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Summer Festivals in Japan
Summer is here! With the start of summer season, comes the start of endless events here in Japan, and marking the start summer festival season! Wherever you go in Japan during the period of June to August (maybe September!), there’s bound to be some sort of festival happening in the local town. Now the what’s…
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Sapporo Diaires: Immigration Bureau Fails, Eating and Shopping Around
On June 9th, I went out to Sapporo! It was a Monday that I didn’t have work, so my grand plan was to go to the Sapporo Immigration Bureau to take care of some stuff, since they only open on weekdays (and well, I usually I have work). The rest of the day was eating…
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How to Survive Summer in Japan
As summer slowly creeps upon us, with it starting as soon as May down south, and end of June here up in Hokkaido, here’s a guide to survive Japanese summer! Of course, how you experience summer will greatly differ depending on where you are from, but in general, Japanese summer can be quite brutal, especially…
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Sapporo Diaries: Handmade Marche and Hanging with Friends
On May 24th, I went out to Sapporo to hang out with my friends visiting Hokkaido! It was their last full day, and coincidentally, I found another handmade festival event for this weekend. Separate from the Mono Village that happens twice a year, the Handmade Marche seems to be a national event held around the…
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Sapporo/Otaru Diaries: Lilac Festival 2025 and Showing Friends Around
My college friend is visiting Hokkaido for a week with a couple friends! I met up with him in Sapporo to give him a basic tour, and the day after was an Otaru day! It also happens there’s a ton of festivals happening in Sapporo this week, so it was a good time to come!…
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Fukuoka Diaires: Kirby Cafe, Dontaku Festival, Itoshima
For Golden Week this year, I went to Fukuoka! This will be the furthest east I’ll ever travel in Japan, and is probably also one of the longest flights in the country (excluding Hokkaido to Okinawa). I was excited to do some local sightseeing, eat some tonkotsu ramen, and it just happens that the local…
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Sapporo Food: Miso Ramen
Hokkaido is huge, and with it, comes regional styles of ramen like the rest of Japan. Asahikawa is known for shoyu ramen, Hakodate for shio ramen, and finally, Sapporo is the miso ramen capital of our big island. Around here, it’s the go-to ramen style. What is Miso Ramen? The traditional miso ramen uses a…
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Sapporo Diaries: Tea Convention and Sentai Show
On April 19th and 20th, my boyfriend and I stayed the night in Sapporo! Mostly because I had a live show on Sunday, so I needed to stay the night. There also happened to be a Lupicia Tea event over the weekend, so I reserved to go on Saturday. April 19th: Time to head to…
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Sapporo Diaries: Happy Belated Birthday Dad!
On April 11th, my dad came to Hokkaido to visit me! He had work in Japan the days prior, and since it was his birthday, it was a good opportunity to spend some time together! I stayed the Friday night, so thanks to my dad for reserving a hotel for me! April 11th: I left…
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Hong Kong Diaries: Victoria Harbor, Peak, and Ocean Park
Here’s Part 2 of my 2025 Spring vacation! April 2nd: Continuing from the last post, the flight itself was pretty smooth, and we landed a little early! Hong Kong airport is huge, as you need to take a tram from one terminal to another. The actual immigration process is easy, with no prior documents needed,…
Annie's Excursions
A Travel and Lifestyle Blog