Folksy Travel by Bill Smale • Page 3 of 55 • Click on "Menu" below to search Country or City (wait 30 seconds after clicking) or to see Country Guide

August 26, 2025August 26, 2025

Try Trier Germany

I recommend to try Trier Germany for several reasons. You will love some of the old architecture, the location next to the border with Luxembourg and the surrounding beauty. A one or 2 day visit would be sufficient.

August 24, 2025August 24, 2025

Exploring Hsinchu (新竹) Taiwan

What is interesting about Exploring Hsinchu or for Taiwan for that matter? I find food will always by first on my list. The people outside the giant city of Taipei are all living a little slower life and so can spend time being more courteous and polite. The city of Hsinchu was reported by some as a “food desert”. I didn’t find that at all. It is a smaller city than Tainan or Kaohsiung or even Taichung but it has some very good restaurants and plenty of them.

I need to look harder to find the Moto Guzzi here.

Starbucks in the old library, a 1923 designed Japanese colonial building with Frank Lloyd Wright hints.

I am thinking they took some design hints from FLW’s Imperial Hotel designed 2 years earlier in Tokyo

coffee doritos — Adapting to local tastes…..but Coffee flavor?

The big department store. On the left you see the escalator taking people up to the food court on the 4th floor .

Young people gathered outside dancing to an event

character dim sum — Dim Sum for kids with cartoon characters inside other characters

korean noodles — Not expensive, about $6.50

SFO floor Exploring Hsinchu — What I found he 7th floor had

background scene — The city scenery in the background

quaker — Quake makes a ginseng health drink?

Japanese architecture — Another Japanese colonial style building

japanese — The train station also left from the occupation

August 20, 2025August 20, 2025

Luxembourg Adventure

Any Luxembourg Adventure starts with the main city which has free public transport (countrywide) and is also very walkable.

Beautiful building. This is a government building

bridge view — From the brdge. Lots of grenery

river exercise area — By the river bank lots of space for people to exercise in

beggar dogs — Beggars in Phuket got dogs when they saw how many people crowded around me when I had a cute puppy. Now it is a worldwide thing. Beggars need dogs.

Some hotel and archives related to Joan of Arc

church Luxembourg Adventure — Beautiful church

church burial — Churches bury famous people in the floors

nancy cathedra — Moving on to Nancy in France

Vienna coffee — I thought Vienna Coffee was a Japanese invention but that is not the case.

August 18, 2025August 18, 2025

Thailand 2025

On my last jaunt through Thailand I stopped in Prachuap Kirikan to visit my good friends Alain and Sunan. They now have full solar power in the main house. The guest bungaloo is not yet a priority for solar adaptation. They have a new dog, a stray that stays due to the abundance of food from her generous hosts.

Laos store — Stopped for a few days in Vientiane, Laos to visit with Pasan. I love the store sinage.

no smoking temple — Good thing it doesn’t start smoking.

food salls — Food stalls where you can also find sushi sitting out in the hot sun

train photographers — Kids waiting to get a good photo of the arriving train

Planning lunch — Sunan getting ready to conquer the lunch menu

The garden Sunan created out of a vacant piece of land

At the Bangkok hotel looking at aquaman prepared to put out an underwater fire

emerald buddha proof of theft — In Vientiane, proof the Emerald Buddha at Wat Phra Keow was stolen from the main temple in Laos. Thai people are fed a false truth about this Buddhist figure.

August 15, 2025August 15, 2025

Hokkaido Enjoyment

Hokkaido Enjoyment includes food, walking around and traveling the countryside by car. You should be aware that in 5 years, as I was told, many of the local trains will be discontinued. This means car and bus will be the new major modes of rural transport. But the rental car companies seem to have things prepared in English pretty well so renting a car is pretty easy. My experience renting a car in Japan is very consistent. The rental companies are pretty honest and so are not trying to make extra money by charging for things that aren’t your fault. However, taking photos of the car before driving it as well as the gauge cluster showing milage and gas amount is still advisable.

White gyoza — This was actually in Kashiwa, near tokyo, at the White Gyoza restaurant. This order of Yaki Gyoza was very tasty and the meal including Kimchi was only US$6.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/f3mG6AXe2rRk7EBS8?g_st=ipc

Ferry for Hokkaido Enjoyment — While the Shinkansen (fast trains) go under the channel to Hokkaido now there is still the ferry system which is cheaper. This one goes from Hakodate to Aomori. This ferry was US$26.

Salmon sashimi Hokkaido Enjoyment — Many Restaurants have a photo of this salmon sashimi with salmon roe on rice in the tourists areas.

One man train — Many rural trains are called *One Man* which means there is one person engineering the train and no second person to issue tickets. So the silver and blue machine is to pay for tickets which the engineer manages at each stop. The fare is displayed above on the screen and calculated by distnce.

Toyo-ura town — I stayed at this small fishing town, Toyo-Ura, which I don’t recommend unless you have a car. There is only one resort here and in my estimation overpriced. Everywhere you see the floats for fishing nets.

Good restaurant — This drinkery has very good quality food and I highly recommend it. However, a reservation would be a good idea since it is pretty popular.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/53duUMjFehibRasy6?g_st=ipc

Dunkin' donuts — I never buy hotel breakfasts separately or pay extra for them since I only want a cup of coffee and something small to prepare the stomach for a late lunch, my only real meal of the day. Here I am at Dunkin’ Donuts. While I am “dunking” the rest of Japan knows nothing of this great American tradition.

Proof I was in Otaru, a must visit city with many local craft shops especially glassware.

Kaitenzushi (conveyor belt sushi) restaurant but the only thing on the conveyor belt was advertising for specific items. You order as you do in a regular (modernized) sushi restaurant, from an iPad.

Uni shop — This is the only UNI (sea urchin) specialty shop I can recall.

August 9, 2025August 9, 2025

Relaxing Landshut

Relaxing Landshut is close to Munich and a less expensive community to park youself. Enjoy some of the very nice Italian and German restaurants here especially Ristorante Rossini at the foot of the castle. The make the best Olive Oil/Peperoncino spaghetti I have ever had. The recipe includes pine nuts and next to you on the veranda outside is some fresh basil growing you can use to garnish the flavors.

With a cigar — Enjoying a cigar in the Plaza

The European hit, the campari spritz with a new cigar offering by Toscano, the Robusto.

motorcycle group — Law enforcement officers (one here I met) formed a motorcycle touring group called the Punishers. It was a very nice and interesting discussion.

obama hat — My Obama hat on it’s Last trip. The brim disintegrated after 16 years

preparation for event — Getting ready for a holiday event

side dish in relaxing Landshut — A side dish

August 8, 2025August 8, 2025

Cornell Japan 2025

I happened to arrive in Japan just at the right time. A group of Cornell students were in Japan for a study course, one month, and a lot of beautiful cherry blossoms were coming out. Cornell graduates in Japan were about 10 in 1976 and now more than 76.

With a friend’s, and Cornell graduate’s, company employees. Two people from me is Ryoichi (Joe) Shiratsuchi, the boss, and Bob Nellis’s son Scott next to me.

In Osaka with Sang Hong (Seoul) Lee, my former roommate, John Hamada ’65, and Mano Pak, a former student, a close friend, and the one who encouraged his Nephew, Sang Il, to attend Cornell.

Betty Shibata passed away the year before so I visited her grave. Her father on the left received an honorary doctorate the year Betty graduated. He was the first and so far the only Japanese President of Rotary International, a very influential person in US-Japan relations as was Betty.

At Yukko’s entertainment establishment in Golden Gai Shinjuku with the Dates to the left, good friends, and Scott Nellis, rapidly learning Japanese and working here.

The Kobe reception for the Cornell students in Japan for a month on interdisciplinary studies.

Kawasaki-san talking about his enjoyments at Cornell and welcoming students. He is a well known potter

Happy students with Hiroko and her husband in the back. Hiroko was the first blind Japanese student to attend a regular curriculum (not specialized for the blind) in the US.

With Akira Kasano, the Cornell soccer goalie, on the left and his friend Inoue-san at a night club in Wakayama.

August 7, 2025August 7, 2025

Japan Food Varieties

Yesterday I had a nice cold ramen in Kashiwa for $6.80. That seems to be close to the low end of the price range but it was pretty good. Japan Food Varieties will amaze you. You can go from raw to deep fried food in the same restaurant or in speciality restaurants. You can get everything from vegan to almost every kind of meat, even bear. By now you probably know Japan is famous for whale and horse meat. And some of their world famous Italian restaurants are here as well. Every part of Japan has it’s own special foods you should try. Go from Hokkaido for excellent ocean foods to fatty pork in Okinawa to baby bees in Matsumoto. And, heads up, there is no tradition of tipping in Japan so the price you see on the menu is the total you pay except for places that have table charges (OTOSHI) with a small snack or those that don’t include the sales tax in the menu price.

Okinawa gin — This is a very delicious and unusual gin produced in Okinawa and maybe not available elsewhere

ice cream Japan Food Varities — Ice cream is everywhere and somewhat tasty though not as flavorful as most western countries

ocean grapes — UMI NO BUDO Ocean grapes prevalent in Okinawa

Ishigaki rum — The most flavorful rum I have ever had. It is available only on Ishigaki Island

A Okinawa meal. Fatty pork with rice, noodles, cured seaweed and NIGAORI (goya)

fish and sashimi — Special Japan Food Varieties.; grilled fish in a semi sweet sauce with sashimi including HOTARU IKA (squid from the north.

tonkatsu — TONKATSU, one of my favorites with sesame above with the stick for grinding it.;

India Thai food — Strange Indian and Thai restaurant. You see the lunch menu varies in price from US$7.50 to US$9.50

thai food — Thai food in a Karaoke bar in Kashiwa

sushi resautant — My neighborhood Sushi/Izakaya. Mr. Kamiya on the left is the same age as me and looks like my Danish adopted sister’s father

Tempura — I have many favorite foods in Japan. One is TEMPURA.

unagi — A good UNAGI restaurant on the Tokaido line

Special variety. Above is something on a cured root.

cheap noodles — On Monday you can get noodles for as low as US$3.40

student discount — Student discounted food

cheap korean — korean style grilled food for as low as US$6

Sapporo fish restaurant. It was very tasty

kaiten sushi — A Sapporo KAITENZUSHIYA (conveyor belt sushi restaurant )

In UENO this ramen restaurant has the best pork ramen I have ever had for US$9.30. These are very tasty big pieces of pork which you never see.

izakaya — A typical IZAKAYA (drinkery) with grilled SHSHAMO fish (eat head frst), stingray fin, grilled chicken skin and liver

Delicious gyoza in a Shinjuku chinese restaurant I want to return to

With my former neighbors at our neighborhood sushiya

side dishes — Side dishes of MENMA and ZASAI

You can see the prices of food at drinkeries in Ishigaki

August 6, 2025August 6, 2025

Japan enjoyment

The key to Japan enjoyment is to just relax, take your time and don`t be pressured. There are so many little things to enjoy while bopping around the country. Take the opportunity to look at the smallest of things to understand how things work. You will love the places you visit if you take your time.

batmobile — A Village version of the Batmobile?

lotus Japan enjoyment — Lotus blooms at Ueno Park

Kaiba — Good Fiends I used to participate with sometimes

with friends — Lots of fun. The guy sitting next to me is Bob Nellis` son

Toto adversing their restroom products at the airport

lake hills Japan enjoyment — Hills around the lake

August 2, 2025August 2, 2025

Kyoto and Tokyo Memories

When you travel around Kyoto and Tokyo it’s always good to be with friends but even if you can’t remember there are some interesting places that even a person traveling by themselves can enjoy and can find somebody to talk to. I found myself having a fairly long discussion with a couple from Holland at the Ryoanji temple, the one temple I always visit when I go to Kyoto.

Kyoto in Tokyo memories — if you watch the video below you will see how detailed this lady is manicuring the garden grasses

Roof design — Old roof decorations. You can see the circles with the three items swirling, a design you see also in the Celtic tradition

Furigana — Here you can see modern Japanese written with some characters which are smaller off to the right. Those are to help people read the specific pronunciation of the kanji and are always used for students when they are learning kanji. This pronunciation writing is called furigana

Good timing — This was just good timing. There were a lot of pollutants and also missed in the air which made the Son this red color

The carbus — This model is called the carbus. I guess they couldn’t make up their mind what to call it

Old restaurant — Typical post war restaurant

Karaoke OK — Karaoke in the small restaurant

Singing karaoke — I never require much encouragement to sing karaoke

To graveyard — One of the most famous graveyards in Tokyo

Washing the tombstone — The bucket of water in the previous photo is used to wash the tombstone

Bar k — at bar K and GoldenGai Shinjuku with Scott Nellis

Preparing the stage — Preparing for presentations during cherry blossom season

Karaoke — With TAKEUCHI san singing karaoke

Used to be cherry trees — The street used to be lined with cherry trees 60 years ago

With a friend — With my friend Katena san

Cherry tree photos — People taking photos of the cherry tree

Tomb visit — With Hayashi san’s sister preparing to visit the tomb

Kei's grave — his is the one on the far left and you will notice the many kanji above the dates and name. This is the Buddhist name given to the person when they pass away. The more money you pay the better name the monks will give you.

Chinese crowd — my hotels convenience store was so packed with Chinese touristS it was impossible to even get in. I had to wait an hour for them finish their purchases

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