2018 in Review

2018 in Review

Hello! Remember me? I’m still here! Between working full-time and allowing myself time to relax, my ol’ website got pushed to the wayside. If you’re sticking around and reading my posts – I appreciate you! I’m going to start the year off with a fun 

Tohoku Tabi: Lake Towada, Yasumiya (Lake Towada Area Guide (Part 2/4)

Tohoku Tabi: Lake Towada, Yasumiya (Lake Towada Area Guide (Part 2/4)

Lake Towada is a double caldera lake sitting on the border between Aomori and Akita prefectures. It is the twelfth deepest lake in Japan and offers scenic mountainous views of crystal-clear waters. Lake Towada is also part of the larger Towada area which is home 

Tohoku Tabi: Lake Towada Area Guide (Part 1/4)

Tohoku Tabi: Lake Towada Area Guide (Part 1/4)

Straddling Aomori and Akita prefectures, Lake Towada (十和田湖, Towadako) is a pristine crater lake part of  Towada-Hachimantai National Park.  It is the largest crater lake on Honshu, Japan’s main island, that was formed from two ancient volcanoes. Taking a visit to Lake Towada and the nearby areas 

Tohoku Tabi: Mt. Osore (Osorezan) Day Trip Guide

Tohoku Tabi: Mt. Osore (Osorezan) Day Trip Guide

Mt. Osore is a sacred mountain located in Aomori prefecture on the Shimokita Peninsula. It’s known as Osorezan 恐山 in Japanese, and also known by monickers like: Fear Mountain, The Gateway to Hell, and one of the three holiest sites in Japan. A day trip to Osorezan was an 

Tohoku Tabi: Aomori City FOOD Guide

Tohoku Tabi: Aomori City FOOD Guide

Aomori City is the northern most capital on Honshu and it’s known for its famous summer festival, the Nebuta Matsuri. The Nebuta Matsuri is, arguably, what put Aomori City on the tourist radar, but one of the best things about Aomori City is the food. Aomori is a foodie 

Tohoku Tabi: Nebuta Matsuri (Aomori)

Tohoku Tabi: Nebuta Matsuri (Aomori)

A demon disguised as a beautiful woman, waiting to assassinate her former-prince lover under the cover of fall leaves ー a sorceress and her skeletal sidekick working together to avenge the murder of her father ー a boy with superhuman strength, raised by a mountain-witch, sumo-wrestling 

Tohoku Tabi: WWOOF in Japan

Tohoku Tabi: WWOOF in Japan

I had just graduated university in the spring of 2013 and was stuck in a rut of existential fatigue where work, love, and life felt hazy at best. Over drinks in a dark and austere pub, my friend told me she was about to head 

Tohoku Tabi: Itinerary

Tohoku Tabi: Itinerary

The itinerary that I planned for Tohoku is not a perfect and complete itinerary. It’s a fast-paced budget melange that I carefully planned to maximize saving money while accomplishing my own personal goals to: Visit every prefecture in Tohoku. Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate, Aomori, Akita, and 

Tohoku Tabi: Prologue

Tohoku Tabi: Prologue

I moved to Japan in November 2014. When I first arrived here, I lived in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka which is a small city facing the Pacific Ocean and smack dab in the middle of honshu, the main island in Japan. Hamamatsu was the perfect hub for traveling