Category: Hokkaido

Fictional Hokkaido

I was on a train, traveling through darkness. The elderly woman next to me asked if it would be OK if we chatted. She was on her way to her home on Shikoku having stayed with friends on Honshu. I was returning to my base after cycling on bridges and islands across Japan’s Inland Sea.… Continue reading Fictional Hokkaido

Tracing a Victorian Woman’s Hokkaido Journey

In the summer of 1878, Isabella Bird sailed from Aomori in the north of Honshu to Hakodate in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island of any size. She then sought undeveloped places beyond Hakodate. When she returned home to Edinburgh, Scotland, she published a book of her letters, Unbeaten Tracks in Japan. It’s still in print and available… Continue reading Tracing a Victorian Woman’s Hokkaido Journey

Japan’s First ESL (English as a Second Language) Teacher

September 2016: I’ll land in Wakkanai, Japan’s northernmost airport capable of handling commercial jets. If the plane were to fly 30 miles further, I’d be in the Russian Federation. I’ll then take a boat to Rishiri Island. July 1848: Ranald MacDonald, 24 years old, half native American, half Scottish, landed on Rishiri Island. He represented himself… Continue reading Japan’s First ESL (English as a Second Language) Teacher

Fast Recovery

I’m healing fast from surgery so booked (frequent flyer miles) flights to northern Hokkaido, departing in six weeks.