After observing (and eating) the fresh fish at the morning auction we headed to Mizunagasuisan to learn about the fish drying process... read all

May is Iwagaki (rock oyster) season in Kadogawa so we headed for Shunsenkura, a combination restaurant and local products store... read all

Halfway up Mt. Tomi is a small ceramics studio tucked into the steep hillside. The artist, Mr. Wada, lives and works there... read all

We arrived bright and early for the daily fish auction in Iorigawa. Boats were unloading at the dock into front of the auction hall... read all

We rounded out our visit to Kadogawa with a little craft project?yanagimochi making! Yanagimochi is a special New Year�fs decoration... read all

Asahi is another Chinese restaurant run by Taiwanese expats. The food is Taiwanese style and this is definitely the place to go... read all

Hakodate is a rather convenient city with most hotels located within a ten minute walk from the train station... read all

Kofuku is a small dumpling restaurant run by a Taiwanese couple. It is right in central Kadogawa, next to the local branch of Miyazaki Bank... read all

My trip to Japan this year starts off in Abashiri in Eastern Hokkaido. As I've never been further north than Nikko in my previous trips... read all

One of the cities I visited in my October/November 2017 trip was Hakodate... read all

This is the last in a series of Lake Toya and some of the destructive beauty from Mt. Usu... read all

This is Part Two of my blog on Lake Toya, This blog will highlight some of the sights at the Mt Usu UNESCO Global Geopark... read all

As part of my trip to Hokkaido, I had the chance to visit Lake Toya (Toyako).... read all

I had the fortunate opportunity to visit Hokkaido on this trip, and part of my trip involved a six-day side trip to Hokkaido... read all

Rairaikyo is a natural gorge that features gorgeous trees, moss-covered rocks and a stunning view down to the crystal clear river below... read all

Sendai is also famous (relatively) for kokeshi dolls... read all

I am a whiskey fan, and this place was a blast. Nikka comes from the name of a local river. Masataka Taketsuru chose the spot to build a distillery because of the natural conditions (they're similar to Scotland) and access to top-quality wa read all

Sendai is home to some beautiful temples! Riding on a rental bike and touring them was one of the best parts of this trip... read all

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