Sanuk Canadian

A friend of mine from Nagoya moved to Shizuoka prefecture (Japan) a few months ago. I waited until she had gotten settled in before heading over for a visit. I took several local trains, changing here and there to Shimizu city; the total travel time was about 3 hours. The university in which my friend works, is very close to a recently declared World Heritage site -- Miho no Matsubara -- famous for its pine trees and view of Mount Fuji. Sloping stairs leading down from the pine forest and beach:  Inside the pine forest.  According to the tourist office, there are over 54,000 pine trees here: Miho no Matsubara attracts all the tourists, but it was this shore-hugging road, along Miho beach, which should be explored. To find it, at the Miho no Matsubara pine tree, go out onto the beach and turn right. Walk along the beach until you see the road emerge on your right. The Miho beach road, completely uninhabited...even on a Saturday!  Near the end of ...

In mid April, a friend, who had been watching my hikes on the blog, asked if we could go for a hike together. The area we chose was near Isehara city, in Kanagawa -- Hinata Yakushi hiking area. We began the trail near Ooyama, hiking in a reverse loop. Please enjoy the photos! The area is accessible by bus from Hon Atsugi station, on the Odakyu line, so it's convenient for those living in the Kanto area. Trails are very well marked and maps were seen at trail heads. If you bring your car, there is free parking, vending machines and clean toilets available before starting your hike. Trail head, map with approximate hiking times,  the trail follows a large stream:  At the top of the above trail is an old temple, which is currently being rebuilt. I didn't take any photos, but if you are interested in seeing temple re-constructions, this trail will allow you to see construction work taking place. After the temple, you can follow the trail to Ooyama, or turn left, followi...

Back in late March, I joined my monthly mountaineering club for a hike in Ibaraki prefecture. Located 1.5 hours by express train, north east of Tokyo, Houkyouzan was our destination. There are a few famous mountains in Ibaraki -- the most popular being Tsukuba mountain; Houkyouzan is Tsukuba's neighbor. The hiking trail began after a 20 minute taxi ride. Even though it was on a Friday, we saw many groups, including children, enjoying hikes in this area.  Trail route markers, our group and a stone monument,  found at the beginning of the trail: The trail we selected followed a small, descending stream. A tree, twisted around another, was very unique. When I took a closer look, it looked like a ribbon circling the tree! Trail climbs up; small waterfalls, the ribbon tree: This mountain is only 461 meters in height (1,512 feet), so it was my easiest hike yet. The view looked down to farming fields and over to Tsukuba mountain. It was my first hike after buying ...

Let's continue stories from an 8-day Middle Eastern cruise onboard  the Costa Fortuna ship. You can find earlier Arabian Daze stories in the Litter Box on the right.  Click under "April" and "May".  For the fifth day of this cruise, we visited a very tiny fishing village in northern Oman called Khasab. Our huge ship looked like the big bully in the school yard compared to the local fishing boats:  For this port, my friend selected the activity. She chose a full day outing on a wooden ship to enjoy the Fjords of Khasab.   The inside of our small boat:  As Khasab is nicknamed the "Norway of Arabia", the Fjords are one of the few sightseeing points in this area. The village is not well developed for tourism yet; it's not known if the Omani government is planning on increasing tourism here. Regardless, it was an interesting stopover to see one of the more rural spots in Oman. More tourist boats:  We steamed off sl...

Let's continue our journey through two countries in the Middle East: the U.A.E and Oman.  You can catch up to all the stories HERE (part 1) and the previous installment HERE (part 14).  To read more, just click on any "Arabian Daze" post in the Litter Box on the right. In part 14, we had completed a half day tour of Muscat city in Oman. Our cruise ship departed for the next port at 2pm. Due to having almost a full half day on board, my friend suggested trying some of the ship's onboard activities. Scanning the "Today" newsletter,* my travel mate pointed out one class: napkin folding. The class was hosted by three of the ship's staff, who whisked us through some very funny dialogues and napkin art. I took photos of our various creations... #1: an elegant fan  #2: a candle (although I teased my friend, it looks likes something a little more sexy..... LOL) #3 and everyone's favorite: a rose #4: a doll with no head...so, I added ...

Last month, I met up with a friend from Chiba, whom I hadn't seen in over a year. With both her children now in school, she had free time in the afternoons, & invited me out for lunch. We decided to meet up in Shibuya, so I chose the funky shop, Weekend Garage Tokyo, a 10 minute walk from the station, in Daikonyama. This place was really cool! The food was great and cost under $10. Enjoy the pics! Outside of the shop, simply known as "WGT": They have picnic tables outside and open air tables for those who love the sunshine...^_^ The lovely and talented Ms. N, with our appetizers, consume soup: The inside has a very Soho vibe -- designer chairs, concrete walls, funky art and an open kitchen. Wall art: Back projection screen played surfer flicks:  View to the kitchen:  My friend and I ordered the same thing from the lunch menu: chicken salad sandwiches. Big and brash, with a bold taste; in short this was one of the best sandwiches I h...