraworld website that I thought ChatGPT could help me with. Well, it did help, but it took some patience. 

Himeji-jō, known as the White Heron Castle because of its distinctive white exterior, is the most visited castle in Japan. We had visited other castles in Japan before, but this one was at a different level. Not only is Himeji-jō very well preserved, but in cherry blossom season, it is absolutely spectacular.

The mountainous region of Nara known as Yoshinoyama has been known as one of the best places to visit during cherry blossom season. So we wanted to see if the reality was up to the hype. Well, I am here to report that it did, with flying colors!

To-ji is an important temple on the southwest side of Kyoto. It is especially pretty in cherry blossom season, and in the fall when the colors change. It's probably not a place you will visit on your first visit to Kyoto, with all the other more well known temples to see, but you will not be disappointed if you have time to visit To-ji.

The Creative Noodle Factory Nakiryu was on my short list of ramen places to visit in 2025. This classy ramen shop had won a Michelin star in 2017, so it is going to be good. How good was the question.

This spring we took a bus tour to a few beautiful locations for viewing cherry blossoms, referred to in Japan as sakura. The first stop in the tour was Byodoin, an ancient Heian temple located in the southern part of Kyoto. Most folks visiting Kyoto are not aware of Byodoin. It is a bit out of the way in Uji, and well, there are so many temples and shrines closer to the center of Kyoto that Byodoin is kind of an afterthought, if thought of at all.

It's been a long time since I posted a lesson about a restaurant. I was intending to last fall, as I visited a couple of well known ramen shops. But for whatever reason I never got around to it. So, here is a quickie review of Nobunaga, a tasty ramen shop on the edge of Ginza.