Okinawa: 8 Day RV Road Trip (pt. 1)
November 1 – 8, 2020 As we neared the end of the year, Andrew had some unused PTO burning a hole in his pocket. When we moved to Japan, we had really big plans to take trips to tropical locations. Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia topped our bucket list. As we all know, those plans […]
Akita to Aomori by Train (3 nights, 2 days)
October 16 – 18, 2020 On several occasions, I have found myself trying to quickly explain various elements of Japanese culture (I am NOT qualified to do this) to my friends and family. One spot we keep coming back to is Japanese hobby culture. The best way I’ve been able to explain it is, think […]
12 Lessons Learned During Our First 12 Months in Japan
Dec 15, 2019 – Dec 15, 2020 In honor of our Japanniversary this month, here’s a list of the most important lessons I learned this year. We weren’t able to make all of our wildest dreams come true this year, but we have had the incredible fortune to spend this crazy year in a beautiful […]
Sado Island Road Trip (2 days, 2 nights)
October 2-4, 2020 5 Fun Facts about Sado Island: It is the largest island in the Sea of Japan (330 mi2) It is shaped like the letter ‘S’ Unearthed ruins indicate it has been inhabited by humans for ~10,000 years Historically, it was a penal colony where aristocrats, religious figures, and other “cultured people” were […]
Japan Life: Month 11 Recap
October 15 – November 15 Places we Traveled: Akita, Aomori, Hitachi, Okinawa (main island) Peaks: JR East Joyful Train Trip! So, train culture is a Big Deal in Japan. So much so that JR East, the main railway company that operates in our area, has a WIDE selection of “Joyful Trains.” This is the name […]
Japan Life: Month 10 Recap
September 15 – October 15, 2020 Places we Traveled: Fukushima Prefecture (2-day road trip), Tokyo, Niigata & Sado Island Peaks: Fukushima Road Trip! My many, many blog fans will know I wrote a longer post about this road trip. Late summer/early fall was prime road trip season for us, and we really enjoyed seeing some […]
Fukushima Road Trip (2 days, 1 night)
September 19-20, 2020 Fukushima is Japan’s third largest prefecture, after Hokkaido and Iwate. Before moving to Japan, my only mental association with Fukushima Prefecture was the nuclear disaster that occurred at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant as a result of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Since my mom is probably the most loyal reader […]
Gunma Road Trip (2 days, 1 night)
About 100km from Tokyo, nearby Gunma Prefecture is most famous for its hot springs. Between my big, scary tattoos (mostly banned in Japanese hot springs) and my definitively American relationship to public nudity (not personally in favor of it, you do you though) – Japanese hot spring culture has not taken root in my heart. […]
Japan Life: Month 9 Recap
August 15 – September 15, 2020 Places we Traveled: Gunma Prefecture (2 day road trip) Peaks: Gunma Road Trip! I wrote a detailed post about the trip because we had so much more fun than we expected. For reference, I just googled “what is Gunma famous for” and the results were a selection of nice-looking […]
Tohoku Road Trip (4 days, 3 nights)
Japan celebrates a national holiday called “Umi no hi” aka Marine Day. Marine day became a national holiday in 1996, and because Marine Day is a national holiday, Andrew got a long weekend break from work!! This year Marine Day fell on July 23rd, which is prime time for an epic road trip. We decided […]