Dec 18 - 20
After spending a week with Chika and Shinsuke, then a few days with Chika’s family, I packed my bags and headed to the train station for Nikko. I didn’t make any hostel reservations, so I’d just have to show up and hope there was room for me. Chika was so worried [...]

Posted on January 24th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: Japan | 3 Comments »

Dec 15 - 16
At the end of my stay with Chika, she told me she wanted to take me to visit her family. They live in a small town called Hokuto in the Yamanashi Prefecture. The town wasn’t listed in my guidebook and Chika said that probably no [...]

Posted on January 18th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: Japan | 3 Comments »

Periodic visits between Dec 8 - 21
I’m not usually a huge fan of big cities, but Tokyo kinda sucked me in. It’s quirky, colorful, and perfect for someone who just wants to walk around endlessly and and stare at everything. Shopping districts and neon lights occupy much of Tokyo, but there are some nice parks [...]

Posted on January 17th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: Japan | 1 Comment »

Dec 7 – 15
My friends Chika and Shinsuke (who I met first in Austin) live in Kawasaki and so I made plans to meet up with them. They met me at the train station and showed me the way to their lovely house. They were the sweetest hosts I could ever have asked for and [...]

Posted on January 15th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: Japan | 3 Comments »

Dec 5 – 7
Hiroshima is a place everyone should visit when they are in Japan.

Based on the recommendation of a guy I met at a hostel in Osaka, I stayed at the World Friendship Center. The room was a little more expensive than I was used to paying, but it was a really good choice.

The [...]

Posted on January 5th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: Japan | 2 Comments »