Are you familiar with Japanese mailboxes / postboxes? Usually they are red but depending on where you are, you may come across a unique one. The other day I noticed a special one at the Saitama City Hall. This design…
Glamping in Japan
Have you heard of “glamping”? It is a combination of the words “glamourous” and “camping” and means exactly what you’d think ~ an elevated camping experience. It is a trend that has become popular in the US in the last…
Ski Slope Camping
In Japan, some ski resorts convert into camping areas in summer. I recently had the opportunity to camp at one such place in Gunma prefecture. Because it’s a resort area, the grounds were very well taken care of and the…
American Food in Japan
In the world’s biggest cities, it is usual to find all types of food from many different companies, but the host country always puts their own twist on it. Chinese food in Japan is different than Chinese food in America…
Out on the Farm
Japan has a lot of farm land, but I don’t usually think of farm animals… my image is mostly of hunched over old people working in their rice fields. Recently I took a trip out to a farm in Chiba…
Views from the Shinkansen
I took the shinkansen for the first time in a long time. I always enjoy looking out the window as we fly by the different cities and rural areas. This time I travelled from Tokyo to Osaka so I went…
Olympic Host City
As the world knows, Tokyo is the host city of the 2020 Olympics. I was really excited to experience living in an Olympic host city during the Olympic period. I applied for tickets and was able to get tickets for…
Breakfast
Are you a breakfast eater? Some people aren’t, while others consider it the most important meal of the day. I love a good American breakfast (pancakes, eggs, bacon, toast…), especially at a hotel or restaurant but on the day to…
Rainy Season
It’s officially rainy season here in Japan. I thought it started a few weeks ago, but it seems the official start is this week. This means that most days will be cloudy and overcast with rain for at least part…
Shop Grand Opening
Recently I went to Asakusa to check out a friend’s new Belgian potatoes (fries) shop. They were planning to open about a month ago but then Japan went into a state of emergency because of COVID-19 cases so the opening…