Mishima Shrine is a small shrine north of the Nishinasuno area. I have been there before, but a while back. It looked pretty today with the lush green of summer, so I stopped by to take some photos. While I was there a couple of people came and opened it, and so I got a… Read More Mishima Shrine
Nasu Highland park is an amusement Park in the Nasu highlands area. Surrounded by mountains on one side and the valley below, it really is a scenic spot.It opened in 1969 as a sports park and as a “ride park ” in 1979, so I guess that the current style.. Hard to tell sometimes with… Read More Nasu Highland Park
Japanese cuisine is incredibly diverse, with regional and seasonal impacts on almost everything..Cost varies hugely too, it can be downright expensive ( a restaurant near me serves a 125 g steak for around $1000 USD) or ridiculously cheap (Tonkatsu set $10 USD) .. What i think is different is the quality of the food and… Read More Some favorite Japanese foods
Ima is a local cheese farm in the Nasu area. I cant believe I’ve been here almost 6 years and only just found it – especially given my love of cheese.. Anyway they make cow & goat cheese in a number of styles.. Including washed rind cheeses, and fresh cheeses. I also read somewhere that… Read More Cheesy delights in Nasu – Ima
Strangely enough there is a Marijuana museum in nearby Nasu. I’ve seen the sign many times, but I couldn’t find it. Anyway this weekend I finally found it, just off the main road into Nasu mountains. Historically hemp was used in Japan to make clothing and as a fibre for bow strings and fishing lines and was… Read More Japan’s only Marijuana Museum
I love this time of year, end of spring, beginnings of summer. Maybe the weather isn’t so stable, but on the fine days its lovely to walk or cycle around, lots of color and everything is lush and green.. Nature at its best. I usually cycle around on the weekend doing my shopping and often… Read More Late Spring
Otawara, the town I live in is a rural community in Tochigi prefecture. Around 80,000 people live in the area, its a spread out community with many farms and local growers. About 50% of the area would be rice fields and there is some industry here, in fact the reason I live here is that my… Read More Otawara Street sculpture
Nakagawa Aquarium is on the Nakagawa River in Otawara, Tochigi Prefecture. There are lots of freshwater fish and a tropical fish aquarium with a tunnel you can walk through. Everything is in Japanese, but still very interesting and a fun day out. Admission is just a few hundred yen and as a rule open from… Read More Nakagawa Aquarium
For a country that doesn’t celebrate Christmas, Japan has a total love affair with Christmas illuminations. Even where I live in rural Tochigi prefecture, there are illuminations everywhere. Near me is a concert hall called Harmony hall, every year they deck the outside in lights or a musical & Christmas nature. Its part of a local… Read More Xmas lights in downtown Otawara
Apple picking and apple products are a big event in the Tochigi in autumn. There are many small orchards where you can go and pick your own apples. I counted around 20 orchards in the Yaita region alone. The season begins around mid-September with a couple of varieties, but by mid-October there are a huge… Read More Apple picking In Yaita
Just Life in Japan 