December 2021 – Susan Spann, Adventure, Mystery, and Mountains

A Visit to Yokohama’s Red Brick Warehouse Christmas Market

Susan Spann Blog December 22, 2021December 22, 2021Bavarian Markets in Japan, Christmas in Japan, Christmas Markets, Japan Christmas Markets, Red Brick Warehouse Christmas, Yokohama, Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse

Bavarian Christmas markets are a hallmark of the Christmas season in Tokyo. Less than 1% of the Japanese population identifies as Christian, but a huge percentage of Japanese people celebrate “Christmas” as a secular holiday, and even those who don’t seem to enjoy the lights, tastes, and general joy of the holiday season. Given the Japanese love for seasonal decorations, special food, and gifts, the popularity of Christmas really comes as no surprise. And the Japanese take on Christmas markets is so much fun that I look forward to seeing them every year. The Christmas Market at Yokohama’s Akarenga (Red

Hiking Mt. Muine (Sapporo, Hokkaido)[#140]

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Blog, Hikes December 15, 2021December 10, 2021hiking, Hokkaido, Hokkaido Hikes, Hokkaido Nature Tours, Japan, mountain hut, Mt. Muine, Muineyama

Last September, I headed up to southern Hokkaido for a week of traveling and mountain climbing with my friend Ido. He knows Hokkaido far better than I do, so when he was extra excited about our climb of Mt. Muine, near Sapporo, I knew to expect something special . . . and as you’ll see, Muine delivered.

A Holiday Tea With Snow White at the Hotel Intercontinental Tokyo Bay

Susan Spann Blog December 8, 2021December 8, 2021Christmas, Christmas 2021, Christmas Tea, holidays, Hotel Intercontinental Tokyo Bay, Japan, Snow White, themed tea

n late November, when I learned the theme of the 2021 Christmas Tea at the Hotel Intercontinental Tokyo Bay was “Snow White, Awakening With Strawberries” (which is doubly clever, since strawberries are just coming into season–i.e., “awakening”–in Japan), I immediately bought tickets for the very first sitting on the very first day.

A Hidden Bamboo Grove on Mt. Inari

Susan Spann Blog December 6, 2021December 6, 2021bamboo, bamboo groves, Fushimi Inari Shrine, Japan, Japan travel, sightseeing

oto’s Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is among the most famous–and, as a result, most crowded–options, and while it’s definitely impressive (even more so, if you happen to visit at a time when there aren’t many other visitors), I prefer the less-known, but equally beautiful, natural bamboo forest on Mt. Inari (Fushimi Inari Shrine).

Apple Cake and Autumn Leaves

Susan Spann Blog December 3, 2021December 3, 2021apple cake, autumn leaves, Japan, koyo, Kyoto, Kyoto sweets, philosopher's path, pomme, urban hikes

Kyoto is famous for autumn foliage, but I’d only been there once in autumn (on another research trip, in 2016)–and the timing was wrong to see the colors at their peak. I thought I was too late this time, too, but as luck would have it, I was wrong.

Wednesday Window: December 1, 2021

Susan Spann Blog December 1, 2021November 30, 2021autumn leaves, Eikan-do, foliage, Japan, Kyoto, photography, temples

Autumn foliage at Eikan-do (永観堂)–formerly known as Zenrinji-ji, a Pure Land Buddhist temple in Kyoto. The temple was founded in 853, and remains both an active site of Buddhist worship and practice and one of Japan’s most famous sites for viewing autumn leaves.

Month: December 2021