http://www.seekjapan.jp/on-japan Rachel spends most of her time and money gallivanting around Japan and its neighbors. When she isn't doing that, you can probably find her hunched over a wine glass pondering whether this country can produce a drinkable vino. GMT en-us http://www.seekjapan.jp/article/1640/Cheap+Sleeps+Tokyo:+Shinjuku http://www.seekjapan.jp/article/1640/Cheap+Sleeps+Tokyo:+Shinjuku Thu,22 May 2008 GMT Shinjuku is home to some of the most expensive hotels in Tokyo. Even I was doubtful that I would be able to find a cheap place to stay in this haughty hood. When seeking cheap rooms in Shinjuku, both the words cheap and room need to be given a little leeway. Finding a place to stay for less than 5,000 yen per night for a single female traveler was my goal. Before getting off the subway, I knew I would have to steer clear of the skyscraper district to the west of the station. This part of ... http://www.seekjapan.jp/article/1635/Movies+for+Nothing+and+Books+for+Free http://www.seekjapan.jp/article/1635/Movies+for+Nothing+and+Books+for+Free Tue,13 May 2008 GMT I’m cheap. I’ll be the first person to admit it. I don’t buy designer clothes; I don’t stay in five-star hotels; and I don’t like paying for new books. Coming from San Francisco—a literary land o’ plenty—this was never a problem. You can’t swing a dead cat in that city without hitting a funky little used bookstore. There are even themed libraries featuring the Beats, LGBT authors, Russian lit. Every weekend ... http://www.seekjapan.jp/article/1587/Aside+from+Angkor http://www.seekjapan.jp/article/1587/Aside+from+Angkor Thu,10 Apr 2008 GMT We’ve all heard about those famous temples near Siem Reap, Cambodia. I doubt very few international tourists visit the area without a stop at Angkor Wat on the itinerary. While the temples are certainly the region’s pièce de résistance, there are lots of other things in Siem Reap to keep a traveler entertained. I arrived in Siem Reap too late in the day to start my pilgrimage to Angkor Wat. Instead of laying low, I decided to explore the city. First ... http://www.seekjapan.jp/article/1580/Cheap+Sleeps+Tokyo:+Asakusa http://www.seekjapan.jp/article/1580/Cheap+Sleeps+Tokyo:+Asakusa Mon,7 Apr 2008 GMT Cheap lodging in Tokyo is not easy to come by. In this installment of Cheap Sleeps, I’ll explore Asakusa in search of a good night’s sleep on a pauper’s budget. Along the way, I’ll crash at a hostel, unwind at a love hotel, and find peace in a pod. Tokyo is my layover city. Usually I arrive in the late evening and depart the next morning. I hate spending an exorbitant amount of money to stay in a hotel for twelve hours. This has led me to search the ... http://www.seekjapan.jp/article/1534/Obama+Loves+Obama! http://www.seekjapan.jp/article/1534/Obama+Loves+Obama! Thu,6 Mar 2008 GMT The city of Obama, Japan, lies in Fukui Prefecture. It’s not exactly a bustling metropolis. The population hovers around 32,000, and the main industry is fishing. There are some temples, some shrines, some seaside terraces, and not a lot else. This little city didn’t really have a claim to fame…until Barack Obama began his run to be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States. These days Barack Obama is everywhere in Obama, Japan. His face adorns ... http://www.seekjapan.jp/article/1504/A+Cheapskate's+Guide+to+Spring+Travel+in+Japan http://www.seekjapan.jp/article/1504/A+Cheapskate's+Guide+to+Spring+Travel+in+Japan Thu,28 Feb 2008 GMT Oh, I can feel it coming! Winter is in the death throes, choking and sputtering with its final snowy breaths. I can see the light at the end of this long, dark, freezing cold tunnel. Spring is about to spring. With the promise of warmer weather, I have begun to start travel planning. I am ready to bust out of my cabin fever and explore! And what better place to do said exploring? Japan in the springtime is a veritable cornucopia of festivals. With the cherry blossoms replacing the blanket of ... http://www.seekjapan.jp/article/1503/Teachers,+Help+Out+the+Holocaust+Museum. http://www.seekjapan.jp/article/1503/Teachers,+Help+Out+the+Holocaust+Museum. Thu,21 Feb 2008 GMT The Holocaust Museum of Houston is preparing a special exhibit called the Butterfly Project. The exhibit will be an art installation of 1.5 million handmade, hand-decorated butterflies to commemorate the 1.5 million children that perished during the Holocaust. How can you help? I’m glad you asked. 1.5 million butterflies is an awful lot of butterflies, and the museum workers can’t make them on their own. The museum is enlisting the help of students worldwide to create the ... http://www.seekjapan.jp/article/1502/A+Day+in+South+Korea's+DMZ http://www.seekjapan.jp/article/1502/A+Day+in+South+Korea's+DMZ Wed,20 Feb 2008 GMT The day dawned cold. Fog hid the details of the landscape. Barbed wire and military vehicles gave a tense tone to the day. I had arrived in Seoul late Thursday night. I rose the next day before the sun and began my journey into what most Americans imagine to be the heart of darkness: the DMZ. The DeMilitarized Zone runs along the 38th parallel. It's a four kilometer-wide stretch of uninhabited land between South Korea and North Korea. It's chock full of land mines, tunnels, traps, and other ...