Friday evening roundup

I loved traveling in Japan, but I can't disagree with the following:

"...until now, the tourism market has been geared almost exclusively to domestic travelers, which means that much of the tourist infrastructure does not meet the expectations of foreign tourists."

and

"The pace of destruction gathered speed in the 1990s, when more than 40,000 old wooden homes disappeared from central Kyoto, according to the International Society to Save Kyoto.

Though the city still has ancient temples and gardens, they are overwhelmed by a sprawling mass of gray buildings and neon signs — the product of ineffective zoning policies in the city, Mr. Kerr said."

And I care for the Paris cupcake trend even less than I do for the one in DC.

***
In case you're wondering, my parents are still on the road. I was a bit stressed because I couldn't leave work as early as I'd wanted, but I needn't have fussed. Although I guess I should take this opportunity to mop...