愛 (Ai) means “love.” The top of this character is a person rowing a boat, the middle portion is a heart and the bottom portion is a footstep. All together, this symbolizes the feeling that a boat cannot go fast enough when someone is looking forward to meeting with their loved one. 空 (Sora) means […]
The Kaeru Kid
THE KAERU KID: Northwest USA road trip, part 2
September 1, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part series. On our way south on Interstate 93 a sign for the National Bison Range Visitor Center lured us in for a short stop. A tour to see the herd takes one and-a-half to two hours because it is via a one-way road and once started must be […]
THE KAERU KID: Northwest USA road trip
July 7, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Editor’s Note: This is the first of a two-part series. The goal for this road trip was to meet George Kubota Jr., who I wrote about in my preceding column (in the June 9, 2016 issue of the Nichi Bei Weekly), but the route also gave me an excuse to stay with friends and also […]
THE KAERU KID: A most righteous town
June 9, 2016 by 5 Comments
I wrote about an Affordable Travel Club host couple who asked me about my concentration camp experience during World War II in the Dec. 4, 2014 issue of the Nichi Bei Weekly: “While we were getting acquainted, they told me about a Japanese American family in Washington state that was not imprisoned in a concentration […]
THE KAERU KID: Pollywog goes to Hawai‘i
March 31, 2016 by Leave a Comment
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.†—Marcel Proust One of the downsides of traveling to so many different locations is that it becomes difficult to be impressed as one remembers a similar place that somehow was more unique. It is hard to empathize with Louis […]
THE KAERU KID: A New Year’s Eve to remember
January 1, 2016 by Leave a Comment
I don’t know why, but my ex-wife and I somehow always managed to have terrible New Year Eve celebrations in spite of the best intentions and plans. One year, I finally said, “We are going to have a fabulous one this year, regardless the cost.†(Be careful what you wish for). My idea was to […]
THE KAERU KID: Yosemite firefall
December 3, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Older readers may remember seeing bonfire embers pushed off the cliffs in Yosemite at night, producing a glowing firefall like a waterfall.  It started early in the last century and continued until 1968, when it was terminated by the National Park Service director because it was an artificial phenomenon that attracted huge crowds, resulting in damage to areas where people […]
THE KAERU KID: Discover treasures just southwest of Las Vegas
November 5, 2015 by Leave a Comment
A smooth two-and-a-half hour drive from Las Vegas to Lake Havasu City in Arizona ended with a two night stay at an Affordable Travel Club member’s home. Twenty dollars a night for two people, including breakfast and, best of all, meeting local friendly hosts who can provide insight into the area that one might not […]
THE KAERU KID: A mixed experience at Sundance
October 1, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Attending the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah was high on my bucket list. The nonprofit organization promotes independent films, documentaries and short films during the annual festival, which runs for 10 days in January. Many films have garnered Oscar nominations, including some winners. It began in 1978 with Robert Redford as one of […]
THE KAERU KID: On the silk road in Uzbekistan
August 6, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Editor’s Note: This is the fourth part of a series. I have had the most exciting discoveries many times when it was least expected. On the other hand, many places that I’ve looked forward to visiting and read about extensively were disappointing because I had built up an image that was difficult to achieve in person. Uzbekistan […]
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