Category Archives: Architecture

Hotel Review: The Alexander, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Posted on June 25, 2016 by LearningFeelsGood

Disclaimer: In exchange for this hotel review, I received a two nights-stay in one of The Alexander‘s two bedroom California king suites. (I had a last-minute need to be in Indianapolis, Indiana earlier than anticipated. Fortunately, Jake, one of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Hotels, North America (non-NYC), Reviews | Tagged art, biking, breakfast, buffet, design, Dolce Hotels and Resorts, hotel review, Indiana, Indianapolis, room, suite, The Alexander, USA | 2 Comments

Travel Photography Tip: Look Both Ways

Posted on May 30, 2016 by LearningFeelsGood

I’ve gotten yelled at by my fair share of security guards for either inadvertently – or purposely – trespassing, and/or taking photos where signs specifically say not to do so. Whoops. For instance, at the above Qingjing Mosque in Quanzhou, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, China & Hong Kong, East & Southeast Asia | Tagged Buddhist, Burma, China, cobra, Mandalay, Myanmar, photos, Qingjing Mosque, Quanzhou, snake, statue, travel, travel photographer | Leave a comment

Quirky Japanese Kōban, or Police Boxes

Posted on October 19, 2015 by LearningFeelsGood

I have a lot of photos from Japan, but this owl-shaped building in Chiba city may be the token entry for kōban (交番) neighborhood police stations. On second thought, that might be too generous – and incorrect – a term … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, East & Southeast Asia, Japan, Languages | Tagged building, Chiba, Japan, kōban, police station, Prussia, Tokyo, tourist | 3 Comments

Throwback Thursday: The Sofitel in Ueno, Tokyo

Posted on October 15, 2015 by LearningFeelsGood

The Sofitel Ueno, overlooking Ueno Park’s Shinobazu Pond, was one of my favorite (weird) buildings in Tokyo…until it was demolished in between late 2006 and mid-2008. Heck, the Sofitel wasn’t around that long to begin with, opening only in 1994. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, East & Southeast Asia, Hotels, Japan, Languages | Tagged Architecture, belief, buildings, design, hotel, Japan, japanese, Shinto, Sofitel, Tokyo, tree, Ueno, weird, Where is Ueno? | 5 Comments

Weird Signs, Issue #1: Dental Sushi Cruise in New Jersey

Posted on March 3, 2015 by LearningFeelsGood

Sometimes when I’d go to Mitsuwa Marketplace in Edgewater, New Jersey, the largest Japanese supermarket in the New York City area, I’d walk a few more minutes north to the Trader Joe’s shopping center. Indeed, when you think “I’m going to go … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Food & Drink, New York City | Tagged bus, day trip, Edgewater, New Jersey, New York City, Signs, weird | 1 Comment

Everything’s Bigger in… East Asia?

Posted on February 23, 2015 by LearningFeelsGood

If you’ve had the chance to flip through my previous posts, you may already know that East Asia has cornered the market on many of the world’s superlatives— among numerous other (read: weird) possibilities, escalators, advertising and flight delays all … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, East & Southeast Asia, Food & Drink, Human Nature, Japan | Tagged advertising, east asia, Japan, Signs, superlatives, Texas, weird | 8 Comments

Japanese Signs: I Could Read Them, if I Could Read Them

Posted on February 3, 2015 by LearningFeelsGood

During my first visit to Japan in the summer of 2000, I lived with a host family in Kanazawa for one month. Even though I was just in my early teens at the time, wanderlust had already become a favorite … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, East & Southeast Asia, Human Nature, Japan | Tagged Japan, japanese, neon, nightlife, Signs, weird | 6 Comments

Caracas, Venezuela’s Torre de David

Posted on January 23, 2015 by LearningFeelsGood

My timing is not good these days. Ah, that’s a half-truth. Whereas the dollar went far on my recent visit to Caracas, Venezuela, the one building I wanted to visit, the Centro Financiero Confinanzas, was already been cleared of its … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Human Nature, pop culture, South America | Tagged building, Caracas, hong kong, slum, tower, Venezuela | 1 Comment

Movie Locations: Slurping Ramen in “Tampopo”

Posted on January 17, 2015 by LearningFeelsGood

Have you heard of/seen the Japanese movie Tampopo? Directed in 1985 by Juzo Itami, it tells the fictional story of Tampopo, a female chef endeavoring to create the quintessential bowl of ramen. In other words, if she moonlighted as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, East & Southeast Asia, Food & Drink, Japan | Tagged food, japanese, movie, ramen, Tampopo, Tokyo | 11 Comments

Tokyo’s Shakaden: BuildingMyBento’s Mother Ship?

Posted on December 25, 2014 by LearningFeelsGood

If I’m physically from New York, I’m incredulously from the Tokyo Shakaden (釈迦殿). Located in Azabudai but close enough to Tokyo’s Gomorrah – also known as Roppongi, Shakaden is in fact the H.Q. of Reiyuukai (霊友会), a Buddhist sect. Reiyuukai was established in Tokyo in 1930 … Continue reading →