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Cycling the Shimanami Kaido
Since moving to Japan in 2019, Cycling the Shimanami Kaido has been high on my to-do list. Prior to moving here, I’ve never heard of the Shimanami Kaido cycle route, but as I started going to bike shops and talking to other cyclist, I started to hear more and more about Cycling the Shimanami Kaido. The Shimanami Kaido is both an expressway for vehicles and route for cyclists that connects the cities of Onomichi on the main island of Honshu and Imabari on the island of Shikoku. The route crosses six smaller islands (Oshima, Hakatajima, Omishima, Ikuchijima, Innoshima, and Mukaishima) within the Seto Inland Sea. The cycle path is completely separate…
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10 Things I Love About Japan
We’ve lived in Japan going on three years now and there are characteristics here that are simply unique to Japan. Obviously, there are more then 10 things I love about Japan but the list would be incredibly long. I came up with this top ten list based on day to day aspects that truly make living in Japan fun and exciting! Cleanliness Japan is incredibly clean. You rarely see trash on the side of the streets. On mainland, I think I’ve seen graffiti only a handful of times. You can go to a city like Hiroshima or Fukuoka, well over a population of 1 million and the cities are almost…
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Three Days in Hong Kong
As I write this, Hong Kong is going through political changes, tourism and even visiting the country could possibly be affected by the time this even gets posted. China has created an extradition bill that basically allows them to extradite criminals from Hong Kong to mainland China. Because of these laws there have been protests some violent throughout Hong Kong for several months and these protests will most likely not die down anytime soon. These laws are impacting the city economically and financially as businesses are taking a big hit. The protests and unrest in Hong Kong is affecting the tourism industry as well, not to mention this year, 2020…
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A List of my top 15 Favorite UNESCO Sites
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization = UNESCO Most of us have heard of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, I hope! But do we truly understand the meaning and significance of these sites? According to the UNESCO website, their mission is to build peaceful relationships internationally through education, science, and culture. Heritage Sites are areas around the world that are legally protected by UNESCO. World Heritage Sites (WHS) are set up by UNESCO for their historical, cultural, natural, educational, and scientific significance. WHS are not just structures created by man but can also be natural wonders of the world. As of now, there are 1154 World Heritage Sites across 167…
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Japanese Snow Monkeys and How to Visit
We’ve all seen it, whether you are flipping through pages of a National Geographic magazine or watching a documentary on Animal Planet – the monkeys somewhere in Asia that like to hang out in hot springs during the cold winter months. I’ve known about these monkey’s since I was a child. Honestly, I thought they were high in the mountains somewhere near China or some other country, I had no clue these were Japanese Macaques (Japanese Snow Monkeys) that lived in, you guessed it…Japan! When I moved to Japan in 2019, I made it a goal to visit Jigokudani Yaen-Koen, otherwise known as Snow Monkey Park. **This post contains affiliate…
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3 Days in Taipei – Attractions, Food, Day Trips, and Nature Escapes
This is post 1 of 9 in the series “Traveling Taiwan” Traveling Taiwan is a series post on my adventures around Taiwan. As of now it consists of travel in and around Taipei to include day trips from Taipei. 3 Days in Taipei – Attractions, Food, Day Trips, and Nature Escapes The Purrfect Day Trip To Houtong Cat Village from Taipei Visiting Yehliu Geopark from Taipei by Bus Our Guide to Night Markets in Taipei Day Trip to Jiufen, Taiwan 15 Things to do in Taipei: Must-Do Attractions and Experiences Taroko National Park Day Tour: Hiking, Culture, and Natural Beauty Things to do in Hualien: From Taroko Gorge to Night…
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Nagasaki Lantern Festival
Nagasaki, Japan. To Westerners, one image or thought instantly pops up when discussing the Japanese city of Nagasaki. August 9th, 1945, 3 days after the atomic bomb exploded over the city of Hiroshima, Nagasaki witnessed a similar fate. Fat Man – the name given to the atomic bomb that exploded over Nagasaki, killing around 80,000, ultimately leading to the surrender of Japan 6 days later. Prior to the war, Nagasaki was one of Japans most important and largest trading ports. Because of trade mainly by the Portuguese, Dutch, and Chinese, there are a lot of cultural influences within the city that make Nagasaki a truly unique city worth visiting not…
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Cycling Around Suo Oshima
Konichiwa or should I say, “Aloha!” Yashiro Island, better known as Suo Oshima, is an island located in eastern Yamaguchi Prefecture. Suo Oshima is a large island located in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. Suo Oshima is connected to mainland by a huge green bridge named Oshima Bridge. Somewhat mountainous with gorgeous beaches, Suo Oshima is also famous throughout Japan for their mandarin oranges or “Mikans,” in Japanese. Why Aloha Island? Aside from the natural beauty and mikans, Oshima is also called the Aloha Island and has a relatively long history with the U.S. state of Hawaii. Suo Oshima is the sister island of Kauai Island in Hawaii, and they…
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Okunoshima “Rabbit Island,” Japan
In the Seto Inland Sea, there is a small island named Okunoshima that has a dark past but the current residents are darn cute! I am talking about Rabbit Island, in Japan’s Hiroshima Prefecture! **This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of the links or banners throughout the page, whether it be TripAdvisor, Booking.com. Agoda.com, or any other affiliate, I might receive commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, you can visit my affiliate link page here. Thanks for the support! How did Okunoshima become known as Rabbit Island? So how did this island become known as rabbit island? The obvious answer is that…
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I Moved to Japan!
I Moved to japan! In 2019, I created a goal for myself to leave the Mid-West. Originally, I was hoping to move to either the East or West Coast, so I applied for positions along the coasts. Just for laughs, I applied for one position in Okinawa, Japan. Out of the places I applied for, I never heard anything back except for the job in Japan. The company got back to me letting me know that the positions in Okinawa were full but they had an opportunity in Iwakuni, Japan. I’ve never heard of Iwakuni, but anything in Japan sounds exciting so I accepted the position and have been here…
