Sanuk Canadian

Last September, I discovered some news that was too good to pass up: Air Asia offered a direct flight from Tokyo to Bangkok for only ¥15,000 ($150). I managed to book within the first week of their flights starting up, and so, was able to get a small discount. I headed to Thailand with the purpose to explore a resort area I had previously never been -- Krabi. But before catching that connecting flight, I spent a day to explore a floating market that is popular with Thais, but not as famous among tourists: Amphawa. Also known as the Amphawa Floating Market, people can meander along the river boardwalk exploring various food, clothing and snack stalls. It's a great place to observe Thais enjoying their weekends, and to sample local delicacies. Various scenes from Amphawa: vendors, the river, boats, and small statues. Hoping in a shared van from Victory Monument (cost ¥70 ~ 100 Baht one way = $3), I spent about 1.5 hours zipping along the highway to this market. When I ...

Every month, on the third Saturday, a city which borders both Kanagawa and Tokyo prefectures, hosts a large flea market in the city center, across from the train station. I have been once or twice before; this time, I brought my camera and snapped lots of photos. Flea markets are quite popular with both Japanese and expats living in the country. The most popular items are old kimono and obi (a highly decorated waist sash wore with the kimono). If you buy a new kimono, the price is often over $2,000! These slightly used, but still lovely kimonos sell between ¥1,000 ~ ¥5,000 ($10 ~ 50), hence their popularity. However, I love art and objects, so my camera aimed for these. I hope you enjoy the photos.^_^ Left to right, top to bottom : Hello Kitty hand luggage, ceramic pot, a very happy bear head, cast iron lanterns. I love unique things and this hand-made purse caught my eye. It was made from wood, shaped in a small rectangle and when opened, revealed a simple enclosure. ...

In late November, I joined two other women to go hiking for the day at a famous mountain in Kanagawa. Our mission was to see the infamous red, Japanese maple leaves in full color. We were not disappointed. Mount Ōyama  is easily accessible from Tokyo or Yokohama by train and local  Kanachu bus. We took the Odakyu line traveling towards Odawara, getting off at Isehara station, where we boarded a bus filled with hikers to the mountain's trail head.  Mount Ōyama   is not too difficult to climb; most take a cable car (two stops only) to reach one of two beautiful and very holy, shrines: the first, Ōyama Shrine and the larger, higher, Ōyama-Afuri shrine. Serious hikers can climb all the way to the summit (1,252m / 4,108ft). Our day was marred with clouds and fog; we abandoned plans to reach the summit; instead, we enjoyed an outdoor meal at a lookout point at approximately 900 meters up. Top row : famous red, momiji leaves, my fellow hikers + guide, a red cab...

Last November, my Dubai travel friend and I enjoyed a walking tour of a historical district in Yokohama. Known as Yokohama-Yamate, this hilly area was home to many foreign ambassadors and businessmen who moved to Japan in the late 1890s. The houses on our tour were all built after the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923 , and so, are very well preserved. Currently, this district has seven houses, one tennis club, and one smaller house, all which are open to the public. Entrance is free.(!!) The most famous home on the Yamate tour is  Berrick Hall . It was designed by J.H Morgan in 1930. Until 2000, it served as a residence hall for students at nearby Saint Joseph's International School. The architectural style is Spanish, with light brown, brick arches lining the front. Inside, you can find a conservatory (where piano recitals are often held), a dining room, a sitting room and more. The best feature of this house are clover-leaf windows on the second floor. Photos : Seco...

This post is part of a series regarding a Middle Eastern cruise in the U.A.E and Oman. Previous installments can be found HERE .  The lengthy title of this blog post explains it all -- I visited what TripAdvisor calls, the must see attraction in the Middle East -- the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Unofficially known as "The White Mosque" due to its gleaming white marble, this mosque has free entry to visitors from all over the world, regardless of one's religion. My friend and I picked up the self-guided audio tour headsets (also free -- just present some I.D) and followed the recording to see and hear all the highlights of this mosque. Photos along the tour's route are below. Please enjoy! Dome & details.     Far right: a lagoon reflects the many pillars at the white mosque. Left: Archway highlights a dome in the background.     Middle: a spire.           Far right: Dome with lotus flower inspired chand...

Summer is the time for festivals all across Japan; the most popular ones are the bon odori , or dance festivals. Festival attendees can either watch the dancers, or join in -- depending on the festival. In early August, I enjoyed one of the most popular dance festivals -- the Awa Odori -- a dance which originated in the Shikoku region of Japan. Fortunately for me, there was an Awa Odori being presented in Kanagawa. Hurray!! ^_^ Please enjoy the photos and videos below: A group of musicians waiting to move forward along the parade route:  Dancers strike a pose:  Below, is a video of a group of (mostly) male dancers showing their frenzied Awa Odori style:  The  Awa Odori  dance has 3 unique points: 1. Women wear kimono and a special "half-moon" shaped straw hat, called an  amigasa  (literally, "a rain umbrella") 2. Male dancers usually carry lanterns or fans while dancing. 3. Musicians follow the dancers and consist of...

Every June 21, in my small town, there is a special festival to celebrate the arrival of Equinox. Several hundred candles are lit to increase awareness of eco-friendly energy saving methods before the hot summer months arrive. I took lots of photos from this year's event; please enjoy! Children from schools in the area created these wonderful, handmade paper lanterns. Each boxed lantern contained a picture(s), with some kind of message or poem on it. Impressive artwork. Smaller children decorated recycled glass using permanent markers. As the sun set, several children lit candles inside each glass to create a tower of light.  Glass art -- great at home project!  A large park played host to this event. Visitors followed a walking path; each side of the walk was decorated with the paper lanterns. As I strolled in the cool summer air, I snapped photos of the lanterns which impressed me most.  Festival dancers, sunflowers and lobsters. Mascots are q...