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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Sapporo III
December 25, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 0 °C
I watched Jingle Jangle with Janelle in Tokyo while treating myself to a buffet in Ikebukuro. Then I went back to Sapporo all on Christmas day. A drunk Libby invited me a few days ago, it was quite spontaneous but decided to go through with it. Coming back for the third time, the cold and snow is always eerily beautiful. I had quite walk from the main station to my hotel, stopping by a ramen shop to try out some kogashi ramen that wasn't that good to be honest and then I went off to bed.Read more
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Niseko
December 26, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ -3 °C
Woke up early next morning and had a long walk to Sapporo station, having to take refuge from the cold just to eat breakfast. It was quite gruesome but I eventually made it and after a 2-3 hour bus ride, I finally got to Niseko. Libby was waiting right at the bus stop and we went to a nearby café to chill while I wait for my gear. We had a quick lunch and then we were off to the slopes. It was my second time trying out snowboarding, the first being at Fujiten Snow Resort in Kawaguchiko. This time around, I had Libby to teach me, but at the same time, I also had a couple of months worth of breakdancing built into my body so learning the basic proved to be quite easy from the strapping on of boots, moving one-legged, going downhill with the heel and toe edge, though the toe-edge was very difficult for me. I also got the falling leaf technique down which I used a lot. All in all, it was quite fun and for my first day, I was glad I got the hang of it. Afterwards, we started to head back to Wow Lodge, the place where Libby was staying and where I was crashing for the next few weeks or so. The walk was hard as I didn't have any shoes for the snow, ice and snow were getting in my socks. The flurries were also quite intense, blocking the view, it was pretty much a blizzard which was fun on the slopes as the snow cushioned my fall but it was difficult heading back as the walk took a good 10-15 minutes. We finally got back and I got to relax at Libby's place. The place was really nice and cozy, with a lot of room for interaction like the cafeteria and the TV room. I was resting for a bit before getting invited to join everyone downstairs for some drinks and card games. I met a lot of people there including Dan, Joe, Sam, Kyle, Ami, Hina, and Momo, Ryoppi and of course, Libby's boyfriend Kieran later that night. We played some Uno and had a couple of shots and food, it made for a pretty good first day.Read more
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Niseko II
December 27, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ -4 °C
The second day was much more chill with the morning snow pouring outside, I was quite embarrassed to have snored the night away. Poor Libby and Kieran. We lazed around for a bit before Libby and I went to Aya to have lunch and then tried to do some more snowboarding. This time around went much better, had some rough falls but still I was getting the hang of it.Read more
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Kutchan
December 28, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ -3 °C
A lot of my time in Niseko was a blur really, but I remember we also went to Kutchan that day to meet with Libby's friend and we played some darts in his man-cave garage with another dude. We went to the supermarket as well to get some more food for the rest of the week as we were planning for a Mexican night. We also did some night riding, it was here where I really started to enjoy snowboarding though I also did a tomohawk and planted hard on the ground. Very memorable and painful.Read more
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Niseko III
December 29, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ -4 °C
I rode with Momo today, she picked me up in her car and drove us to another slope area. It was fun, and I was still trying to get used to my toe-edges with no luck as I kept on falling. The slopes were also pretty wild but it was still very fun. My ankles started to hurt though and we had to stop after a couple of runs. We ended up back in Wow Lodge where I just had a nice rest.Read more
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Goshiki Onsen
December 30, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ -8 °C
Kieran and I were relaxing in Momo's room. Afterwards, we had a nice day trip to Goshiki Onsen to remove all the fatigue from snowboarding. Sam, Ryoppi and Takuto as well as Ami, Hina and Momo. They made snow penises and titties by the outdoor baths which was pretty funny. I also showed them some breakdancing and taught them some easy moves like the baby freeze.Read more
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Niseko IV
December 31, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ -10 °C
New Year's Eve, one of the most memorable moments of the night was me eating a whole-ass Vienetta cake at night time. We had our pre-game and some fun at the lounge where we took our nice photos. Libby gave me some vintage-looking photographs taken from her special camera. After a couple of more drinks, we started our long but fun walk in to the blizzardy cold. We went to Tamashi, the only bar open in Niseko at that time. Everyone else had the same idea, we had our New Year countdown and a lot of dumb stuff, there were some fireworks outside and Joe and I shared a long conversation before heading back to Wow Lodge. On this night, the legend of Hina was born and was passed down to our circle of friends.Read more
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Niseko V
January 1, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ -11 °C
Hangover day and lazy day. The blizzard was at full force so it wasn't a good riding day. Kieran, Libby and I lazed about inside and watched a Netflix mockumentary called Death to 2020. At night, Sam, Joe and I went to Kutchan's MaxValue and found whopping sales up to 90%. Needless to say, we bought so much and had a feast back home.Read more
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Niseko VI
January 2, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ -9 °C
Some solo riding on January 2, Libby joined me later but I was able to get amazing views of Mt. Yotei with a sunset, it was a very rare sight on a very rare clear day during winter.
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Niseko VII
January 3, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ -8 °C
My last day in Niseko. Libby and Kieran went out riding with me, we headed up to the top of the mountain with the hooded lift and I was able to experience amazing powder, at knee length. I wasn't even feeling it at all and I felt like I was floating on clouds. It was a wonderful send-off, as we waited for my bus together. I was really thankful for the whole Niseko experience and to Libby for inviting me over.Read more
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Kusatsu
January 30, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ -6 °C
A company trip that I went to just for the sake of snowboarding. Kusatsu turned out to be a nice place, I was finally able to see the central hot spring of the town and had a chance to eat some fine dining dishes including bear, deer and boar. At night, I went to an onsen before heading back to bed.Read more
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Tsumagoi
January 31, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 0 °C
I went to Tsumagoi ski resort to board, all-expenses paid. Got some good gear and good photos, the surrounding landscape was amazing with a lot of mountains and forests. My knee injury was holding me back from fully enjoying but it was still a pretty good day. At night, we had an amazing buffet and then another onsen before I retired for the night.Read more
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Kusatsu II
February 1, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 0 °C
The last day of the trip, we went to another ski resort in Kusatsu, the trails here were nice but not as good as Tsumagoi's. I was able to enjoy it still and had some lunch before we had to go back to Tokyo. All in all, a very nice weekend.Read more
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Kagoshima
July 20, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
A nice summer trip with Sophie and Joe. We were going to do a little Kyushu trip. Our first stop was Kagoshima. Joe had already made his way first so it was just me and Sophie. We stopped by to eat at a nearby family restaurant after taking the bus to the station from the airport. The air here was much nicer, the breeze felt good as we walked to our AirBnB where Joe was waiting. It was a very cheeky move as I've booked the place for one person and we were three.
We had to make sure to cover our tracks properly. It wasn't long before we got there and Sophie and Joe got to meet. We shared some conversations and got to bed. I had top bunk while Sophie got the one below, I couldn't sleep that well unfortunately because of the unfamiliar environment and the movements from below. Joe was also snoring which is pretty much my pet peeve.Read more
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Ibusuki
July 21, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
The following morning, we woke up early and headed to the train station to catch our train to Ibusuki. We were hiking up Mount Kaimon that day and would later come back here to try out the sand onsens. It was an interesting experience, it felt like being a mummy buried in a sand coffin but it was still quite relaxing. Joe and I went ahead to the main onsen and soaked up most of the fatigue away. The sunset was a pretty shade as well. We had a nice Japanese dinner and got on our train back to Kagoshima afterwards.Read more
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Mt. Kaimondake
July 21, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
Kaimondake was a cone shaped mountain situated by the sea. It was an awesome hike up as we first started below with a lot of sun and heat but as we made our way up the forest, things started to cool down a bit. The terrain was ever changing from rocky paths, boulder scrambling, crowded vegetation and such. It was never boring and kept us on our toes most of the time, there were barely any flat areas and most of it was just a non-stop up hill. Every few checkpoints or so, we were blessed with an awesome view of the surrounding ocean and islands as well as the the lands between. There were some areas with so much dragonflies and some areas where a chorus of cicadas were so loud it was crazy. We did get to the summit with plenty of time to spare, even having to climb a ladder on the way up. The way down was pretty difficult as well, hard on the knees especially with those giant boulders but we did make it. Now, we had to catch the bus back to Ibusuki which we had a hard time doing, jumping from one bus stop to the next never knowing if the bus is coming or has already left because it was late. In fact, it did come however it was too late for us. We tried to catch it at another bus stop but turns out that one was not available so we were just running around in circles but somehow decided to just wait for the bus at one stop and it did come after awhile. It tooks us to the sand onsen where we got some ice cream.Read more
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Sakurajima Island
July 22, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
The next day was much more chill, we were going to Kagoshima's signature volcano island: Sakurajima. It was very close, we walked to the station and got some McDonald's for breakfast. Put our stuff in the lockers and got on a very pleasant ferry ride to the island. We first went to the nearby lava path and took shelter from the rain before making our way further until we saw a hungry and thirsty cat family. We gave what we could and continued on. We explored the island mostly by bus, jumping down on some cool sites and making our way up to the top to see the volcano as close as we can get. We had our first shirokuma at the visitor center. It was pretty much shaved ice and condensed milk with some fruit. I've tried the ones here in Tokyo but the ones in Kagoshima were really next level. After the volcano ride, we went back to where we first started and used the volcanic foot baths to relax and then finally getting on the ferry back to the train station to make our way to Miyazaki. Things weren't going to be so smooth sailing for us however as with the coming thunderstorm, the trains got delayed a couple of hours so we were left in the waiting room for a long while. When we were finally allowed to get on the train, the train still got delayed multiple times and we arrived pretty much late at night already.Read more
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Miyazaki
July 22, 2021 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 27 °C
Miyazaki itself was great, we saw that they had some food convention near the station and made a mental note to try it out the next time we were passing through. When we arrived the night before, we accidentally ended up in one of the night life districts but found ourselves an awesome restaurant with cheap and extremely delicious food. We also had to sneak in the hotel as I've only booked our room for one but we were three. This time, it was a more traditional room with futons on tatami flooring. We spread out our futons and tried to remember where to put them back. There was also a nice hot bath in the shower area so I was very keen to try that out. Sophie was a bit busy trading that night and the noise from her keyboard really annoyed me as I was trying to sleep. I did get a crazy lucid dream that night.Read more
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Aoshima Island
July 23, 2021 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 26 °C
We started our day going to Heiwadai park. We bought some breakfast and Sophie realized she forgot her phone so she had to go back and also got Joe's phone just in case. Joe and I went ahead to the park to chill for a bit while waiting for Sophie. Once she arrived, we set off and started at the peace monument, it had a very interesting mechanism where if you clapped at a certain spot, it would reverberate. We also went to the Haniwa garden, these hollow ceramic dolls that were believed to house the souls of the dead. We walked around the park's nature trails before taking the bus back to the main station. We tried out some of the food in the convention and took a train to Aoshima.

An amazing island right next to Miyazaki, reachable by train. We walked around several of the greenhouses and gardens and arrived at the beach. From the beach, we walked across the stone bridge leading to the island. Aoshima's unique landscape baffles scientists to this day as no one knows why the rocks are shaped the way they are. We went to the jungle shrine at the center of the island and circumnavigated the rest until we reached the starting point. From here, I went to go for a swim in the ocean while Joe and Sophie chatted. After a couple of more dips, we went back and had some snacks. We got back to Miyazaki soon after and ate at our usual restaurant again.Read more
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Kaeda Valley
July 24, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
Going to Kaeda Valley wasn't easy without a car but we still went for it anyway. I was quite intrigued to try this place out as it was known to function as some sort of forest theraphy or forest bathing so to say. Getting to the correct station was the easy part but we had to walk a long way to the valley, as in more than an hour worth. It was a good thing the surroundings were so beautiful with mountains and farmlands all around. The sun was overbearing though, soon there were rivers which signalled we were getting close. We stopped by some benches as we approached the park entrance and made our way in to the valley.

The atmosphere changed immediately, everything was much more fresh and serene. The river's color was an amazing hue of aqua blue and there were a lot of diverse flora and fauna. Halfway through, we arrived at an empty campsite. I changed my clothes here and went for a dip at the river, almost losing my eye glasses in the process. The river was so cool and refreshing, it pretty much wiped away all my fatigue. We continued on until we reached the end of our trail and had several choices but we opted to do the hike back instead which would be very difficult but more worth it than just going back the same route. The hike was exhausting with steep uphills but the reward was even more untouched and wild nature. There was even a waterfall. I unfortunately had a problem with my right ear, it somehow got busted a bit and I had though an insect went in which made my brain go on full panic. Joe poured some water in it and tried to check but said there was nothing, it kept on buzzing again and again, it was so scary and annoying. Each buzz would cause me to wince and this continued on the way down. We eventually did reach the starting point again, I took a dip at the river once again while Joe and Sophie stayed above ground to talk.

Soon we were making our way back via the long walk, it was now raining too. We stopped by a convenience store and I grabbed another shirokuma. Now we had to rush a bit to catch the bus back as the trains were done for the day, we did a last zerg rush and caught the last bus back to Miyazaki. Here, we once again went to our favorite and only dinner restaurant. I took my usual bath while waiting for them to come back as I opted to go first to not draw too much suspicion. Joe had some problems with his grandfather as he had to step away for a call with his mom. Turns out he has Alzheimer's.Read more
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Miyazaki II
July 25, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
The final day was a very chill day. We checked out without any problems and made our way to another nearby park which was actually more reminiscent of a jungle. It was another awesome start to the day. We had no plans today, just relax. There was a nearby exercise playground where we played around for a bit and we also found a lotus pond. Here we sat down and just enjoyed the view. Making comments of how lucky the people here were, being so close to such a beautiful park. From the park, we walked to another park but this time it was paid, it featured a lot of flower arrangements, it was pretty cool too but nothing to write home about. We let the time pass and soon I bid them farewell as I was the first one who had a flight to catch. I went to the airport and got on my flight back to Tokyo.Read more
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Nikko
November 27, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C
I was quite excited for my trip to Nikko, I got up early to catch my train from Shinjuku and got some breakfast. It was a trip that I postponed a lot and it was finally time to go see this awesome day trip from Tokyo. I was expecting to see a lot of autumn foliage but I had missed my mark by a huge margin. When I arrived, I went to check out the nearby lake, Chuzenji. I hanged around here and took some nice photos. I then went to Kegon Falls which surprisingly became one of the highlights of the day. It was mesmerizing, with snow and its water cascading down several layers, definitely worth the entrance fee. I went to get some lunch in the form of Yuba, Nikko's specialty which is basically the skin from soy milk made into flat noodles on soup. It was definitely an interesting dish. After eating, I made my way up to the winding path which was supposed to be filled with autumn colors but much to my dismay, it was now all barren and empty. To top it off, I got down at the top only to find out the cable car was closed as well which was included in my Nikko pass. I waited for the bus again, a bit disappointed but still hopeful that the day would be great. I went to another waterfall, smaller in size this time around but as I was leaving, some kids were yelling at their parents to check the other path to which I went back for. The other path was a bit of an uphill but there was a really great flow of a cascading river that split into smaller streams ultimately leading down to the two waterfalls I saw awhile ago. A very good detour as I hurriedly made my way back to the bus stop, trying my best not to slip on the snow. I got on the bus and was dropped near the Toshogu Shrine, a Unesco World Heritage site. I walked up a hill and made it to the entrance. I bought my tickets and tried to enter but was stopped because I didn't have a mask. Luckily, there was a lady who gave me her last one, and I was able to get inside. The temple complex was huge and very intricate. The designs were very next level even compared to the big ones back in Tokyo. I made sure to go around every spot I can, entering every temple and even doing another hike up to see the tomb. I left the complex as the sun was setting and stopped by another temple on the way by accident as the cherry blossoms outside the temple attracted me. On the way back to the main station, I wanted to pass by the famous red bridge to snap a photo. The sun was setting as I got the train station, I took a lot of photos of the nearby fountain with the sunset as a backdrop and then took the train back to Tokyo.Read more
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Sapporo IV
December 24, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ -6 °C
Arriving once again in Sapporo, taking the bus from the airport. Being enamoured by the almost too familiar backdrop of an on-going winter wonderland, going through the sharp cold and darkness for the third time is still always fun. Having to watch my footing so I won't slip, I quickly made my way to my hotel as my flight was delayed, I am already missing several crucial hours worth of rest. I stopped by to see if I can get a good shot of a nearby shrine. I still took a nice hot bath and shower and tried to get some sleep though being in Susukino, the night life district, proved to be a bit difficult as right in front of our hotel was a club. What a harrowing night.Read more
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Kutchan II
December 25, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ -9 °C
The usual route from Sapporo, I got on the Chuo bus heading to Niseko. It was another amazing ride through Hokkaido's winter landscape. After a couple of hours, I finally got off the bus. This time around there was no Libby waiting for me but I got in touch with Momo and it seems like she was riding today. I went to Alpen to get my gear and waited for a bit, taking a rest and watching somee tutorials. I had a goal that I was gonna get snowboarding this trip. I had the classic Niseko priced lunch in the hotel and then got my pass for the lifts. I waited some more for Momo until she arrived with her boyfriend and we went started to go up the gondies. It was difficult to get back into it at first but I slowly got better, my toe-edge was still needing a lot of work and soon my legs really started to cramp up. These muscles that I wasn't used to using always hurt every time I snowboard. After a while, I had to tap out cuz my ankles were killing me. Not really the best start of the trip but I was still hopeful to make a comeback. I started to walk back to Himawari sharehouse, where Joe was staying. He had graciously offered me a place to stay. Momo dropped me off nearby and I went waded through the snow to a nearby hut which I initially thought was the place but turns out it wasn't the right one and I had to walk a few more meters to the actual place. From there, I was able to find the right one and rest up for a bit. Another person named Joe was there, we differentiated the two Joes by Joe-chan and Joe-san. Joe-san being the older Joe that I had previously been acquainted with. Joe-chan was there, he was from London. We talked a bit and he gave me some tea. Joe-san later arrived and we were able to catch up on a lot of things. Sayuri also arrived and together we played some Exploding Kittens to pass the time. I was also able to meet Miki and Hiromi at night. Joe-san helped me fix up my cupboard of a bedroom. Harry Potter room, they called it. It's where I was supposed to sleep but not today as we were going to Kutchan to celebrate Christmas with his friend Dan.

In Kutchan, we went to Dan's place and there were already a bunch of people there. I remember Bia, Ian, Paul, Anita, and Christine. Several other people joined us afterwards including a guy from Wisconsin, a girl from China and Carlos and his protege, Shion. It was a fun night with incredibly delicious food. Christmas songs were playing and it was a first time in a long time I actually spent Christmas with somebody else, I felt a bit reserved at first but I slowly realized everyone was just so funny and nice. They had a dog and a cat inside as well. The best part was the Christmas games we played, everyone was just so drunk with all these skimpy funny Christmas costumes that somehow ended up with the guys. I laughed out loud so hard during pin the nose on the reindeer, cuz Dan was pranking Joe and he ended up putting the nose on Dan's nipple instead during his turn. I ended up being friends with Shion and we talked pretty much a majority of the night as we were the only ones at the same age range. After a couple of hours, we went outdoors to light a bonfire and gathered around it while having some more drinks. We went back afterwards to play some Cards Against Humanity, I had to teach Shion what the cards meant most of the time. I actually won that game, including the charades game from a while ago. We talked a bit more while I was drawing random stuff on this toy. It got so late already almost 3-4am at that time, I excused myself to go to the showers and went to our room to catch some shut eye. Joe had to work the next day unfortunately.Read more
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Kutchan III
December 26, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ -6 °C
I woke up to the sound of music, I was supposed to catch a ride with Anita I think but she had left earlier so I was now without a ride back to Niseko. I went to greet the voices outside the room, Christine and Paul were up and talking. I sat by the couch and just absorbed the atmosphere of the Christmas afterparty. It was chilly and warm at the same time. Paul had kindly offered me a ride back to Niseko which I happily accepted. After a while of talking and asking their Alexa to play some music, Paul and I set out for Niseko, making a brief stop by Lawson where I bought some stuff for brunch and dinner.

Arriving back at Himawari, I took a nice hot bath and kind of really just spaced out for the rest of the day since I was so tired, I remember talking with Hiromi about joining her yoga class the next day. I had a pretty hard time sleeping in the cupboard too.Read more
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