Japan Life: Month 17 Recap
April 15 – May 15, 2021 Places we Traveled: Chugoku Region (+): Hyogo, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Shimane, Tottori, Kyoto, Shiga Peaks: We bought a house in the US!! The constant refrain from our friends and family back home was, “the market is SO CRAZY right now.” Luckily, we spotted this place as “coming soon” on […]
Japan Life: Month 16 Recap
March 15 – April 15, 2021 Places we Traveled: Yokohama, Kyoto, Tokyo, Shikoku Peaks: Went to Yokohama to see the Gundam Statue. It was still too early for Sakura blossoms in Tokyo, but there was no state of emergency in place at this time. We took the opportunity on this quiet weekend to get food […]
Nagano by Car (2 Days, 2 Nights)
February 5 – 7, 2021 Nagano, host of the 1998 Winter Olympics, is best known for their world-class outdoor sports – particularly skiing and snowboarding. I guess being home to the highest mountain ranges in the country could have something to do with that. But, uh, I don’t ski or snowboard. Just Google “pictures of […]
Kyushu: 8 Day Road Trip
December 29, 2020 – January 5, 2021 New Year’s Holiday is an objectively bad time to travel in Japan. Outside of major cities like Tokyo or Osaka, the main New Year’s celebration for most people involves resting with family in your hometown, eating soba at home with your family, and making your first shrine or […]
DEN Tokyo
I ate at the best restaurant in Japan and all you get is this crappy blog post Monday, April 5, 2021 “At DEN we encourage a more relaxed dining manner, we like our guests to enjoy the dishes without rules or metaphoric expression. DEN is our ‘Japanese Trattoria’ – a warm and welcoming place serving […]
Japan Life: Month 15 Recap
February 15 – March 15, 2021 Places we Traveled: Nikko, Yamagata, Mashiko, Gifu, Fukui There is absolutely no denying that we started to feel the pressure of our end date looming in the not-so-distant future this month. In 2019, Andrew’s company decided to send him to Japan for an 18-month rotation in their Japan office. […]
Shizuoka by Car (3 days, 2 nights)
December 11 – 13, 2020 Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka prefecture is one of the most popular vacation destinations for Tokyo residents. About 100 kilometers south of the metropolis, Izu Peninsula is easily reached from Tokyo by train or bus. Izu is loaded with beaches for swimming, fishing, and diving, as well as hot spring resorts […]
Toyama and Ishikawa by Car (2 nights, 3 days)
November 27 – 29, 2020 When we moved to Japan, Andrew and I set a goal of visiting as many of the 47 prefectures as possible. We know our time here is finite, so we try to pack in as many weekend trips as our (aging) bodies and (moderate) budget can handle. As small as […]
Japan Life: Month 13 + 14 Recap
December 15, 2020 – February 15, 2021 Places we Traveled: Tsukuba, Ashikaga, Kyushu, Nagano Well, I fell off the wagon a bit on life updates. In December, I started working part time. Between work and the holidays, I convinced myself I could get caught up on the blog “eventually.” I would hate to disappoint my […]
Okinawa: 8 Day RV Road Trip (pt. 2)
November 1 – 8, 2020 This post is a continuation of my Okinawa RV road trip recap. If you haven’t read part one, click here to get caught up! Day 4: Yagachi Beach –> Cape Hedo –> Daisekirinzan –> Nago Pineapple Park –> Ada Another sleepless night in the books, we woke up bright and […]