It’s no secret that I love Japanese vending machines–or that they stock an unusually wide variety of foods, beverages, and other items.
Read moreFood Friday: Vending Machines (with Beer)
Author: Susan Spann
Merry Christmas Tree
Christmas is a popular holiday in Japan, even though less than 1% of the population identifies as Christian. People here love holidays, lights, giving (and receiving) gifts, and special food, so Christmas is pretty much a lock on every level. Lots of the major buildings have Christmas trees (many of which are enormous, natural trees rather than artificial ones), but “at-home” trees–to the extent they exist–are usually very small (think table-top size) and artificial. While down in Meguro having my hair cut and having lunch with my friend Kaitlyn last month, I saw some living Christmas trees for sale at
Read moreKumano Kodo 2023: Kyoto Pre-Hike Adventure
Last week, my friend and I headed south from Tokyo to spend a day in Kyoto before embarking on our week-long hike of the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi…
Read moreCHAPTER 34: Return to Mount Kōya
The Nyonin-michi–literally, “women’s trail”–circumambulates the rim of Kōyasan’s mountaintop plateau. Before the Meiji Era, this was as close to the sacred holy sites as women were allowed to come.
Read moreViews of Japan: Ashinoko on a Cloudy Day
Ashinoko (Lake Ashi) in Hakone, is one of my favorite places in Japan. The area is a major tourist attraction (with good reason), but it’s also an excellent place to walk, and hike, and climb–and shoot photos.
Read moreCHAPTER 33: I Love Rishiri
September 23-24, 2018 This photo supplement tracks the events in CLIMB: Leaving Safe and Finding Strength on 100 Summits in Japan. The captions offer “extra features” that didn’t make it into the book. On the morning of September 23, 2018, in the wake of a violent storm, I boarded a ferry from Wakkanai (Japan’s northernmost major port) to Rishiri Island, a three-hour trip that I hoped would end better for me than it had for the crew of Gilligan’s Island. The sun came up over the water as the ship steamed north; I watched the sunlight break through the lingering clouds and
Read moreFoodie Friday: teamLab Spicy Ramen
I was excited to learn that the teamLab Planets exhibition also has a restaurant, which serves ramen inside a separate art installation adjacent to the primary exhibition.
Read moreCHAPTER 32: From Snow to Snow
After fabulous climbs on Mt. Shari and Mt. Rausu, I was sad that my time with my guide (and now, friend) Ido had to end–but I was looking forward to my solo climb of Mt. Asahi.
Read moreCHAPTER 31: Rausu Rainbow
(September 18-19, 2018) This photo supplement tracks the events in CLIMB: Leaving Safe and Finding Strength on 100 Summits in Japan. The captions offer “extra features” that didn’t make it into the book. After leaving Mount Shari, my friend and guide Ido Gabay and I drove to Utoro, on the coast of Hokkaido’s Shiretoko Peninsula, to see the salmon run and climb the next hyakumeizan on our list: 1,660-meter Mt. Rausu. We spent the rest day before the climb watching the salmon run in Utoro, and hiking at Shiretoko Goko (Shiretoko Five Lakes). It was sunny that morning, but a storm had
Read moreFoodie Friday: Inuyama Castle Parfait
After visiting Inuyama Castle, I stopped at 1st Terrace, a little cafe directly across the street from the castle entrance, where the featured menu item was something called an “Inuyama Castle Strawberry Parfait”…
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