Osaka 
May 05, 2012 11 Comments We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our time in Japan. It’s now Emily’s favorite country. Jen wants to live here, at least during the warm months. And we all love the food, the nature, the feeling of safety, and the interesting cultural aspects that make Japan unique. Despite the high cost, it’s pretty safe to say we’ll be returning here at some point, provided Fukushima doesn’t make the...
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Japan / Kyoto / Travel Apr 22, 2012 7 Comments About an hour northeast of Osaka Japan lies Kyoto, a former capital of the country, and still a cultural treasure housing more temples, shrines, and gardens than any visitor could hope to see (almost 2,000 by some estimates). As we would only be there for two days (three nights) this trip, we decided to hit some of the highlights, including some favorites that Jen and...
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Japan / Osaka Apr 12, 2012 18 Comments We waited until the last minute to book our hotel in Japan during the cherry blossom season, which isn’t a good idea if you want to have your pick of hotels near the action. Fortunately, we didn’t want to be in the city anyway. We wanted to see what living in the Japanese countryside was like. And we found the perfect place. We’ve been staying...
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Japan / Travel Nov 18, 2011 3 Comments I love Asia! From the moment we stepped into the ticket area for China Airlines in the Honolulu airport, I felt like we were in another country. Surrounded by short people with black hair, treated with the most respectful politeness by the staff, being apologized to repeatedly for having to wait 90 seconds to be led to a ticket counter, I felt very well taken...
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Japan / Kyoto Jul 19, 2009 5 Comments Tadaima! I’m home from Japan, and had a great time. Here is a summary of the entire trip, with pictures. On Friday, I left for Japan with my dad, one other chaperon, and six students from ages 14-18. It was a lot of fun being back in Japan, smelling the familiar smells, and hearing the familiar sounds. In fact, it’s so familiar to me now,...
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Japan / Kyoto / Tokyo Jul 14, 2009 4 Comments We’ve had a great time in Japan so far. I don’t have much time for details right now, but here are some photos for you to enjoy from Tokyo and Kyoto. So far, I think the highlight for me has been the zen rock garden at Ryouanji. But I’ve also loved eating the food again, speaking and hearing Japanese, seeing their beautiful gardens, and spending...
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Japan Jul 09, 2009 3 Comments Tomorrow I leave for the beautiful land of Japan! I’m so excited! This should be a great trip. It’s the first time I’ve gone to Japan (or anywhere, really) as a chaperon. But they seem like great kids (about seven kids of Jr. High and High School ages), and I’ll also be there with my dad, so what’s not to enjoy? I have to say...
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Japan Jun 07, 2009 3 Comments In about a month, I’m going to taking a small group of Jr. High School students to Japan for a week as a chaperon, along with my dad! I’m really excited to be able to go back to such a fun and beautiful place. This will actually be my third time to Japan, and I can’t wait. One of the nicest parts about this trip,...
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