Category: Japan
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Otaru Diaires: Otaru Pride and Barbeque
Following up on last week’s post, on June 29th, I spent the day out at Otaru! First, my third Otaru pride around noon, and a barbeque with my friends at Ranshima beach afterwards. From my friend’s house, I headed to Yoichi station and took the 10:20 train to Otaru. It was a little early, but…
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Yoichi Diaires: Strawberry Picking and Sleepover!
On June 28th I went with my friends strawberry picking! After our fail last year, my friends and I were determined to go this year. I figured out the fruit farm we wanted to go to only does strawberry reservations online, so I hopped on the site at 9am sharp. I barely managed to get…
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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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Sapporo Diaries: Sakura Foods and Haircut
On March 8th, I went out to Sapporo to get a haircut! I was originally debating whether or not to go out during mid-March, but was leaning towards not because of a bunch of plans lining up at the end, and no real plans in Sapporo besides eating. I’ve been meaning to get a haircut,…
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Sapporo Diaires: Kamen Rider Show and Mt. Okura
February 23rd was the Emperor’s birthday this year, and because it’s a Sunday, we get the Monday off as a replacement holiday. I spent the long weekend in Sapporo, doing some shopping and eating as usual, but the main event for me was seeing my first Kamen Rider show on Sunday! While I was at…
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Sapporo Diaires: 2025 Snow Festival
This year, the Sapporo Snow Festival was from February 4th to February 11th. It only included one weekend this year, and my parents came from America to come see it and spend some time together! From there, we took a short trip to Hiroshima! Here’s the Sapporo part of the trip. February 7th: After getting…