After a lackluster jog round Lake of the Isles, if was time to recharge with a bun and coffee at Isles Bun & Coffee.
Category: Living
Let’s Play “Which Button Do I Press?”
Question 1: Which button do I press to dispense hot water? A Japanese hotel room is an oasis from the complexity of navigating Japan. I can kick back, have a nice cup of tea, and calmly plan my next adventures. Or can I? Most Japanese hotel rooms have buttons you need to press to complete…… Continue reading Let’s Play “Which Button Do I Press?”
Hokkaido Melon Kit-Kat Anyone?
Back home in Minneapolis, it’s time to broaden our cuisine. How about a Hokkaido melon with mascarpone cheese Kit Kat?
NRT to MSP View
My view for the next 12 hours, NRT (Tokyo) to MSP.
Sapporo Beer Museum
At the Sapporo Beer Museum. I’m grateful to be able to hold my beer in more ways than one, two months after surgery.
Mt. Asahidake: Shapes in the Mist
The cable car goes part-way up Mt. Asahidake in central Hokkaido. I took it to reduce my round-trip hike to the summit to 3½ hours. When I started out from the cable-car station, I could not see the summit, but I expected the sky to clear as the day warmed up. Sulfurous steam vents did…… Continue reading Mt. Asahidake: Shapes in the Mist
A Place Where Two Seas Collide
Getting to Rishiri Island via Wakkanai (northern Hokkaido) from Minneapolis is straightforward, with a few perturbations. A place where the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk collide is bound to have perturbations. An agent at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport warned me the flight to Wakkanai might have to turn back. I was sure…… Continue reading A Place Where Two Seas Collide
Riding the Keikyu Line
Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, riding a mobile gymnasium. At least that’s how my young nephews would see it.
En Route to Tokyo HND
My view for the next 12 hours, en route to Tokyo Haneda.
Beyond the Narrow Road to the Deep North
I’m drawn to places at the end of train lines. Today, my backpack and I head to Wakkanai in the north of Hokkaido. It’s as far north as you can go without entering Russia. Until about 150 years ago, Hokkaido was almost completely wilderness. The indigenous Ainu were able to live somewhat traditional lives while under…… Continue reading Beyond the Narrow Road to the Deep North