Sapporo/Asahikawa/Otaru Diaries: Sapporo Pride and Food Festivals
September 14th to the 16th this year was a three day weekend, as the 16th was a public holiday, Respect for the Elderly Day. Originally I had plans to just chill in Sapporo, hang out, and check out the annual Pride and Autumn Festival every September, but I heard that a friend from Fukuoka was…
Otaru Diaries: Otaru Anime Party
On September 7th, I went to Otaru to go attend the annual Otaru Anime Party! I’ve heard about it the past couple of years, but I either had other plans, didn’t seem super up my alley, or no one else I knew was going. This year I decided to finally go see it, and some…
Sapporo Diaries: Summer Seasonals and China Festival
On August 31st, I went out for a casual day-trip to Sapporo to catch some of the last remaining summer seasonal treats, and run some shopping errands. September’s just about to start, which means all the fall festivities are coming soon, along with two long weekends, and new fall foods. First thing after getting off…
Sapporo Diaries: Gelato, Nakajima Boat Ride, and Saying Farewell
On August 17th, I went out to hang in Sapporo with a couple friends. One of them is leaving Hokkaido for good, and so I was very grateful she arranged the hangout so we could see each other for the last time in a while. Originally, I was not planning on being in Sapporo so…
Taipei Diaries: Jiufen, Raohe Night Market, and Yongkang Street
Here’s the last part of my August Taiwan adventures! August 13th: It was time to bring my friend to Jiufen, because as a first-time Japanese tourist to Taiwan, you must go to live out your Spirited Away dreams. She also wanted to go to Shifen to set off the lanterns, so I planned to stop…
Taipei Diaries: Exploring Tainan, Taichung, and Taipei 101
Continuing on with Part 2 of my August 2024 Taiwan adventures! We head to Tainan to meet up with my cousin, explore Taichung, and then chill at Taipei 101 for a magical Din Tai Fung experience. August 10th: Because we wanted to maximize our time in Tainan, we had reserved our shinkansen/high speed rail train…
Taipei Diaries: Arrival and Many Good Eats
I went back to Taiwan for the second time this year, but the occasion was because my friend wanted to go make her first international trip to Taiwan, and since she’s a teacher, the best break time for her to go is summer vacation. Specifically, summer vacation here lasts about a month, from the end…
Sapporo Diaries: Showing my New Neighbor Around
On August 3, I took my new neighbor out to Sapporo to show him around. It’s his first time in Hokkaido, and he hadn’t been to Sapporo before, so I thought I’d take him around and show him the basics around Sapporo station. We arrived around 11, which made for good timing to get lunch.…
Sapporo Diaries: Summer Shopping
On July 27th, I went out to Sapporo to do some casual shopping, see what’s up locally, and to go get some good eats. I left on my normal bus, and arrived around 10:20. Instead of waiting for 11 to roll around for an early lunch, I headed to JS Pancake Cafe for a pancake…
Furano/Biei Diaries: Lavender Fields and Blue Pond
This year, Marine Day landed on July 15th, which meant a three day weekend in July! I was determined to go see the lavender fields in Furano this year, and their peak bloom season is end of June to July. Since I live so far away, the three day weekend was the perfect opportunity to…
Annie's Excursions
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