Member Highlight: Anthony (Tony) Arno
- Japan Society of Boston
- Aug 14
- 3 min read
How long have you been a member of the Japan Society of Boston?
A little over a year now, but I was a member before. I think I was a member for a couple of years before I let it lapse.
What drew you to JSB?
The events - I really enjoyed the language nights (when you had them), even though I had stopped attending for a while. I also really enjoy the dinner get-togethers.
How would you describe yourself and what you're passionate about?
I'm an introverted extrovert - or an extroverted introvert. One of those :). I'm passionate about martial arts, reading, Asian cinema, and anything Godzilla.
I could probably write for hours about my trips to Japan (I've been 11 times), but I think it would get boring fast.
For my most recent trip this past spring, I focused more on places I don't normally go (or only briefly stop at, in some cases) since it was all new for my nephew and his girlfriend.
The itinerary was:
2 nights in Osaka
2 nights in Kinosaki Onsen (first time for me going there)
1 night in Kyoto - mainly to break up the travel between Kinosaki Onsen & Tokyo
9 nights in Tokyo
We drove down to NYC, and took the JAL overnight flight from JFK. I really enjoyed that flight compared to others, because I have trouble sleeping on a plane, and it was a little bit easier this time because it was overnight. Once we landed in Haneda, we took a connecting flight to Osaka.
We stayed at APA hotels in both Osaka & Kyoto. I usually stay at a Dormy Inn when traveling outside Tokyo (I like that they are relatively cheap & have onsen in them, usually on the rooftop). This time though they were a little expensive, and I've heard good things about APA so I tried them. Loved the one in Osaka (from what I heard it's relatively new), and liked the one in Kyoto.
In Kinosaki Onsen I stayed at Nishimuraya Hotel Shogetsutei. That's the hotel I splurged on, so it was the most expensive hotel on the trip. It was beautiful with a great view from the room to the back of the hotel. It, of course, had an onsen in the hotel.
In Kinosaki, if you stay at a hotel, you also get a passkey card that grants you access to 7 of the 8 onsens in the town, so we visited each one. Some were better than others, but they were all good. Very peaceful town, it was the favorite stop for all of us.
In Tokyo we did all the tourist stops (Asakasa, Akiba, Ueno, Shibuya, etc). First night we went to a good Monja restaurant in Shibuya called Tsukishima Monja Kuuya Shibuya. It's English friendly and the staff does the cooking, so you can just watch & enjoy.
Unfortunately I got sick right after getting to Tokyo, and my nephew had homework, so we didn't get to travel outside of Tokyo like I planned (Kawagoe or Kamakura/Enoshima). We did meet some of my friends a couple of times.
Overall it was a great trip and I'm already looking forward to my next one!
Do you have a favorite event or program that you have participated in with JSB?
I'd say the Connect with JSB! dinner I went to. I enjoyed that even more than the language nights.
What would you say to somebody who is considering joining JSB?
I'd say it's definitely worth it, especially if you have the time to attend more of the events than I do. :)
Thank you, Tony, for sharing with us!
Interested in becoming a JSB Member? Click here or reach out to info@japansocietyboston.org for more details.
