When the time came to wrap up my job here in Japan, I had three days to take a vacation. I wanted to go to either Hokkaido or Okinawa (two very different vacation spots - the first is the northern end of Japan and the second is the southern end) as those were the last two prefectures that were on my bucket list. As it became more apparent that I'd only have the time and money to do one or the other, the weather made my choice for me: three days in Sapporo, Hokkaido.Sapporo is the capital ...
Traveling
Three Days in Taipei: The Lazy Traveler’s Guide
It didn't take me long to decide my last international trip from Japan: three days in Taipei was the perfect endnote to a travel list that has brought me joy over the last three years.Living in Japan means I've been able to travel A LOT. I've knocked out six Asian countries - Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan (say what you will about the latter two's relationship with China, but for my list, I'm calling them separate countries). I traveled back to ...
A Tokushima Tour
When I tell people I live in Tokushima prefecture (prefecture is like the Japanese version of a province or state), most Japanese people laugh and give me the "poor you" face. My prefecture is not particularly famous for anything other than having a giant dance festival once a year (it's outrageously fun) and apparently the worst drivers in Japan (can confirm). Tokushima is a small, unassuming little prefecture on the northeast corner of Shikoku, which is the smallest of the four main islands ...
A Weekend in Okayama City
In February, we did a Vancouver JET meetup in Okayama City. Besides all the excitement of attending Hadaka Matsuri (the Naked Man Festival), I enjoyed visiting Okayama City a lot. I live in a town of 60,000 so getting to go to a "big city" of 800,000 is a huge deal for me!Getting to Okayama City From Tokushima (my prefecture), I had to take a train about from Naruto, change in Takamatsu, and then on to Okayama City. The trip is about 2ish hours each way. My blessed JTE (English teacher at ...
Visiting Ritsurin Garden
You know that picture in your head you have of Japan? Maybe you imagine lush green Japanese gardens, with impeccably manicured trees, zen gardens, traditional teahouses, tranquil ponds and moss everywhere... at least that's what I pictured before I came here. I recently visited Ritsurin Garden in Takamatsu, and my imaginary picture came to life!At the entrance, there are special attendants who have "I Speak English!" buttons, but all you really need to do is hold up the number of fingers for ...
Islands of Japan: Miyajima
After a couple months of having to spend all my extra money on furniture and my car, I was finally able to do a little traveling around Japan and start to explore all the amazing places this country has to offer. This is the first in my series exploring Japan's islands.First stop: Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture!(Fun fact - Miyajima just means 'shrine island' and the island is referred to as that because of the famous giant orange torii gate located there. It's a UNESCO World ...
A Weekend in Portland
I had one little thing on my to-do list during these few months I've been in Canada, and that was visit my friend Sarah in Portland before I left for Japan. We had been talking about this for ages - I first met Sarah in Roatan (she arrived shortly after me) and we were soon neighbors and friends. When she moved back to Portland last year, she left the island and I promised the next time I was in Canada that I would come see her. So I did! I only had a short weekend, so we decided to make the ...
What To Do On Roatan: 1-Week Itinerary
Most travelers arrive on Roatan for a week. We only have a few airlines that run direct routes from hubs in the USA (Houston, Atlanta, Miami) and you can usually get the best deal by booking a week-long return ticket. The Canadian charters (Sunwing + Air Transat) have also started for the busy season and the Milan charters as well, and all the charters run on a one week schedule. A week is the perfect amount of time to explore Roatan!(Only have one day? [Hi cruise shippers!] Check out my 1-Day ...
What To Do On Roatan: 3-Day Itinerary
Three days is not a lot of time on Roatan, but you can still get to know the island! Most travelers come here for a week (many of the flight schedules to Roatan run on a weekly basis), but some independent travelers and those coming from close Central American and US cities do sometimes come for a long weekend.(Only have one day [hi cruise shippers!]? Check out my 1-Day Itinerary here!) (Have a whole week? Check out my Full Week Itinerary here!)What can you do with three days on Roatan? ...
A Trip to Tegucigalpa
A friend of mine recently invited me to tag along on a trip to the mainland of Honduras with her and her boyfriend. I had some paperwork to take care of, and since I didn't make it to Canada this year I thought it might be a nice break to go to a big city for a few days. (Read: I WANTED SOME MCDONALDS AND AIR CONDITIONING.) So off to Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras, I went. It's not a popular tourist destination due to safety concerns, but if you have to go on an embassy run or are ...