In the latest issue of Recce, Don George looks back at his first trip to Japan, and realizes—as he prepares to board another flight for Tokyo—that the pre-trip excitement still hasn’t waned, thirty-two years later.

Writing in the New York Times, Emily Parker ponders the changes being wrought on the Japanese language by the internet and cell phones:

Americans may fret over the ways digital communications encourage sloppy grammar and spelling, but in Japan these changes are much more wrenching. A vertically written language seems to be becoming increasingly horizontal. Novels are being written and read on little screens. People have gotten so used to typing on computers that they can no longer write characters by hand. And English words continue to infiltrate the language.

Japanese girls in punk fashion sit under a parasol in Harajuku, Tokyo’s fashion district.

Cabel Maxfield Sasser calls his visit to the Ogori Cafe in Kashiwa, Japan an unforgettable travel moment. I agree. Read to the end for the payoff. (Thanks for the tip, @sophiadembling)

Brace yourselves, foodies of the Western hemisphere: If you were disgruntled about Tokyo landing top Michelin honors last year—receiving more stars than Paris and New York combined in its debut guide—then you probably won’t be happy to hear that Kyoto is following close behind. The city received 110 stars in its first-ever Michelin treatment, including six three-star restaurants—one more than New York City.

Blame Harrison Ford. At least a bit. The movie Witness “stoked the trend” of Japanese fascination with the Amish, according to an intriguing story Jon Rutter.

Beyond that, he writes, the societies have “deep parallel currents.” Among them: “Both espouse collectivism, religious faith, hard work and frugality.” He adds: “Both exhibit marked deference to elders and have deliberately distanced themselves from the outside world.” (Via The Morning News)

A new documentary hopes to dampen the demand for “dolphin encounters,” the ever-popular swim-with-dolphins attractions found worldwide. “The Cove,” which won the Audience Award at Sundance before opening in theaters this past weekend, examines the killing and capture of dolphins in coastal Japan—and its star, Ric O’Barry, says explicitly that one of the filmmakers’ goals is to make tourists “think twice before buying a ticket.”

Picturing a staid moralizing tale? Think again. The movie is being billed as part “Flipper” and part “Bourne Identity”—here’s the surprisingly dramatic trailer:

Conveyor belt sushi videos abound online. Here's our favorite.

Conveyor-best sushi. Sushi-go-round. Sushi train. Whatever you call it, it's a beautiful thing.