Japan is really into seasons. From clothing to food, everything changes when the weather changes. Something I’ve had recently that will never go out of season in Japan (besides rice) is seafood! But not just any seafood. Fresh from the fish market with the ocean right across the street and behind a factory building. I went out to Omika which is north of Mito to the Hitachi fish market. This fish market is pretty small but the size of the products were huge! My friends and I rented out…
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ただいま！(I’m home)
For those who don’t know, I was in America! I came home for 10 days and I ate eat all the food I wanted…. and I saw friends and family… and attend a wedding. I didn’t get to see everyone, but hopefully I’ll be back soon. Or, you can come visit me in Japan ? For majority of my trip, I was in Chicago, which was so nice. I, of course, got my chipotle fix and everything else on my list so I returned to Japan with a very happy stomach…
The Climb
As I mentioned in my last post, I climbed Mt. Fuji! AND I survived! Round trip, it was a two day adventure. I left Mito at 11:00AM and returned around 4:30PM the next day. It felt like getting to and from the mountain took just as long as climbing the mountain itself.. obviously that’s not true. From Mito to Fuji it was about 3.5 hours. There’s not direct way to Fuji so we had to take 3 busses to get to the mountain. The busses weren’t bad but I do…
Sum(mer) Adventure Fun part 2
After Kyoto, my friends and I spent two days in Osaka. A little further south but not in a valley so it a little cooler. Osaka is much more modern than Kyoto and… its’ sister city is…… CHICAGO! Osaka is notorious for their food. Okonomiyaki (Japanese style pancake), tacoyaki (fried octopus ball), kuchi katsu (fried food on a stick). All so delicious and all not gluten free. But that’s okay, the atmosphere of Osaka was enough for me. Out first day, we went to Osaka Castle. They turned the inside…
Sum(mer) Adventure Fun part 1
End of summer is quickly approaching and My teachers are starting to go on vacation. Since school has been so empty, I took this time to travel to Kyoto and Osaka for a week with friends. Kyoto and Osaka are in the Kansai region which is in the southish part of Japan. Rich in history, I figured they were good places to visit. I spent 4 days in Kyoto, 2 days in Osaka, and side trips to Kobe and Nara. Kyoto being the former capital of Japan, Kyoto is old…
Festival
“Summer vacation” is quickly coming to an end which means things in Japan are getting busy. The start of August, Mito had it’s annual festival. The first night again was fireworks at the lake surrounded by people and food. The second night was dancing up and down the main street with again, lots of people and food. And the final day was Mikoshi day where various groups in Mito went up the main street carrying a shrine and trying to make the chicken/ rooster thing look like it’s moving. The…
The Beauty of Food
I always tell people the best part of traveling is the food. How amazing would it be to travel the world and just eat food? Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern, I envy you two. Being in Japan, I’ve had so many opportunities to eat good food and not so good food. While yes, I am eating a lot (mostly) Japanese food, I do have opportunities to eat foods from other parts of the country. It’s interesting to see different countries’ take on foreign food. There are a couple “American” restaurants…
School adventures
Like I mentioned in my last post, I had a teacher’s trip coming up. You might remember last year how I posted about going to a soccer game. Well, this year we kept things a little more traditional and went to Tokyo.. Like all the other schools in Ibaraki ?. I really wish I was kidding but I’m not.. We met at the school in the morning and took a bus to Tokyo, stopping at the halfway point at a rest stop. And what a surprise when we park next…
Tick Tock
Can you believe summer is more than halfway over? Well, for those in America, summer is halfway over. Here in Japan summer is just beginning (insert cheering crowd)! Students are free to do as they please and we teachers are sitting in the teachers room doing work.. taunted by the sounds of cheering and laughter of the playing children. Oh freedom.. so close.. but so far. But in my case, I’ll probably me making new games for the year. Which means I’ll basically be doing arts and crafts for a…
Tokyo Love
Hello friends! I know it’s been awhile since my last post but don’t worry! I haven’t forgotten about you all. These past couple of months have been so busy but nothing really worth writing about. I would like to say I’ve grown accustomed to the way things are here… But honestly I think I’m just in my own little bubble and no one has bothered to call me out of it. Undokai has come and gone and now we’re into rainy season! HOORAY FOR RAINY SEASON! Since undokai, I’ve been…