March 3rd was Girl’s Day in Japan. On this day families with young daughters celebrate this event at home to ensure their daughter's future happiness by putting up intricate doll displays. Utazu has a Hina Matsuri (Doll’s Festival) every year in celebration. Many houses and temples in the older part of town have their intricate displays open to the public. My co-worker took me there on March 2nd. We wondered the streets admiring various displays. There were a few vendors in the streets selling various things to eat and drink. We stopped for some free macha (green tea) at a temple [View Full Entry]

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I was in Kagawa for two weeks before I was able to do any sightseeing. First thing I did was head for the castle I had seen in the background everyday for the past two weeks. I caught the tale end of a Sunday vegetable market near the castle. Vendors lined the street seeing flowers, plants and veggies from their farms. They were set up in front of a small park that has a few beautiful bronze statues. On the other side of the park was the castle. It is small compared to most castles I’ve seen in Japan, but it [View Full Entry]

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I got my first real impression of Shikoku the morning after I arrived. I opened the curtains in my hotel room and looked out at my new home city of Marugame. My first impression of the view was a good one. I could see the Inland Sea of Japan and the Seto Ohashi Bridge from the window. Besides that I noticed that Marugame was not a big city. On my first day I was shown around the area by the teacher I was replacing. That evening we went to her goodbye/my welcome party. The party was in a nice restaurant and [View Full Entry]

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After a tiring journey, with heavy luggage (and an instance where I boarded the wrong plane), I made it to Vancouver. The impression I got of here from the prop plane was a good one. Smooth ocean and snow covered mountains. The bus ride through the city to the hotel was fun. I think I got to see most of downtown Vancouver while sitting in a warm bus. The hostel I stayed in was really nice and clean. I had one roommate who was French and didn’t speak a lick of English. It is fun communicating……it was like playing charades. ^_^ [View Full Entry]

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I spent part of my trip in going through Idaho and although it is pretty when snow covered I just want to know who planned the roads there. It is frustrating to get off a highway and not be able to get back on. I first saw Salt Lake City, Utah at night. Going down the highway you could see the Mormon Temples bathed in tons of light. Most likely they can be seen from space. Besides that Salt Lake is like any other urban sprawl city. Kind of reminded me of San Antonio, but with mountains. Lots of concrete and [View Full Entry]

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Life has been busy: holidays, work, packing...and a vacation? Yes, I took a vacation right before moving. Makes perfect sense. I've been to Montana before, but in the summer. It was hard to recognize the landscape after winter changed it so much. I was based in Bozeman visiting a friend of mine who moved back up there for college. While I was up there I hung around the town, tried out skiing for the first time and went south to Chico Hot Springs. Bozeman is an adorable town. Small and surprisingly trendy. Great food, especially in the cafes downtown. I also [View Full Entry]

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I'm getting things together and I'm scoping out where I'm moving to and I find (ta-da) this travel blog site. It'll be a good place to let all my friends and family see where I'm at and what I am up to. ^_^ So this is for all those who I'm about to leave behind. Currently I'm trying to pack up/ sell most of my stuff and enjoy the holiday season at home. I'm not leaving until February, but I have a bunch to do and I plan on going to the Northwest for a couple weeks first. I'm also trying [View Full Entry]

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