Japan Travel

East Hokkaido Part 2: Lake Mashu
道東2: 摩周湖

The recent earthquake was such a disaster in Hokkaido… But amidst the avalanches, broken roads collapsed houses, the Japanese spirit of resilience to such hardships is amazing and truly shines through. This past summer, I had the chance to visit Hokkaido for the first time. Although visiting Sapporo is arguably the most popular for first-time visitors to Hokkaido, I wanted to explore the much less traveled Eastern Hokkaido, famous locally for its three volcanic lakes, Lake Akan, Lake Mashu, Lake Kussharo, and Mt. Io. In this post, I hope you will enjoy visiting Lake Mashu with me!

北海道の最近の地震は本当に残念なことですね…しかし、土砂崩れ、家屋や道路の崩壊があった中、苦難から直ぐに立ち直ろうとする日本の精神は素晴らしいと思います。私は、今夏 初めて北海道を訪れました。札幌は人気がありますが、私が訪れたのは道東の3つの火山湖(阿寒湖、摩周湖、屈斜路湖)と硫黄山です。 今回は摩周湖について、ご紹介したいと思います~

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East Hokkaido Part 1: Lake Akan
道東1:阿寒湖

The recent earthquake was such a disaster in Hokkaido… But amidst the avalanches, broken roads collapsed houses, the Japanese spirit of resilience to such hardships is amazing and truly shines through. This past summer, I had the chance to visit Hokkaido for the first time.

北海道の最近の地震は本当に残念なことですね…しかし、土砂崩れ、家屋や道路の崩壊があった中、苦難から直ぐに立ち直ろうとする日本の精神は素晴らしいと思います。私は、今夏 初めて北海道を訪れました。

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Enoshima
江の島

As Japan’s heatwave brings record-breaking temperatures, a beach or island getaway is at the top of everyone’s wish-list! Did you know that Enoshima, a small island just slightly west of Kamakura, boasts some of the closest beaches to Tokyo? From Shinjuku Station, it is only about 1 hour away! 

My colleague Iwami-san had been recommending this island to me for some time, so finally made it there for a day trip with my brother. Read on for photos and tips on what to do in Enoshima!



毎日暑い日が続いておりますが、お変わりなくお過ごしでいらっしゃいますか?

石見さん(上司)からお勧めいただいたので、先日、弟と一緒に江の島に日帰り旅行をしました!皆へご紹介させていただきます~

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Uenohara
上野原

Have any of you heard of Uenohara (上野原市 Uenohara-shi)? It is a rural city located in eastern Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan with an estimated population of fewer than 30,000 people. Read more about my experience trout fishing, gold panning, and woodworking in Uenohara!

皆様、上野原市について、聞いたことがありますか?上野原市、山梨県の中部最東端に位置する市です。

地方自治体は、観光客誘致に関する情報を収集するために、外国人のモニタツアーを開催し、自治体から招待されたので、このモニター・ツアーに、最近参加しました。今回は私の経験について、話したいと思います。

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Clam Digging
潮干狩り

May and June are the most popular months of the year to go clam digging (潮干狩り, shiohigari ) in Japan. You may think that clam digging itself is not so special, but “clam digging” is seriously an important keyword in Japanese society and history! I was very surprised by the extent to which the Japanese people love clam digging as a family activity! It also appears to get significant news coverage every year.

日本では、5月と6月が潮干狩りの季節ですね。日本人が家族と一緒に潮干狩りに行くはとても人気のある娯楽ですね。

初めて聞いた時、貝を掘ることはそれほど特別な活動ではないと思うかもしれませんが、日本の社会や歴史の中で「潮干狩り」は重要なキーワードらしいですね!また、今まで、毎年ニューズになっているそうです。私は、日本人が「潮干狩り」を楽しむことに驚きした!

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Sumo Practice at Musashigawa-beya
武蔵川部屋の朝稽古

To the Japanese, sumo is not merely a popular wrestling sport, it has long been performed ritually at festivals since ancient times. Many ancient traditions have been preserved in sumo, and even today the sport includes many ritual elements, such as the use of salt purification, from Shinto. Life as a wrestler is highly regimented, with rules regulated by the Japan Sumo Association, and tickets to sumo tournaments are pricey and often sold out. This is one of the reasons why, besides watching sumo matches on TV, we usually have few occasions to enter the world of sumo.

日本人にとって、相撲はとても大事なスポーツですね。皆様、自分自身で、直接お相撲さんに会ったことがありますか?先日、私は武蔵川部屋に行く機会がありました!朝稽古を見学に行きました。素晴らしい経験でした!

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