Postcards from Japan

A first Shinkansen ride, an ekiben lunch, and the famous precision of Japanese trains.

A nervous first visit to a public bathhouse in a small hot spring town.

Finding halal food for the first time amid Dotonbori's neon and street stalls.

A first real snowfall, giant ice sculptures, and hand warmers at the Sapporo Snow Festival.

A charming, then chaotic, first encounter with Nara's famous bowing deer.