Snowy Yamagata

Lately I’ve been touting the blessings of spring, but deep down, my heart belongs to winter. A few weeks ago Dan and I took a weekend trip to Hijiori Onsen, a tiny town in the mountains in northwest Japan. We took the Shinkansen to the last stop, then a bus for an hour, and we found [...]

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Edo Wonderland

I feel a little bit like this today: I’m not sure if it’s an allergy to the Japanese cedar tree or just a nasty cold, but my dizzy little rear end has been glued to the couch for the past 24 hours. I even missed Japanese class today, which means that though I missed just [...]

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Snow Lando

Last weekend I took a break from studying and stitching to find snow. I found it and then I crunched it under my boots. I rolled around in it. The feeling of snow inside my gloves is like an instant time-machine: back to the yard of my youth, to snow forts and sofas and dishes [...]

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Kyoto is for Eaters, Again

As Dan reported, our recent trip to Kyoto was livelier than expected. While wriggling fish haunt his dreams, all I can think about is this: Parfait perfection. Maybe we need to look at that again… This was lunch. I’m not ashamed. I also wasn’t alone — this is what my father-in-law ordered: We’re like two [...]

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Kyoto is for Eaters

Kyoto is so beautiful it almost makes me mad. But since we’re being totally honest with each other, I’ll admit I was the most excited by this sight: Black sesame and honey ice cream. With a gingersnap spoon. I shoved it into everyone’s face, insisting they must try the Most Delicious Ice Cream Combo, until [...]

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A Weekend in Pictures

Hello! I’m back, at least physically if not-quite mentally. We spent the weekend with friends in Aichi prefecture, and it was fantastic.  Here’s a look at our weekend and some of the reasons I love summer in Japan. We started the weekend with a proper lunch, prepared in Nagoya’s hitsumabushi 櫃まぶし style. The evening found [...]

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Soba School

While in Nagano Prefecture a few weeks ago, we learned how to make soba noodles from scratch. I’m not going to provide commentary, so you’ll have the same semi-clueless, watch-and-mimic experience as me: Got it? Now time to eat!  They cooked up our noodles while we headed downstairs to the restaurant. A satisfying feast.

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Food Porn, Nagoya Edition

This past spring Dan and I spent a weekend in Aichi Prefecture with a friend to visit her family. It was one of the best weekends I’ve had in Japan. We visited Inuyama Castle during its springtime festival and watched the candle-covered wood carts creak through town, visited temples and an outdoor onsen, took in [...]

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I Know

I know there must be a connection that can be made between the fragile situation in Japan and these precarious, lantern-covered wooden floats that lumber through the streets, pushed and pulled by a community, urged on by the chants and music from those too small to help. But what do I know? We ooh, and [...]

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Don’t hate me because it’s beautiful.

Dan and I just returned from a 2 week vacation in Indonesia.  I know that no one actually wants to hear about a happy couple honeymooning at the beach, so I’ll spare you the details. Though, I can’t help but share a few lessons learned – 1. Outdoor bathrooms seem like a good idea, until [...]

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