Sharing favorite finds from across the archipelago
The weather this past weekend was perfect, not too cold and with clear blue skies. The sudden severe chill of the end of last week has lifted and we're blessed with what looks like at least another week of temperatures in the 50s (that's Fahrenheit, remember 😉 ). Taking advantage of that, my family and... Continue Reading →
This past summer, part of my sojourn through Tohoku took me to Lake Towada. This large lake sits at the southern edge of Aomori prefecture and is a popular summer and autumn destination. It was where we arrived after our three-hour amble down the Oirase stream trail. When we finally got to the shores of... Continue Reading →
It's been another busy month, made more so by having my parents in town for two weeks. It was wonderful to be able to show them our life in Tokyo and it also allowed my husband and I to get in a kid-free weekend escape. We chose Gunma, a prefecture I hadn't yet been to... Continue Reading →
We're just back from a weekend in Gunma Prefecture, admittedly my first to that part of Japan. The weather started off a bit rainy but cleared by noon on Saturday and stayed brilliant throughout the rest of the weekend. Thank goodness, as the foliage in some parts of Gunma is already at its peak and... Continue Reading →
In transferring my photos last week from my memory card to my (finally-arrived-and-set-up) desktop computer, I noted that I took around 1200 photos during our week in Tohoku. Yikes. How do I pick a favorite from that? Well, instead of sifting through all 1200 with a very critical eye, I just went with the one... Continue Reading →
Winter might be coming to an end down here in Kyushu, but further north - especially in the Nagano region - things are still snowy and white. But truthfully, that's the perfect time to visit the monkeys of Jigokudani Onsen. Chances are you've seen the pictures. The Japanese macaques (or "snow monkeys" as they are... Continue Reading →
Some people atone for past deeds by finding religion. Others change their lives to help others. One monk in Japan decided to dig a two-hundred meter tunnel. By hand. Hey - to each his own. Before the arrival of Zenkai the monk, the people of Yabakei town in northern Oita prefecture had a problem. One... Continue Reading →
While my rainy weekend on the Kumano Kodo earlier this month changed our itinerary quite a bit, that change was actually a blessing in disguise. One of the highlights of the Kii Peninsula is the Nachi Shrine (Nachi Taisha) and the Nachi Waterfall right next to it and as our original itinerary stood, we wouldn't... Continue Reading →
If you followed me on facebook over the weekend, you'll know that I spent my weekend in Wakayama Prefecture, south of Osaka. The initial plan was to spend three days hiking the Kumano Kodo, one of the old pilgrimage routes on the Kii Peninsula and a UNESCO recognized World Heritage Site. Unfortunately, the weather had... Continue Reading →
This heat has me running for the hills this week. We're not breaking any records here, but I'm not ashamed to admit that my air conditioner is getting a workout. Hard as it may be to contemplate breaking a sweat in this weather, here are some worthwhile hikes around the archipelago to plan for when... Continue Reading →
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