Japan

Japan is one of my favorite places to visit. I like the people, the culture, the food, and the volcanoes.

Japan can be disorienting and strange to Americans because there is no colonial veneer of European culture, but it is modern, affluent, clean, and safe. And there is great public transit, so exploring on your own is a pleasant adventure.

My first visit was in 1976 on my round-the-world adventure. I landed in Osaka and visited Osaka and Kyoto with Prof. Nobuo Morimoto. My former colleague at NASA, Hiroshi Takeda was my host at the University of Tokyo. We went to Mt. Hakone where we collected some three-pyroxene andesites and I got some great photos of Mt Fuji.

In 1991, I spent three months as a JSPS fellow at the Mineralogical Institute at the University of Tokyo, Hongo Campus.

And in October, 2001, I went to a meeting at Kurayoshi sponsored by the Institute for the Study of Earth's Interior (ISEI) of Okayama University in Misasa.

After the meeting, I went on an excursion to Mt. Daisen, a young andesite volcano.

This is not my photo but the weather did not cooperate for as nice scenic photo.

This is a view from near the summit looking northwest.

The trail starts on the grounds of an ancient temple.