Ho-Ho-Hokkaido

In the hot and humid summer of Japan, my company shuts down (for the most part) from August 6-18. It is Obon / summer holiday. To maximize that time, I traveled to the northernmost and least developed island of Japan, HOKKAIDO! As I flew into New Chitose Airport, the main airport of Hokkaido and within …

The People I Met While Traveling – Tai:Thai:2015

My favorite part about traveling is meeting people. I love hearing varying accents and languages, listening to different perspectives, and connecting under the shared interest of adventure and exploration. It further reinforces my belief that, even with seemingly large cultural divides, humans are all connected. My Taiwan and Thailand 2015 trip attracted an especially intriguing set of people. Sooo...let's …

Conquering the Mt.Rokko Zensan 56-km Trail

On November 23, I successfully completed my first endurance event. I hiked 56 kilometers in one day, along the Mt. Rokko range from Sumakura Park to Takarazuka, including five small peaks (300-500m) and the Mt.Rokko summit (931m). It took me 14 1/2 hours, motivation from two fabulous ladies, gifts from random Japanese guys, and a …

The Wonders of Awaji Island

To encourage tourism and educate those about the history of the birthplace of Japan (Kuniumi), JTB and Junior Chamber International Awaji sponsored an all-expenses full-day tour to Awaji Island for foreigners.

I Get By With a Little Help From… Old Japanese Ladies

When you're in a foreign country where you don't know the language, you occasionally need to turn to strangers for help. When I find myself in times of trouble, little old (sassy) Japanese ladies are my saving grace.

Passing On…

It's the final week of training. On Saturday, the eight of us newbies will be out in the schools as Substitute Teachers just prior to Silver Week. To prepare for our eventual independence, we each presented a 40-50 minute kids lesson (warmup, alphabet, new structures, target language, vocabulary, etc.) today and gave feedback As I was …

Why Move to Ballard – Syttende Mai Parade

As some may know, Ballard has a Scandinavian past. These Nordic surly fishermen settled in the valley and created their little piece of home - full of warehouses, brick apartments, and fish ladders. Years ago, you could hear Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic on the streets (sometimes you still can, depending on which bar you go to and …

Seth Godin – The New Year

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJj_WHCdLtQ&feature=player_embedded#!

How we can join the race to the top, instead of the race to the bottom

Book Smarts vs. Street Smarts

My sister has a dog named Mochi (like the ice cream). Technically, it's her boyfriend's dog but she spends so much time with Mochi that the dog clings to her like a baby duck to its mother. She's a rather cute dog, a 5-year old blue heeler. As a blue heeler, she shares many of …