In February, 2007, I joined my good friend Karen Pierson on a visit to see Jen and Dave Kubacki in Japan. I've been a lot of places and I have many more I'd like to visit, but Japan is high on my list of places to which I'd like to return. The people were friendly, it was very safe, the culture is rich and complex, the food is delicious and there are beautiful sights at every turn.

Food highlights include Shabu-shabu, a style of cooking foods in a pot of boiling water placed in the center of the dining table. This method is widely used by the Okinawan people, whose extremely long life expectancy is believed to stem from this way of eating very fresh foods. The Okinawans also follow a practice they call Hara Hachi Bu: Eat until you are 80% full.

In addition, we had great sushi at fun cheap places; super yummy tempura; many small, inspirational, simple side salads; of course tons of noodle soups; plenty of rich coffee (surprisingly good from a vending machine); and like all smart travelers, we did our fair share of sampling pastries along the way. I honestly tried natto, the fermented soy bean dish, and found that I just couldn't stomach it. I ate my first real quality oysters. I decided to cook more noodle soups at home and eat more seaweed. I became a huge fan of the daikon, the oversied radish that is pretty much a national treasure in Japan.