Author Archives: eli fessler

Mini-trip #1: Saga, Kumamoto, Hiroshima

Posted on March 26, 2025 by eli fessler

Oh my god ahhhh I’m leaving tomorrow for a two-week trip with my mom, and then a few days later it’s the opening of the World Expo (commemorative Myaku-Myaku ICOCA here I come!) and then a week after that I … Continue reading →

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My “Seishun 18” Koshinetsu–Tohoku Obon adventure

Posted on November 26, 2024 by eli fessler

OK, I’m a convert. Sitting on trains for up to eight hours a day, mostly as a way to escape the up-to-40°C / 104°F temperatures outside and sit inside an air-conditioned vehicle? Getting to pay a flat rate for unlimited … Continue reading →

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Golden Week in Hiroshima and Kyushu!

Posted on August 6, 2024 by eli fessler

At the end of April and beginning of May, I took a big Golden Week trip westward and down through Kyushu. I have multiple friends who’ve visited or who have extended family in Fukuoka – they’ve all had nothing but … Continue reading →

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The (R)ides of March

Posted on April 18, 2024 by eli fessler

It’s been a while! I frankly got a little burnt out on writing (and still am, honestly) but finally got some motivation to write about my trip last month. March 16 was a big day for public transport in Japan: … Continue reading →

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Koki Mitani’s Odessa

Posted on February 21, 2024 by eli fessler

“Three characters. Two languages. One truth.” This is the idea behind Odessa (オデッサ), Koki Mitani’s first new play in three and a half years, set in 1999 in the American town of Odessa, Texas. A Japanese tourist is detained on … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Theatre | Tagged | 10 Comments