So this is it. For so long this day seemed so far off. In reality, as soon as Christmas was over time started to fly by, but I’m certain this happens every year and I’m just hyperaware this year. As my friend Ariane forewarned those of us who were able to remain in Japan a… Read More Seattle I’m Coming For You
I had two more stops before I finally made it back to my home in Kyoto: Kumamoto and Beppu. Being the busy body that I am, I constantly forget to schedule time for self care. In Kumamoto I stayed in a capsule hotel for the second time. I allowed myself to relax by taking full… Read More To Hell and Back: Bathing and Beppu
For anyone reading, I’m back! I have basically been on the move for four weeks straight and I am down to my last two weeks in Japan. Though thoroughly exhausted, I hope to spend them catching up on lots of stories here and enjoying the last bits of this sweltering Kyoto summer. After walking the… Read More Ni Hao Nagasaki
Haisai! That’s hello in the Okinawan dialect. As you may or may not know, back in Seattle I’ve been an active member of the Okinawan Kenjin Kai of Washington State’s eisa taiko group for over six years. Needless to say I’ve been hoping to make it to this little island for a while, and it… Read More Swimming with the Fishes
It’s summer in Kyoto! That means yukata, kakigori, sweating in puddles, deafening cicadas, and most importantly: MASTURI. I had the opportunity to attend all three of Kyoto’s major festivals, Jidai Matsuri, Aoi Matsuri, and finally Gion Matsuri. I am so used to my precious quarter system in Washington that my overloaded semesters at Kyoto University have been utterly… Read More Gaggles in Gion
I may not be living on a coast right now, but when it’s summer I need to be on a beach. This last weekend a group of us took advantage of our university’s rental house in the remote coastal city of Shirahama. It was an effort to get to and from the area, but it was… Read More Let’s Go to the Beach
The heat and humidity are in full swing here and it basically feels like I ended up in Iowa like usually do in the summer. It is also the rainy season, so when it happens to be clear outside we need to take advantage of the opportunity. I used my day off to head to the… Read More Summer Loving, Loving Summer
While every day it gets harder being away from my loved ones, and I’m starting to look forward to heading to the States, I had a superb 21st birthday. For the first time in my life, I had class to attend, and I celebrated on foreign soil. It felt a little odd to say the least. I… Read More Here’s to 21
No matter what, when you live somewhere you’re going to procrastinate certain activities and convince yourself that you have enough time. Classes and my own lack of coordination skills have recently gotten the best of me. I live just a stone’s throw from the largest lake in Japan and just this last weekend found time… Read More Camp While You Can
In less than twelve weeks I’ll be on a plane bound for Vancouver, Canada, on my way back to Washington state. I’ve stopped saying that I’m going home, because it feels too definitive. Western Washington is where I was born and raised, but I will forever call Kyoto home as well. Everyone has started to accept… Read More To Leave My Heart in Japan
Gaijin Guranto 