Entries in Japan

Just when I feel far away I'm reminded how small the world really is.

Bessie_thumb
Written by Bessie on Wednesday, July 29, 2009 in Japan
Feelin' normal

Kyle and I spent the last week in Japan.  We toured 4 cities, but one of the most interesting things happened when we were waiting for a train.
On the Train to Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan
riding the train from Sapporo to Asahikawa, Japan

We had about an hour to pass between trains so we locked our bags at the train station and meandered around Asahikawa.  Overall, it's a pretty unnoteworthy, typical mid-sized city, but it does hold the record as being the snowiest and coldest city in Japan.  The remarkable thing that we discovered was a plaque. 

The Beer of Japan

Kyle_excited
Written by Kyle on Saturday, August 01, 2009 in Japan
Feelin' excited

It's no secret that I like beer.  Don't worry, it's not the bad kind of "like" where I end up passed out in a gutter, I actually enjoy the taste of beer.  Well, good beer that is.  And sadly, the Korean beer tastes terrible.  It's cheap, but sometimes you get what you pay for.  So, I was glad to get to go to Japan to experience beer that doesn't suck.  I'm not going to say that Japanese beer is awesome, but it is palatable and it is sure better than the beer-water they serve in Korea.

Luckily, while we were in Japan, we were able to go to two breweries and spend a night eating and drinking our way through a beer festival.  For a few moments, I could finally relax and enjoy one of the gifts that makes this world great: beer.

Otaru in Pictures

Kyle_happy
Written by Kyle on Friday, July 31, 2009 in Japan
Feelin' happy

Before we came to Korea to teach, we bought a fancy new DSLR Nikon camera to document our experiences with something better than a point-and-shoot camera held together by one screw.  While we have gotten some decent shots out of the camera, mostly our subject matter (Seoul, Korea) hasn't been all that great to shoot.  Maybe its the boxy architecture or the constant haze that hangs in the background thereby ruining all the good light.  So, we were delighted when we arrived in Otaru to find a city worth a thousand pictures.  Particularly enjoyable was taking the pictures of the canal during the day and at night.

Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan
A restaurant advertising its food

Heaven is flower fields in Furano, Japan

Bessie_happy
Written by Bessie on Thursday, July 30, 2009 in Japan
Feelin' happy

One of the things I was most excited for on our trip to Hokkaido, Japan was the fields of flowers.  Furano is known for its lavender fields, and loads of them.  While the lavender was just out of full bloom, the array of flowers that filled Farm Tomito left me ecstatic. 
Farm Tomita in Furano, Hokkaido, Japan
delicious lavender ice cream also enhanced the euphoria.


My Favorite Toilet in the World!

Bessie_excited
Written by Bessie on Saturday, August 01, 2009 in Japan
Feelin' excited

Back in February, I wrote about having a bidet in our apartment in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  It was a lovely device, but being seperate from the toilet & something you can't sit on, it was a little clumsy to use.  The Japanese have however resolved these issues, and I give you:

My Favorite Toilet in the World:
Japanese Toilets in Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan

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