Rural Prefectures

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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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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Aoki Sake Brewery Tour
青木酒造酒蔵見学

Recently had the opportunity to attend an exclusive brewery tour at Aoki Sake Brewery (http://aokishuzou.co.jp/), a small Brewery in Ibaraki Prefecture about an hour away from Tokyo. Ms. Chisa Aoki, the 9th generation family member continuing the brewery business gave us the tour of the premises and brewery process. (FYI, the Japan Sake and Sochu Makers Association has a great step-by-step explanation of the basic sake brewing process.) It was fascinating to see the actual process from start with milling and steaming the rice to finish with bottling!

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