Thiessen Twosome Does Japan

いいっらしゃいませ！お元気ですか。

2011-09-11T07:08:00.000-07:00

Irrashaimase! Welcome to our blog documenting our three years living, working, and traveling in Japan (and other parts of Asia) from 2008-2011! This blog was recognized by travel giant Lonely Planet for two years, and has a ton of information on Japanese culture, experiences, people, and life! Scroll through the sidebar, "Our Adventures," to relive our incredible journey!

After Japan and a month back home in the United States, it was off to the other side of the world to the Eastern European country of Ukraine! You can follow us and our post-Soviet adventures at our new blog, Vodka & Voyages:

Enjoy!

Okay, So I Lied...

2011-08-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

THIS, my friends, is the LAST of the Japanese Kit Kat posts! A nice little send-off and perfect finale to the series from Narita airport:

We're officially back in the land of only two Kit Kat flavors, and are loving every sleep-deprived minute of it!

Flight

2011-08-03T11:00:00.000-07:00

Departing: 2:25pm on United flight 9724, Sapporo Chitose Airport, Japan

Arriving: 7:35pm on United flight 826, Wichita Mid-Continent Airport, USA

Remembering: the end of one adventure is the beginning of a new one.

日本ありがとう。。。またね！

Last Night in Japan

2011-08-02T06:34:00.000-07:00

We took a break from all of our last-minute packing (which, incidentally, is ALL of our packing) to head out for one-last night in our neighborhood before hoping on the big bird back to the States tomorrow.

First stop, sushi at our FAVORITE restaurant, Nagoyaka-te:

This conveyor-belt style sushi restaurant is just down the street from us and has lent itself to our weekly visits over the past three years. In return, we gained a bit of "regular status," being the only foreigners in the neighborhood and all. It's good to head to a place where everyone knows your face...and feeds you some freakin' awesome sushi:

Afterwards, it was to our grocery store to stock up on Japanese snacks and sake...

And to say good-bye to our number one fan, occasional karaoke partner, and store clerk, Mr. Ikeda:

And we had to bid adieu to one thing that we DEFINITELY WON'T miss: expensive beer! Here, you can see a 20-pack of regular Sapporo lager for over $60! Scandalous!

As much as we're going to miss this place, it sure does feel good to be heading State-side tomorrow to get our fill of family and friends! Enough with this procrastination...off to the ritualistic stuffing of clothes and goods! Wish us luck!

Christmas in July

2011-07-31T06:27:00.000-07:00

The best way I know how to say good-bye is through photography (in the form of personalized photo books for everyone):

...and food (a little good ol' Kansas City BBQ sauce, anyone?):

The fact that Japan is such a gifting culture probably means that the reciprocity of these will result in a plethora of return gifts guaranteed not to fit in our suitcases, but it's totally worth it!

House & Hood

2011-07-30T06:06:00.000-07:00

Before heading overseas to Japan, I remember completely preparing myself for a life smashed into a one room, teeny apartment with paper-thin walls and nothing but a house plant to serve as a yard. Needless to say, we got pretty lucky with our three-bedroom house complete with yard for barbecuing! Now as we get ready to completely start packing up our life here, it's time for me to get super-sentimental and offer up one last photo tour of our home and neighborhood here in Japan. Hey, it was our home for the past three years! Now, please excuse me while I try to hold on just a little longer!

The king of our house with his sweet preferred mode of transport:

Our living room and joined kitchen/vanity/laundry room:

Our bedroom:

The guest room, host to many a Couchsurfer and friend:

Jacob's "man-cave":

Our bus stop, just outside of the high school:

Our most favorite sushi restaurant, just 10 minutes from our place (of course leading to weekly jaunts to fill our bellies with delicious, raw fish):

The historic farm on the corner across from the 7-Eleven, the Big House (our grocery store), and the sushi restaurant. Always a pleasure to see the pretty little ponies out grazing:

The huge, and very welcomed, open field of green! Sapporo has quite a few of these designated "green spaces" in which nothing can be built or paved...brilliant!

Typical street of Hokkaido houses:

Would love to come back to this area in about 10 years and see how it all has changed!

Sad & Sweet School Sayonara

2011-07-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

The inevitable saddest part about leaving Japan happened last week as I had to say good-bye to my students and Sapporo Intercultural and Technological High School. I wasn't prepared for the amount of heartfelt and thoughtful goodbyes from the students themselves, but it made it all the more special and brought about all the more tears.

Many of my last classes held parties or did special activities for me, which was so fun and touching. A couple of highlights of this included a full-on gospel rendition of "Oh Happy Day," followed by a lovely campfire-esque version of "You Are My Sunshine" (coincidentally, one of my favorite songs)!

The amount of wonderful letters, cards, photo albums, gifts, and flowers from the students was just so, so amazing! Aside from the flowers, every last one of those things is getting crammed into my already stuffed luggage somehow!

Hanging out in the teachers' room on the last day of classes before summer vacation:

The last day of school before vacay brings about a huge, important (super sweaty and hot) assembly in the gym...just look at them all lined up:

And with it, my farewell speech in both English AND Japanese!

And, cue the tears and hugs:

The principal and I with my sweet reward for...um...working?

More parting school-slash-gift shots:

See that gorgeous fan above? It was a gift from the English teachers and is a pretty darn expensive way to cool yourself! It's hand-painted silk with Japanese washi (handmade paper) as a backing and all folded up onto bamboo pieces. Just lovely:

This whole "sayonara" thing isn't getting any easier, especially with folks as awesome as the young adults at S.I.T., but it seems as if we're necessarily crossing them off of our lists, one at a time. A huge ありがとうございます to all of the students and teachers for the wonderful, sweet send-offs!

Kicking the Kit Kat Habit

2011-07-28T05:57:00.000-07:00

Yup, we're heading out of this wonderful land of novelties this week, and that means saying good-bye to one of my favorite pastimes here: hunting down crazy, colorful Kit Kat flavors! So, in the spirit of all the zany Kit Kats I've encountered during our three years in Japan, here is our last Kit Kat post!

First on the list is definitely the most meaningful Kit Kat as 10 yen from every box sold is going to help those affected by the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami (the front top of the box says "Let's Help Tohoku"). The flavor is Zunda, a sweet soybean powder that is served on top of mochi, and which was the special regional flavor last year of Miyagi prefecture, one of the worst affected prefectures in the disaster:

Next, who doesn't love ANYTHING that is tiramisu flavored?

There seems to be a newly designed package containing petit Kit Kats...I've found two of this flavors so far, Strawberry Hazlenut...

...and Cookies & Cream:

And finally, a music edition cherry flavor that tastes more like a light cherry cheesecake:

I'm sure going to miss combing the 7-Elevens, Don Quixote, and our Big House grocery store for the latest in Kit Kat Kreations (too much with the K-thing?), but I will rest assured knowing that I can get all the Japanese Kit Kat fix I need by heading over to the Kit Kat Breaktown site (highly entertaining, actually...click on the building on the top left-hand corner to check out all of Japan's special regional Kit Kat flavors)! Oh, Nestle Japan and your brilliant marketing strategies! Gets me every time...

It's As If They Know...

2011-07-25T23:49:00.000-07:00

This week, our store had an "American Fair" section to it:

It's like we're being prepped for encounters of Skippy, Swiss Miss, Heinz, and other familiarities that we'll soon be encountering! Thanks, Japan!

There's Only One Way to Say Goodbye...

2011-07-23T19:12:00.000-07:00

...and that's with plenty of food and beer, of course! Just as we predicted, July has been filled with farewell parties galore, the first of which was a going-away soiree for me thrown by some of the teachers and co-workers at my school!

If all-you-can-drink Guinness, Kilkenny, and Carlsberg beer doesn't say "adios" Japanese-style, then I don't kno--wait, that TOTALLY is NOT very Japanese at all! Oh well, it was good Irish fun anyway and a nice way to kick-off this month's goodbyes:

My sweet, lovely bouquet from everyone:

And, as if the night weren't international enough, we headed out salsa dancing at my favorite Latin club, El Mango, afterwards! I love having the world here in one city!

The next weekend was our grand good-bye barbecue out at our place...

...only the grandeous nature of the thing was heavily dampened by rain, rain, and more rain! We got tarps up so that Jacob could still do his grilling-thing (complete with a little KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce from the homelands), but our number of reserved guests definitely dwindled to a cozy few (more BBQ chicken sandwiches on homemade buns for us!):

To make up for it, however, we had quite a big turnout for our after-party down at our favorite bar, Famous Door. Turns out people will brave torrential downpours for a little New Orleans hospitality Japanese-style (and to actually see us, of course!):

We've certainly made a ton of good friends and met some really fantastic people during our time here! Goodbyes are sad, it's true, but ours have been made just a little sweeter by having so many awesome folks to share them with!

The beers help as well...

Roomie Reunion!

2011-07-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

When I was a freshman in college, I went to housing and requested to have an international student as my roommate. Being from a small town in Kansas, my interaction with people from other cultures or countries was limited to say the least, and I wanted to really get to know someone from outside of the States. I got my wish when Kaori from Japan came to live with me for a year. Although there was a huge language barrier between us, we became good friends and had quite a few adventures together (including a road trip to a country that was just as foreign to her as hers was to mine: North central rural Kansas!). When it was time for her to return to Japan, I told her that one day we would meet again, but in her country.

Two years ago when my sister came to visit, we met Kaori again in Tokyo after almost 9 years! And last weekend, a newlywed Kaori and her husband, Taku, traveled all the way up to our island of Hokkaido to spend a few days with us!

We made sure to take them to the best of touristy Sapporo, including Raman Yokocho, a narrow alley with about a dozen little ramen shops:

And where we ate our island's speciality ramen: miso base with Hokkaido sweet corn and butter (as Anthony Bourdain will concur, it is amazing!):

After some shopping and overdosing on creamy Hokkaido sweets, we then headed off for Sapporo's awesome Beer Museum:

Japan gave us a public holiday on Monday, so we rented a car and headed off into the center of our fair island for a fun day-trip:

First stop, a lunch of some amazingly delicious soup curry with lovely fresh veggies:

Our final destinations were the areas of Biei and Furano. This was a little meaningful for me, because the first trip I ever took in Hokkaido three years ago was to this same area. Besides being just gorgeous landscape-wise, this area is known for flowers, flowers, flowers, especially lavender:

One of the most popular places for flower-viewing in the area is Farm Tomita:

We had to fuel-up first, however, with our share of lavender flavored ice cream, soda, custard flan, and cream puff! Lavender here knows no boundaries!

After Furano, we made our way towards the little village of Biei. The scenery along the way is just gorgeous:

And the town Biei itself is unlike anything Japanese-y. In fact, I'd liken it more to something Colorado-y instead:

A quick stop at a road-side place selling cantaloupe-flavored ice cream in a real cantaloupe (delicious-genius, by the way), and it was back to Sapporo for us:

Kaori and Taku's last night in Sapporo, we took them out for Genghis Khan, a Hokkaido "speciality" of lamb and veggies grilled at your table. Why a northern Japanese food of cooked meat is named after a legendary nomadic Chinese leader is anyone's guess, I suppose:

Saying good-bye once again and sending this fun couple back to their home in Saitama down on Honshu island:

It was so amazing reuniting with my old roomie and her new husband once again in Japan...seriously, one of the best experiences during my time here! Knowing that it's so much easier to rendezvous anywhere in the world helps ease the pain of good-bye a bit, and makes me so thankful for the good friends we've made all over the world. かおりとたくちゃん。。。楽しかった！　ありがとうございます！

Thiessen Twosome Does Tokachi 十勝

2011-07-07T19:25:00.000-07:00

Our time is quickly winding down here in Japan, and there's no better way to bid farewell than with a good ol' roadtrip, especially now since Jacob has a really light work schedule for the month of July!

We wanted to head out east on our fair island of Hokkaido and wound up in Tokachi, an area of hundreds of small, quaint farms and fields surrounded on all sides by mountainous national parks. Tokachi is not only the largest agricultural food base in Japan, but it also is said to have the most clear, sunny days a year in the whole country! From what we saw, both of these seemed to be right on:

The first night of our trip, we arrived in the area after dark and found an empty campsite field in what I can only describe as truly in the middle of nowhere (okay, so it was probably in the middle of a bunch of cow pastures...). Made for a beautiful and peaceful morning start to our explorations (with a little help from some Simon & Garfunkel breakfast music):

In addition to agriculture, Tokachi is also known all around Japan for its vineyards and wine, kind of like the Napa Valley of the country:

You can't be out in this part of Hokkaido without stopping at one of the many dairies for some ice cream, cheese, and other goodies. Okay, so we stopped here and had ice cream at 9 in the morning...hey, it's a roadtrip!

Tokachi has many towns and villages, but only one proper city (over 100,000 people)...that city is Obihiro, and we stopped for lunch, some beers, and a looksie around:

As we're suckers for a good brewpub, lunch was at Tokachi Beer and we were definitely not disappointed:

In addition to our huge broccoli and camembert cheese pizza (the Japanese aren't so traditional when it comes to Italian food), they also had an amazing all-you-can eat salad bar with delicious, fresh Tokachi veggies and bread made from the leftover beer yeast! Nom, nom:

Caution! Little old ladies in wooden geta crossing the street:

After some good time on the plains, we headed up into the mountains on the other side of Daisetsuzan National Park (Japan's largest national park...you can see past trips to this beauty here and here) for a little camping near Lake Shikaribetsu. And yes, my legs really are that painfully white (working at a day job here will do that to ya, I suppose):

The most magical thing about our campsite here was the natural onsen (or hot springs...check out more about Japan's many onsen here) that was about 100 meters away down next to the river and with only a little covered shelf area to put your clothes. So, so awesome (and further reinforcing how MUCH I'm going to miss the onsen culture in this country):

Lake Shikaribetsu itself is a gorgeous, colorfully clear body of water up in the mountains:

And there was even a free, scorching hot foot onsen right along the lake shore:

We love driving, it's true:

It's definitely bear-season here in Hokkaido, and our island is home to over 3,000 brown bears alone. Fortunately for us, the only bears we saw on our trip was this gargantuan fella:

A few more pics with the pretty skies of Tokachi before heading back to Sapporo:

As you can see, Hokkaido really is like a completely different country from the rest of Japan (which just might account for the fact that it's been sooooo easy to live here for three years)! It's beautiful. It's wild. It's super road-trip-and-camp-able (with courtesy to the bears, of course). Most of all, it's just enough Western to remind you a bit of home, but just enough Japanese to let you know that you really are romping around in Japan.

Saving the Fest for Last

2011-07-03T04:19:00.000-07:00

If you really want to see how absolutely magnificent the Japanese are at working together in groups, you can look no further than the annual school festival tradition, which cumulates from 2-3 weeks of intensive preparation, practice, and organization (check out our school's Michael Jackson tribute festival last year). After three years and three festivals, I still marvel at what an awesome event the student-body can produce:

This year, just like my first school festival here, I was asked to be a judge for うたポン, a singing competition held the first night of the festival in which the entire school is split up into 10 mega-groups who then put on a dance, chant, and singing performance. John, our South African and other native English teacher at school, was a judge as well, and we debuted the duty with fabulous yukuta:

Some of my fabulous ex-students who graduated last year...I miss them so much:

Saturday of the school festival is reserved for a day of play performances put on by the third-graders (like seniors...basically, last years). Each third-grade class writes, produces, performs, directs, makes costumes & set designs, and basically runs an entire production! It's a rare chance to see these kids' incredible creativity when working together.

The last day of the festival, Sunday, is open to the public. Parents, former students, prospective students, siblings, and friends all come to see not only how the school has been transformed, but to also get an idea of daily life at S.I.T.:

And it wouldn't be a Japanese festival without stands of yaki-tori (grilled chicken), yaki-soba (fried noodles), choco-bananas, and the like. Fortunately, that's the PTA moms and dads' duties:

The inside of the school is transformed into a place for students to display and enjoy achievements of classes, clubs, sports, art, and musical talents:

Each class creates one of these cardboard wonders promoting their class theme for the year:

And the first and second graders keep the cardboard creativity going by morphing their common classrooms into amusement lands, cafes with snacks and drinks, and little shops selling goods:

Of course, school festival is also a time for class presentations and projects to be shown:

If you ever find yourself in Hokkaido during July (or elsewhere in Japan during October or September), seeking out a high school festival to attend is highly, highly recommended and totally delicious!

As my last school festival here in Japan, this year's event was a tad bitter-sweet for me...hitting home a little that we'll be out of here in exactly one month from today! 悲しい！

First of the Farewells

2011-06-27T00:04:00.000-07:00

And so it begins. The countdown and reality of goodbye was kicked off this past weekend at my former Japanese instructor, Akiko's, house:

Akiko and her husband Yuzuru (and their cute little baby, Satoru) always host the best get-togethers at their place, and our early going away party was no exception with plenty of food, friends, babies, and Akiko's homemade tiramasu:

I was really touched by everyone who came out to say goodbye. A special ありがとうございました to the Miyoshi's for their kindness and friendship during my time here in Sapporo!

International Mini Festival in 岩見沢

2011-06-22T22:54:00.000-07:00

I headed to the little town of Iwamizawa, just outside of Sapporo, again this year for the ALT-organized International Mini Festival. I had so much fun teaching salsa dancing at last year's event that I couldn't wait to partake again:

This year, instead of dancing the day away, I was pimping out the good 'ol USA at the American booth (note KU hat and football props courtesy of Jacob):

Just like last year, about 150-200 kids showed up, despite the unfavorable weather, to visit the various country booths and get stamps in their cute passports (and to relish in the Obama stickers found at our booth):

We even got an Aussie to come over to the "dark side" if only for an afternoon:

Besides the booths, dancing and other activities, there were also a few food tents selling everything from Costco muffins to tacos to...SMORES:

And then the rains came. Fortunately, it didn't dampen too many spirits, and festival-goers were still able to travel to Korea, the USA, the UK, New Zealand, the Dominican Republic, Palestine, Norway, and Russia in style:

And because our American booth was just so cool and informative, we were even interviewed and featured on t.v...

The show, E-Kita, is a Hokkaido-based program highlighting foreigner life and interests in Japanese and English:

Us "Americans" with host, Isis, and me with my ever-prominent football prop:

So, while this year wasn't as sunny or weather-cooperative as last year, I'm still so happy to have been a part of another successful attempt at bringing a little international flavor to some cute Japanese kids and their parents!

よさこいソラン祭り...YOSAKOI!

2011-06-14T22:15:00.000-07:00

June is upon us here in Sapporo, and with it comes longer days, tons of BBQ parties, and about 50,000 dancers for my favorite festival, Yosakoi Soran. This yearly gathering brought hundreds of colorful teams from all over Hokkaido and Japan to compete and perform for the masses, and cries of "Soran! Soran! Soran!" accompanied some incredibly well-choreographed and energetic dancing for this year's 20th anniversary of the event:

As I mentioned last year and the year before (check out the links for more festival pics), Yosakoi combines traditional Japanese summer festival dancing with high-impact (almost hip-hop like) dance moves and music. The costumes are always beautiful and colorful, and some of them can easily be changed one or more times during the performance as a part of the dance. In addition, the teams are required to use special clappers called naruko (which you can see them holding in the photo below) in order to be eligible for the final performances:

Besides the street parades, the teams also have a chance to perform on the big stage as well. A Yosakoi team can end up performing their dance up to 9 or more times in just one day alone!

Unlike previous rain-filled years, we had a few absolutely gorgeous days to enjoy the dancing and handy festival beer gardens as well:

And you can't enjoy a Sapporo beer or a Coke at this festival unless it is a special Yosakoi-edition:

Being able to enjoy this festival for three years now (and having a chance to dance in it last year) has truly been one of the highlights of our time here! Not having Yosakoi to kick off our summer anymore is gonna be a bummer (I mean, just look at how much fun it is), but as long as dancing like this still exists in the world, I suppose we can let it go!

Thanks, Yosakoi...and congrats to all of our friends who danced this year!

Kolossal Kit Kat Explosion

2011-06-07T01:48:00.001-07:00

This was a post that was supposed to happen last fall, and then again this past winter. Now it's summer and the empty Kit Kat boxes have piled up, waiting for their debut on the ol' blog. There's a lot of them here sure to tantalize your taste buds, folks (for a blast to the past of our other crazy Japanese Kit Kat reviews, head here).

First up in the flavor fiesta is a special edition from the southern islands of Okinawa where the local beni-imo, or purple potato, is extremely popular in foods, drinks, and of course, Kit Kats:

I always wondered when Nestle was gonna get really creative. Here it seems they've done it with a flavor combo pack--cola and Lemon Squash (a softdrink here):

We picked this limited edition from Shikoku (one of Japan's main islands) up on our trip to Hiroshima and it is a delicious citrus blend:

Shhh, don't tell the kiddos, but this is Adult Flavor (meaning dark chocolate):

Bitter Almond, sponsored by the Tokyo Beauty Clinic:

Also from Tokyo Beauty Clinic, Aloe Yogurt:

Hojicha, or roasted Japanese green tea:

Ramune, a type of soda here that comes with a marble in it (??)...usually lemon-lime flavored:

You may think this is a standard package of Kit Kats overly packaged in excessive plastic:

...but this edition comes with a pack of Nescafe and a handy mug to beat the afternoon slump:

Onto more crazy flavors! Kinako, or roasted soybean powder:

Ginger ale:

Matcha, or thick Japanese green tea:

Kinako Ohagi, a type of dessert in Japan which consists of sweet, red adzuki beans stuffed inside a pounded rice cake (mochi), and then rolled in powdered, toasted soybeans:

"Kuchi" (mouth) "doke" (melt) chocolate almond:

Milk coffee spring edition:

The über Japanese flavor of them all, wasabi:

And finally, replacing the limited edition Hokkaido flavors of roasted sweet corn and buttered potato, the new Hokkaido edition of Yubari Melon (which is our fancy name here for cantaloupe):

The extra-large gift box is even ready for mailing as is:

Hungry yet? I hope so, because it seems that Nestle has been lagging in the Kit Kat flavor department since about early spring! Hoping for at least one last flavor post before we shove off in August!

Future

2011-06-03T06:42:00.000-07:00

In exactly two months from today, Jacob and I will be headed on a big bird back home to the States, ending the life we've known here in Japan for three years.

In three months from now, I'll be on another bird to my new job in...Ukraine!

I've been accepted as an English Fellow through the Georgetown University English Fellows Program, and will be in the former Soviet Union for 10 months (Russian-study and a new blog to come!). Although the next couple of months will no doubt be stressful and sad, there are some exciting things oozing their way into our future plans, and for that we're truly grateful!

All-Girls Glorious Spring Hokkaido Roadtrip

2011-05-31T05:53:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of our grandabulous autumn Hokkaido roadtrip last fall, my partners-in-driving, Krista and Vanessa, and I headed out of Sapporo once again to the north-central part of our island just in-time for the arrival of Spring there. We were greeted with lush gardens, colorful dairy farms galore (made me a bit homesick for Kansas), and some amazing colors that you have to see to believe:

After a night stop with our friends in Engaru, our first destination was the Holland-rip-off tulip gardens in Kami-Yubetsu. Yes, it is anything but Japanese-y, but it was still pretty nonetheless (thanks in part to the gorgeous weather that decided to accompany us):

And from there it was on the road again, only to be lured off by an excessively large crab claw in Monbetsu:

And since we were already there, we thought we'd better join the kids at the park jumping on the Fuwa-Fuwa Dome (translates to "fluffy dome"...these things are everywhere across Japan and are so, so awesome):

Our primary destination was actually spotted on a poster on our last roadtrip. Takinoue is a sweet little town known for mint, turkey farming, it's pink fairy mascot...

...and especially it's acres and acres of shibazakura, or pink moss phlox, which cover the hillsides like a thick 70s-esque-era rug:

It's one of the most gorgeous places I've ever seen:

We saw this guy just a few weeks ago at hanami in Sapporo and were really surprised to see him, bushy eye-brows and fancy get-up galore, up in Takinoue as well:

Gratuitous driving pics (not recommended):

Our original plans included camping out for a night, but unforeseen rains dictated that we make ourselves a car tent and sleep in the michi-no-eki (roadside station) parking lot instead:

The next day, we headed to the beautiful area surrounding the town of Biei. The watery rice paddies encompassing the farms in this part of Hokkaido are so, so dreamy:

The cute little town of Biei looks more like it came out of the Midwest, U.S.A. rather than in northern Japan:

With a quick stop at the area's Blue Pond...

...and the pretty Shirohige Waterfalls:

...and it was back to our city-life in Sapporo with another glorious roadtrip under our belt, and a renewed sense of pride for our beautiful (and uncharacteristically non-Japanese-y) island of Hokkaido!

You Gotta Go to 由仁町 (Yuni-cho)

2011-05-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

Out in the rolling hills and farmlands of Hokkaido, just about 35 minutes outside of Sapporo, lies the quiet little country community town of Yuni-cho. My Aussie friend, Sam, works as an English teacher there, and everytime I visit, it's always a tasty adventure!

This past Saturday was designated as Yuni Food Day, as there are so many quirky little eateries utilizing some amazing farm-fresh foods. One of these places (and first of our day) is Bennu Cafe and Art Gallery:

The place is run by an English woman (and 18-year Japan vet) named Kate and is so colorful and inviting that it's hard to believe the place is surrounded by cows and crops:

At the back of the cafe is a hip botique shop filled with clothing, jewlery, and other fabulous treasures gathered from her many trips to Bali and beyond during the long winter months that the cafe is closed:

And on the side is an entire gallery showcasing her pottery for sale. Cuteness alert:

It's the organic coffee and homemade treats, however, that really "take-the-cake" (whop, whop, whaaaa):

And the most inviting swing in the world, just outside!

So, you know Japan is known world over for its crazy vending machines, but did you know that in the countryside of Hokkaido it is not uncommon to stumble upon an egg vending machine? EGG VENDING MACHINE! Did I just type that?

Yes, there are the standard white and brown fresh farm eggs. In Yuni-cho, however, you also have the Golden Egg variety:

Which I most definitely had to buy (I think "buying an edible golden egg from a vending machine is somewhere hidden on my life-list of things to do):

Turns out, they are smoked and flavored. EGG-cellent:

When you're in Yuni-cho and it's lunch time, you MUST head to the Farm Yard:

Known for their local and seasonal vegetable, herbs, and fruits, this is THE place to go for soup curry (Hokkaido's speciality dish) and UH-MAY-ZING pies:

Think we couldn't handle any more after all of that? Wrong. Last stop of the day, and one of the best reasons why YOU should visit Yuni-cho, is this place:

Yeah, it looks cute and quaint, but on the inside of the Ushigoya Ice Cream Shop (located on the grounds of Yuni's North Star Dairy Farm) is a hidden rasta party of deliciousness:

Fresh, super-flavorful, homemade ice creams from the dairy's own milk cows:

And the proprietor behind all of the craziness, Ya-chan herself:

If you don't want one of the pre-made ice creams, you can get a "maze-maze" mixed up on a cold stone for you by Ya-chan herself! Flavors range from "Love in Chocolate" and "Sweet Potato Cheesecake," to the ever popular "Lady Boy":

Oh, yeeeeeaah:

Apple-cinnamon-caramel custard, anyone?

So there you have it. Yuni-cho, folks. I'd say get there fast while the eatin's good, but then it's ALWAYS good out in those parts!

(Thanks, Sam, for a great weekend)

Mr. Thiessen is 29!!

2011-05-25T06:56:00.000-07:00

Gearing up for our last birthday BBQ here in Japan!

Jacob's made about 40 homemade whole-meal buns and hamburger patties, we're getting the grill fired up, and here's hoping to lots of warm sunshine and happy birthday vibes! 誕生日が好きい！

Spring is...here?

2011-05-22T22:31:00.000-07:00

The first signs of Spring here in Hokkaido don't consist of flowers, sunshine, or even warm weather. Instead, they come in sakura (cherry blossom) filled advertisements and treats from Starbucks:

Yup, once I'm able to munch on sakura cheesecake, cookies, and scones, and then chase it all down with a cherry blossom latte, I know that sunshine-y days and light jackets are soon on their way.

Or, so we would like to hope.

A couple weekends ago marked the opening of the sakura blooms here in Hokkaido, and with that comes a multitude of hanami (flower-viewing) BBQ parties in the park. Hanami in Hokkaido, however, is COLD! Sure, you can warm yourself with a bottle of wine and a little fire from the BBQ, but as soon as the sun starts to dip, it is downright chilly! The pretty blossoms and quirky people-watching are nice distractions, though:

This past weekend our very own Odori Park held an Earthday Ezo festival celebrating natural and environmentally-conscious endeavors here in Ezo (the very old-school name for our island of Hokkaido). The tulips were blooming, the people were out, and the cold, drizzly, rain cleared off just enough for the event to be pretty rockin':

These guys make saving the earth look like a whole lot more fun:

Good times!

So, sitting here with my kerosene heater still pumping and a cold, Northern wind breezing by outside and wondering yet again just when WILL Spring get here, I realize that it's taken me three years to finally accept that this cold, grey, heavy-coat-wearing, heater-running, sakura-dotted season IS spring in Hokkaido. I'm just glad we have Starbucks to let us know that it's actually arrived...

Golden Week Adventures in Thailand-Part III, Bangkok

2011-05-16T05:50:00.001-07:00

You can read part I of our Thailand trip here, and catch part II here.

After our amazing stay down on the beaches of the Andaman coast, we were actually excited to get back to Bangkok for a night and a full day as it's such a vibrant (and delicious!) city!

One of the highlights of this trip to the city was the amazing, amazing boutique hotel, Phra-Nakorn Norn-Len (Slow Life). With it's hand-painted rooms and halls, eclectic style, exceptional Thai massages, and simple organic meals, it is seriously one of those places that you hope will forever stay a best-kept-secret:

Although we took in most of Bangkok's main sites on our last visit to the city two years ago, it was still nice walking around and taking in some of the lesser-known wats (Buddhist temples) and scenes of regular street life:

In Bangkok, your mail is only going one of two places:

Heavenly street food REALLY comes alive during the night-time markets and street-stalls:

Asia has many, many markets, it's true. The undisputed king of them all, however, is Bangkok's weekend Chatuchak Market, which contains over 15,000 stalls (!!!!) over a 35 acre area selling everything. Seriously, everything. Clothing, food, massages, antiques, house-wares, art, jewelery, live animals, handicrafts, books, music, plants and flowers...not to mention the wonderful live entertainment and music!

There is absolutely nothing you cannot get here and, as this was our second time visiting the shopping behemoth, it comes highly, highly recommended:

Whew...after a shopping experience like that, it's ALWAYS definitely time for a Thai massage:

What a relaxing way to end our fabulous Golden Week journey to the Land of Smiles! As a bonus, it was soooo nice returning to Japan just in time for Spring flowers and sunshine rather than mountainous drifts of snow! Makes getting back into the swing of things just that much easier...

Golden Week Adventures in Thailand-Part II, Railey

2011-05-14T05:34:00.000-07:00

To read Part I of our adventures in Thailand, head here.

After Koh Lanta, we journeyed to the little tropical hideaway isthmus known as Railey. This is the poster-child for the limestone karst-studded emerald waters of Thailand's Andaman coast:

At the end of the isthmus is the most beautiful place we've ever swam: Phra-Nang (Princess) Cave Beach:

The cave on the beach is said to hold the spirit of a drowned Indian princess...

...and many offerings (some downright amusing to say the least) are colorfully stacked inside:

The north end of the beach was our most favorite place for sunset-gazing and good conversation:

We liked that beach so much that we hiked there everyday that we were in Railey. It's best in the afternoon after the boatloads of Chinese tourists have left for the day:

Oh yeah...and we continued to eat, and eat, and eat...

After one more stunning color-show on the beach...

..we were off the next day on a plane back to Bangkok:

And that's where we'll end our wonderfully relaxing vacation in the next post...

Golden Week Adventures in Thailand-Part I, Koh Lanta

2011-05-12T06:55:00.002-07:00

For our last Golden Week vacation here in Japan, Jacob and I decided to head back to Thailand for a relaxing getaway on the beaches during low-season. We were long over-due for some quality time together since our job schedules don't always permit it.

First stop, the island of Koh Lanta in the Andaman Sea (next to its more famous cousin, Koh Phi Phi), and our cute little bungalow:

This is what you get in Thailand during the low season: a beach nearly all to yourself:

Okay, so the real reason we decided to head back to Thailand more than anything was the food! Thai food is the stuff of spicy, fragrant, flavorful dreams:

And did I mention the sunsets?

The best way to get around Koh Lanta is by motorbike, and we took many sunny adventure drives around the island:

Hmmm...what should we do today:

After a good five days in Koh Lanta, we headed on a boat off to the isthmus of Railey for a little more lazy beach life in the Andaman...

Golden Week Gallivanting

2011-04-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

It's time for our final Golden Week vacation here in Japan, and Jacob and I are headed out today for Thailand once again! Happy spring, everyone, and we'll have lots of yummy pics for you when we get back!

Meditation, McDonalds, & Meat

2011-04-16T04:19:00.000-07:00

Last weekend's magnitude of mighty M-madness kicked off with one of the most amazing experiences I've had while living here in Japan. At our friends Ross and Risa's wedding back in February, our good friend Jesse drank and chatted it up with one guest in particular there. Turns out that guest was a young Buddhist monk with his own temple here in Sapporo, and who was super keen on teaching some foreigners a little meditation.

A good workout, a nice dinner, and then a little meditation with a monk. Typical Friday evening.

Although last minute work (aka a funeral) pushed our meeting back an hour, the evening proved more than memorable. Upon entering his car, we were consumed with some bumpin' beats that were straight out of any club. This was, in fact, a monk mix from his monk D.J. friend who works down at one of the clubs in Sapporo which is frequently visited by area monks. Ahhh, religion in Japan is sooooo awesome!

The temple where he lives and works was actually built by his grandfather 30 years ago and, although beautiful, was so cold inside. That might have proved a necessary distraction, however, as we ended up doing our first meditation for AN HOUR!!! Seriously! Do you know how long that is when you're trying to keep a clear mind and a long, steady breath? Fortunately, we could keep perfect time on his iPhone. Ha!

Photo reconstruction of said meditation for posterity:

Yeah, so that was extremely cool.

The next day, the other native English-speaker at my school, John, and I (as well as Jacob, and John's wife, Natalie) met some students for our annual Hokkaido English Challenge (HEC) celebration ice cream at McDonalds. HEC is an amazing English communication test for up to 10 students from each high school and junior high school in Hokkaido. The winner gets a 2-week homestay to the country of his or her choice. The 50 runners up get to go to HEC Camp in the summer. It's seriously one of the best things we do here. And through it, we always get a chance to get to know some really cool and motivated students in the process:

Wrapping up our major M-fest of a weekend, I now present to you...MEAT:

Yes, lots and lots of meat. Some identifiable, some not, some only edible to the Western palate with a hearty swish of cold beer to get it down. And all of it courtesy of one of the best customers at Jacob's restaurant (TK6), Mr. Tanabe. Mr. Tanabe is VERY well off as a manager of a few properties, restaurants, and sports teams (yeah!) and he is VERY generous to those around him. And fortunately for us, he is VERY fond of Jacob, so it usually leads to some amazing experiences on our end.

Anyway, Mr. Tanabe is good friends with this meat-master, and needless to say, we ate and drank heartily:

Two of the highlights of the evening were having dinner with the goal-keeper of Sapporo's pro-soccer team, the Consadoles (sitting to the left of Mr. Tanabe)...

...and meeting another regular of both TK6 and this BBQ shop: a silly man who simply is referred to as "The Doctor":

We ate, we drank, we laughed, and we muddled through Japanese. Yes, it was a good, good night:

Are we really expected to conduct a "normal" week of work and life after weekends like these?

Southern Japan Getaway--Part III, Kyoto

2011-03-27T05:06:00.001-07:00

To read part one of our weekend getaway (Hiroshima), click here. To catch-up with part two (Miyajima) head here.

Stepping off the shinkansen in Kyoto, we met up with our friends Meagan and John (who are currently living and teaching in Osaka), and their American guests, Brian, Erin, and baby Maddox. We've been to Kyoto before (check out that 2008 trip here), and have definitely enjoyed the quintessential "Japanese-y-ness" of it, but it was nice to see things in a different light. At night, that is. We were just in time for the Gion Hanatouro, or Lantern Festival, in which the streets and many of the temples were lit up past normal hours and open for the public, along with sporadic bursts of festive lanterns and entertainment to boot:

This sucker is a cherry tree! I can't imagine what it's like when it's in full bloom (which will be here in a few weeks):

Kyoto has never looked so pretty to us. This was primarily due to the rain, which kept most of the hoards of people who usually pack the streets at home! For once, I felt like we were walking down a typical street right out of Feudal Japan:

The next morning, we took in another "first" for us with Kyoto: the once-a-month HUGE flea market held at Toji (東寺) Temple, where you can buy everything from pottery, chopsticks, clothes, antiques and other vintage treasures, to snacks, plants, and harvested garden goods:

Our own engraved and gold-painted chopsticks:

It was then back to the little town of Hirakata outside of Osaka (where John, Meagan, and Josh live) for some amazing grub at their favorite local spot (lovingly referred to as Mom and Pops):

And with two characters like "Mom and Pop" running the show, you KNOW the food was fantastic:

Bellies full and wallets a little (okay, a lot) lighter, we hopped on our plane back to the realities of work and life here in Sapporo! Fortunately for me, it's spring break at school (Jacob, on the other hand, has just as much work as ever at the restaurant)! Was great getting to see a little more of this little country we currently call home!

Southern Japan Getaway--Part II, Miyajima

2011-03-24T04:51:00.000-07:00

To read Part I of our weekend getaway (Hiroshima), head here.

Riding on a bit of a bummer mood from Hiroshima, we escaped to Miyjima Island just in time to watch the sunset sink behind Itsukusima Shrine's magnificent "floating" torii gate:

It was a long day and early evening for us as we were exausted from our overnight bus the night before! The next morning, we got up early and headed back to Miyajima for more exploring (but not without first passing by one of the many delicious-looking oyster shops in the area):

The island is dotted with many deer who are readily on hand to eat anything that they can get their chompers on: maps, train tickets, small children...

The floating torii gate actually gives way to Itsukushima Shrine which, at high tide, also appears to be floating as well. I wonder how many floods they have in this area...

The rest of the island has plenty of paths, temples, forests, and other areas for exploring. We unfortunately had to battle the rain a bit, but the lighting was gorgeous!

By the time we left, the rain definitely made itself known...we were so happy that we had visited the gate the night before when it was nice and clear!

A parting snack...cakes made of oysters, squid, octopus, or shrimp ...yummy!

This trip also gave us a chance to take a ride on the uber-expensive (yet uber-fast) shinkansen (famed Japanese bullet train which we don't have up in our neck of the woods)!! Boy was it quite a bit more futuristic than our good 'ol JR trains up here in Hokkaido!

And with that we were on our way to meet up with some friends for a night in Kyoto! Stay tuned for the final leg of our journey...

Southern Japan Getaway, Part I--Hiroshima

2011-03-23T21:38:00.001-07:00

In an ironic twist of events, Jacob and I headed out of Hokkaido and down to Hiroshima for a weekend getaway from work, snow, and the tiring nuclear-disaster-hype that we've been bombarded with ever since the earthquake and tsunami:

Thanks to its unfortunate status as being the first city in the world to meet an unthinkable fate as a result of an atomic bomb dropped by the Americans during WWII, Hiroshima is one of those cities in Japan that needs no introduction to the rest of the world

The closest surviving building to the epicenter of the a-bomb was the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, now known as the A-bomb Dome or Peace Dome:

The building and surrounding area is now a part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, a touching area filled with memorials and reminders of what happened here, as well as sculptures and tributes to the city's never-tiring goal of world peace. The park was created on an island in an open field that was created by the bomb...previously, that area had been filled with homes, schools, shops, and lots of people.

Every year, thousands of colorful paper cranes are left at the Children's' Memorial (dedicated to the thousands of children who instantly had their young lives snuffed out) in memory of Sadako Sadaki. Sadako was only 2 when the bomb was dropped...she later developed radiation-induced leukemia and died when she was 12. Before she died, she worked to fold 1,000 paper cranes in hope that her wish for a cure would be granted. Today, students from all over the world make and send chains of beautiful paper cranes in support of Sadako and world peace:

A view of the A-bomb Dome can be seen through the archway covering the memorial cenotaph, which contains a book of the names of over 70,000 victims killed by the bomb:

The mound behind these markers consists of the ashes of close to 70,000 a-bomb victims, most of whom were never identified:

The main complex at the park is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, a heartbreaking but important look at that terrible day, the events leading up to it, and the years and years of after-effects:

8:15 in the morning was the time that Hiroshima was forever changed:

Here's a model (constructed based off of ariel photographs) of downtown Hiroshima as it looked before the bomb was dropped. You can see the green-roofed Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall (A-bomb dome):

And here is a model of how it looked afterwards. The red marker and white sign is the location of the bomb's epicenter. Eerily, it reminded us of some of the before-and-after arial images we've been seeing of the tsunami hit areas in Tohoku:

Photo taken by the U.S. Army so that they could record the "effectiveness" of their a-bomb project:

3-year old victim's tricycle:

Anyone who still believes in the importance of nuclear weapon, and mass destructiveness from war in general, needs to visit this museum. Actually, I would say that anyone who comes to Japan should include a stop to this museum on their itinerary, sad as it is to face.

As if the museum wasn't depressing enough though, Jacob's wallet was also lost, prompting a trip to the police station as well (side-note: in true Japanese fashion, someone turned it in later that night):

To help lift our spirits a bit, we headed out to have some okonomiyaki (kind of like a fried Japanese pancake). Hiroshima has their own style of okonomiyaki from the rest of country and, topped with some local AMAZING oysters, it was a feast indeed!

Was hoping we'd get in on some good cherry-blossom viewing, but branches were either bare or the blooms were juuuuuuust coming out. Still pretty nevertheless:

Hiroshima Castle, reconstructed from the original that was completely destroyed from the bomb...I'm sure this place is gorgeous during the fall:

After Hiroshima, we took the train to nearby Miyajima for the night...to be continuted in part II...

Earthquake-Proof Spirit...

2011-03-17T00:11:00.000-07:00

Grocery store clerk to me at the store last night: "Japan will overcome! Please buy toilet paper!"

A Country In Need

2011-03-14T23:24:00.000-07:00

Photos courtesy of the Associated Press

If you have any doubts on whether or not you should help out an already "rich" nation, please check out the videos and images of the tsunami striking and its aftermath. I think all local Red Cross societies in your own countries are taking up Japan Tsunami funds. If you want your funds to come directly to Japan asap, please head over to Second Harvest Japan (English page: http://www.2hj.org/index.php/get_involved/donate_money ). They have an excellent track record and we have heard nothing but good things about the diligence with which they put their donated money and food to use. If you've already donated, would you consider another gift on your next payday?

Dark Weekend for Japan

2011-03-12T04:38:00.000-08:00

It's now being billed as the largest earthquake since Japan began keeping records 100 YEARS ago! This was the big one, folks, and it's incredibly heartbreaking.

Death-counts are on the rise, and if the people of Honshu didn't have to deal enough already with the 5th largest earthquake in the world's recorded history, they now have tsunami after tsunami, fires, and possible meltdowns of their nuclear power plants (which are not cooling off despite being turned of as soon as possible) to fight.

Here in Sapporo, it's a beautiful, sunny, snowy day. It's impossibly hard to imagine that the images and scenes that we're seeing on the news are happening in our own backyard. We're completely relieved (and are feeling a little guilty) to be among the lucky crew...I've especially never felt so lucky for our Sapporo placement. Fortunately, all of our Japanese friends and foreigner friends living in Japan have had contact with us and are safe and sound as well.

Please send extra positive vibes and thoughts to the people in the Sendai and Fukushima areas, and give all of your loved ones an extra tight hug when you see them next.

EARTHQUAKE!!!

2011-03-11T10:35:00.001-08:00

First thing's first...Jacob and I are 100% a-okay! Sapporo got quite the shakedown, but we have no structural damage and absolutely nothing compared to what the folks down south of us are going through!

Today at work, all of a sudden I felt a little drunk, then started to see things move, then started hearing everyone say "earthquake!" Earthquakes aren't uncommon here in Japan, they happen almost everyday, though mostly they go unnoticed and usually last less than 10 seconds. "Big ones" are especially rare up here on our northern island of Hokkaido. But, when this one started picking up strength with doors, windows, and things on the wall moving and shaking for more than TWO MINUTES, it was pretty scary! It never got bad enough here that we had to evacuate, though I was most definitely planning which snow bank I was going to jump into out of our second-story windows!!

Turns out, the epicenter was close to Sendai, which is located in northern Honshu (Honshu is the biggest island) close to Hokkaido (our island) and it was an 8.9!!!!! Definitely the biggest earthquake I've ever been through, so feeling so fortunate to have no damage or anything up here in Sapporo! A 6-10 meter tsunami was warned for the Pacific coast of Japan, but Sapporo is on the other side, so we will not be affected!

As I type this, we are experiencing quite a few strong aftershocks that make me sooooo happy we're not closer to the source. I called Jacob to swap "where were you and what did you do stories," as he was on his way to work at the time. The phone lines seem to be jammed for those trying to reach loved ones down on Honshu, however, and I can't help but feel for them.

The rest of work today was spent watching the news and actually seeing LIVE the first tsunami hitting shore and enveloping farms and house like a rapid, thick cloud of smoke. Don't know what the outcome of this will be, but I'm afraid it's not going to be very pretty...

Retro Weekend Up on the Mountain

2011-03-08T19:45:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I took off with a few friends to the lovely ski-bummin' area of Niseko! As it just so happened, a 1980s retro weekend on the mountain was held, complete with old-skool 80s ski outfits!

Dont' you want one?

There was food, friends, and prizes...I won one of the best dressed. Obviously:

And, I am quite proud to say that, after three years, I can now properly get down the mountain on a snowboard. You know, when you're not constantly wiping out, it's actually SO. MUCH. FUN!

Our 80s suits were too awesome to only keep on the mountain, so Vanessa, Jesse and I wore them to Niseko's awesome Fridge Bar as well (yes, that really is the front door to the place!):

The next day, we took in some of the best of the area, including a magnificent onsen (natural hot spring) at the Hilton...

...and a trip to Niseko Dairy Factory!

Yeah...I really did eat ice cream, drinkable yogurt, and a cream puff all in one setting. I don't regret it one bit, because they were all so dreamy!!!

I absolutely love getting out and enjoying our island of Hokkaido whenever possible! It's been good taking in our last winter here to the max!

Graduation Day

2011-03-06T21:56:00.000-08:00

Graduation days come and go in the life of a high school teacher, but this year's ceremony was particularly sad for me. The kiddos who were 1st year students when I came to Japan and SIT back in 2008 are now leaving...after 3 years of classes together, these are the students who I have felt the closest to and who I have greatly looked forward to seeing on a day to day basis.

Yes, three years here. Three long graduation ceremonies. Yet, somehow, I still haven't managed to learn the words to our school song.

Who needs singing when there are inspirational and emotional graduation speeches to give...

...just kidding!! Had to have a photo opp with the ceremonial bonsai while waiting to dig into the free snacks from the PTA:

Seriously going to miss these students! Watch out Japan! These young adults are the future of your role in our international world:

Graduation time is also when all of the third year students get their yearbooks. Unlike in the States when you usually get a yearbook for each year of high school, 3rd years in Japan get a book detailing their entire 3 year high school career! It's pretty awesome. And expensive. Which is why I merely take photos of my most favorite pages rather than purchase a whole book for myself (I like to think of it as frugal memory-keeping):

And with that, the official school year in Japan is almost to an end. Yes, the other grades still have to take exams and attend a few extra "babysitting" classes to fulfill the men-in-suits's requirements, but after that a fresh, new school year will begin in April. Time here is starting to reel away EXTREMELY fast...only 4.5 months left to go!

To my students: おめでとうございます！　またね！

Frozen Furano Frenzy

2011-03-03T21:09:00.000-08:00

Our good friends Meagan, John, and Josh came up to visit us last weekend from Osaka to indulge in the snowy deliciousness of Hokkaido. As it was a pretty melty and sunshiny week for us here in Sapporo, we decided to head to Furano (in the center of Hokkaido) where we figured the snow would be a little heavier for some good boarding and onsening.

First stop in Furano wasn't the slopes, however, but instead for some delicious wood-fired pizza:

If you can believe it, with Jacob's crazy work schedule this year, this was his first chance of the year to hit the slopes:

And, while the boarding wasn't nearly as powdery as we had expected (Furano apparently had just as many sunshiny days as we did), we did stumble upon a hot pancake drink complete with butter and maple syrup flavorings! Ahhh, Japan:

Had a great time with the Osaka crew and looking forward to visiting them on their home-turf down south in a few weeks!!!

Better Than McDonalds

2011-03-03T20:54:00.000-08:00

For the past two years or so, Japanese McDonald's have been running the Big America burger campaign. Every other month or so, a new, limited-edition "American" burger is released such as the Manhattan Burger, Texas Burger, New York Burger, Hawaii Burger, and (no joke) the Iowa Burger. Last year's Big America campaign was so popular that they've followed it up with this year's Big America 2. Currently, the burger on demand is the Miami Burger, and since it's advertised as invoking the flavor of southwestern tacos, it's a bit of a geographically confusing thing to eat!

Hence, Jacob ripped off the idea, pumped up the toppings, flavor and logistical naming, and brought it to TK6:

I love internationalization!

Ross & Risa's Gorgeous Snowy Wedding

2011-02-28T00:02:00.000-08:00

I had the amazing opportunity to photograph and witness the beautiful wedding of our good friends, Ross and Risa, last weekend:

I first met Ross in Tokyo when we arrived for JET Orientation back in 2008 as we were heading up to Hokkaido together. Risa and I met, of course, through Ross in 2009, and she is such a quality gal and perfect match for him. Their little shrine wedding was filled to the brim with tradition, love, smiles, a little bit of sake, and close family and friends:

Fortunately, Jacob was also able to attend, making it his first Japanese wedding experience:

Like most Japanese weddings, the reception was held at a hotel. This reception, however, was bursting with so many lovely details of Ross and Risa's personalities that it was impossible not to wear a smile the entire time (that also could have been attributed to the open bar, but still...):

The obligatory costume change...they look amazing:

So from there, it was on to the after-party, and then the after-after party (whoa!)! Seriously an incredible day with one seriously cool couple! We feel so special and honored to not only have met Ross and Risa during our time here in Japan, but to have shared this crazy day with them as well! They're heading down to Australia in a month, adding yet another place to our "Places and People We Wanna See While There" list. おめでとうございます, you guys!

Niseko Townhouse Mountain Livin'

2011-02-15T18:20:00.001-08:00

Our three-day weekend last week provided a great escape for some of us foreign city-slickers out to the snow resort town of Niseko. Getting there, however, proved to be half the adventure as our train was stuck on the tracks for over two hours due to massive amounts of snow up ahead:

Arriving at our super sexy rented townhouse, however, more than made up for it:

A crisp morning walk around our new snow-covered neighborhood:

One of the stars of the Niseko area, besides the tons of fresh powder snow that dumps on it, is Mt. Yotei, a volcano otherwise known as Hokkaido's Mt. Fuji. We were lucky that the weather actually let us see this monster, as it's usually shrouded in clouds this time of year:

The Niseko resort area is actually made up of four villages surrounding the Annipuri mountain...we stayed in Niseko Hirafu which, in the winter, is overtaken and almost completely run by Australians! It's like a strange, fun parallel world where Japanese and English happily co-exist and ski together:

And who doesn't love a good ice bar:

Our new dwelling providing us with dinner-cooking inspiration galore:

Yotei-viewing weather doesn't exactly provide the amazing powder snow that Niseko-hounds long for, but it does make for some beautiful photos up on the mountain while boarding and skiing:

But on our last day there, the boys got their snowy, snowy wish, and headed once again back onto the mountain...

...while us girls finished off our mini-vacation with a trip to the onsen, or natural hot springs (which dot the entire country of Japan and are enormously popular, and for goooooood reason):

It's been three winters here for us, and I can now finally say that I've properly "done" Niseko! Now I know just how hard it is to get back to reality after a weekend there! Will be heading back in a few weeks (minus the townhouse) to work on sneaking in as much snowboarding as possible before it's back to the flatlands of the U.S. this summer! The winter's in Hokkaido sure are long, but boy do they provide some good, cold fun!

Sayonara, Snow Fest

2011-02-11T02:54:00.000-08:00

Well, Yuki Matsuri, it's the end of the road for us. You've given me three years of massive snow sculptural wonders, overpriced-yet-irresistible grilled seafood, seas of Chinese tourists, justifications of ¥500 ($5.50) cups of hot wine, ooohs and ahhhs, and plenty other festival goodness, and now it's time to say goodbye:

While not nearly as impressive as two years ago, when Japan's Self Defense Force was in-charge of your gargantuan creations, the chance to showcase some of Hokkaido's nature and city life is always appreciated:

As are choco-bananas, hot wine, and shell-grilled scallops (and you know it's just not a festival without them):

If it weren't for you, Yuki Matsuri, how would we ever properly pay tribute to feudal Japanese architecture, as well as such classics like "The Lion King," in snow? And where else could we see (badly) singing girls in short skirts dancing on an ice stage?

And oh, your steamy-dreamy food courts and funny-because-of-the-price souvenirs...all the fools who think that Snow Festival edition Coke doesn't scream winter best just be heading right back home:

Quick question for ya, Yuki...why is it that the Southeast Asians are always the BEST snow sculptors? What exactly do they practice with, anyhow?

Now I have to admit, your sister festival just down the street, the Susukino Ice Festival, doesn't mesh well so much under a plethora of snow like you do.

When the weather does clear up a bit, however, she sure is gorgeous (don't hate me, Yuki, but I think I might like her just a little more than you...I mean, she spruces up her temples a bit with suspensions of frozen marine life for our mouth-watering amusement):

And although it's not strictly limited to your winter festival time, how-oh-how-oh-how I will miss the steaming meat and mushroom manju buns (hot, steamed, bread dumplings) from this little stand...best manju in town:

It's true...downtown Sapporo just seems a little more "fresh" after a light snow fall and a welcoming festival romp:

Yes, Yuki Matsuri, you and I have had a good run of it over the past years, and as I retreat back into the warmth of my home-cave, I realize that my camera and I will always have a touristic heart for you. All the best with this global-climate-change-thing, Crystal

No Reservations, Hokkaido

2011-02-08T00:15:00.000-08:00

Our favorite culinary author, chef, and tv personality has been in Hokkaido for the past week filming for his show, No Reservations.

Although a few of our friends had some successful Anthony Bourdain-sightings, my efforts at celebrity-stalking ultimately failed. However, I can't wait to see the episode dedicated to our fair island soon on the Travel Channel!

Dirty Thirty!

2011-02-06T17:33:00.001-08:00

Today I enter a new decade...the thirties!!! This weekend, I celebrated my 30th in style with a rockin' EighTEASE (80s) theme party on the 5th, and then a lovely fondue and wood-oven pizza dinner with Jacob on my actual b-day. Oh, and of course we had to take some birthday purikura:

I had an absolute amazing time in my 20s...every year was filled with new adventures galore! I'm feeling pretty darn good about my 30s as well so far, and have expectations that they will be just as excitng! Thank you everyone who sent cards, gifts, and well-wishes, and hellloooooooooooooo thirty!

All-School Ski Trip (Or, Working Hard)!

2011-02-04T03:50:00.000-08:00

One of the best days of work of the year is when the whole school leaves to go skiing! Yup, the whole school. 16 buses worth, to be exact!

Our destination this year, just like my first year here (last year was canceled due to the crazy swine flu paranoia), was Kiroro Resort about 2 hours outside of Sapporo:

The snow was, shall we say, powdery and plentiful:

I was particularly impressed with the selection of snowboard stickers at the Kiroro shop this year. I'll let the ridiculousness speak for themselves:

It wasn't the best day for skiing as the day was primarily a blizzard, but it was excellent weather for heading to the resort onsen (natural hot springs) and sitting in the outside bath with the cold snow falling on my hot face...ahhhh, what a day at work!

The students still seemed to have plenty of fun, though (How could you not? Your whole school is on a SKI TRIP!!)

So that, folks, was my hardest day at work to date...please try not to feel too sorry for me, okay!

Bittersweet

2011-02-03T05:08:00.000-08:00

Looks like it's officially back to the States for us come this August...