Author Archives: ScottBreen

I recently returned home to Hawaii from Japan.  Japan was very cold.  I bought a down coat on the internet from LL Bean before I went.  I was very happy that I had that coat.

This was my second trip to Japan this year.  This time I stayed for 10 days.  When I went to Japan in September I stayed for 3 weeks.

I spent the first couple of days in the Yokohama area.  I stayed at a hotel close to the Yokohama station.  Yokohama station is very crowded and very confusing.

Before I left Hawaii I bought a one week JR rail pass.  When you purchase the pass you get only a voucher.  When you arrive in Japan you must go to the green room to convert your voucher to the pass.  I asked serveral people in the Yokohama station where I could exchange my voucher.  I never did really understand where to go.  I finally took the subway to the Shin Yokohama station.  I have been to Shin Yokohama station many times and know it very well.

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The first time that I went to Japan stayed at a western style hotel. Everyone was very nice and most of the employee’s spoke English. It was like any other hotel in an America city.. My wife’s parents took us to a Japanee style inn in Atagawa.. Here none of the hotel employee’s spoke English. I couldn’t speak Japanese and they couldn’t understand English, but I was able to understand the message. I wanted to be able to communcate better in Japanese. This is one of the main reasons that I wanted to learn to speak Japanese. Continue reading →

Kailua Beach is a very beautiful beach. The shoreline is very wide and the sand is very white. The beach’s shoreline is very long. From kailua beach park you can walk for about 3 miles. The sun doesn’t set at Kailua Beach. However, the view of the rising sun in the morning from the ocean is very beautiful and magnificent. Continue reading →

Last week the week long Merri Monarch festival is held in Hilo. The Merri Monarch festival is a very famous hula festival. It is held once a year for one week. The major purpose of the festival is the perpetuation, preservation, and promotion of the art of hula and the Hawaiian culture through education. Friday night is the kahiko, or Men’s traditional hula competition. Saturday night is the Auana or Woman’s modern hula competition. The Kahiko is my favorite.

We wanted to see the hula competition live, so three years ago we went to Hilo to see it. I was very surprised. It was very difficult to see and hear live. It was a very good experience. It is much easier to see on television. Tonight I watched it on television. Continue reading →

Today I went to a government radar site on the highest mountain top on Oahu. I haven’t been up there for over 15 years. I went there many times when I repaired the Navy’s radios. Myself and one of the Navy people drove up there. The road in very step and winding. The weather was very rainy and cloudy. It was very cold. I became disappointed because I was not able to see the beautiful view. I took my camera but I didn’t take any pictures. Becasue I thought that the pictures would have looked like the inside of your hat. On the way down we saw wild pigs. I enjoyed it very much. Continue reading →

After Kyoto we went to koyasan. kyoasan is a famous mountain with many temples. we stayed one night is a temple in Koyasan. The monks were very friendly. the veterinarian food was very good. The room was simple and clean.The next day we got up early to watch the monks daily ceremony. Because Koyasan is on a mountain top it was very cold. I didn’t want to get up out of the bed. After the ceremony I was very happy that we went. It was very interesting. Continue reading →

Last year in October when we went to Japan we rode the shinkansen from Yokohama to Kyoto. We stayed 2 nights in Kyoto. We saw various temples. It was very beautiful. The first day we ate at the hotel. The food was good but very expensive. This was our first time to come to Kyoto. So I wanted to eat real Japanese food. So the next day I asked the taxi driver where would you recommend. The Taxi driver took us to a really nice Japanese restaurant. Because I did not want to drink sake, the restaurant employee was a little unfriendly. Maybe it was because I was a foreigner. But I don’t know. That was the first time I have met unfriendly people. Most Japanese are very friendly people. Continue reading →

(Yesterday I told you that Seattle’s summer was very beautiful). Seattle’s Fall and winter are very different. It rains a lot. From September to May it rains every day. If it is not raining then it’s cloudy. Seattle is not know for snow in the winter. But lots of snow falls in the mountains. Skiing is very popular in the winter. When I was in high school I went night skiing. I enjoyed it very much, but it was really cold. Continue reading →