nijika

Frieren Puzzle

2026-08-24T00:00:00+00:00

Frieren Puzzle

Date: 2026-08-24

I completed the Frieren puzzle that I bought from Yodobashi. It was 300 pieces and took ~6 hours to finish. It was pretty fun, but the hardest parts for me were the low contrast rocks near the top of the image, which took a bit of brute-forcing for me to finish. I spread some puzzle glue on it and I should be able to frame it tomorrow.

Completed puzzle:

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Osaka

2026-07-17T00:00:00+00:00

Osaka

Back to Japan Trip

2026-07-17

Today we went to Kyoto to attend some workshops my mom signed us up for. The matcha tea ceremony that my sister was supposed to attend was at 11:00 but we arrived 6 minutes late, so we had to reschedule to 12:30 and went to eat lunch at Okoshiyasu. I had 9 small dishes, steamed rice, and miso soup. The owner spoke a bit of English and we also met a Finnish couple who were here on a work vacation. After lunch, we dropped my sister off at the tea ceremony and ate shaved ice at Kikusui. Then, we picked my sister up and went to the ring-making workshop. We made rings from coins by punching a hole in the middle of the coin and shaping it into a ring. Afterwards, we went to a Kintsugi workshop where we repaired a broken plate with urushi lacquer and powdered gold. Our guide was a university exchange student from Spain. She likes Rhythm Heaven (a Nintendo game). After the workshop, we went to eat dinner at Gyukatsu. Then, we went to the seventh floor of Takashimaya to play a demo of Rhythm Heaven in the Nintendo shop. We then went to Round1 to play maimai. After an hour of playing we went back home. On the way, we bought croissants from Mignon at Osaka Station. The only flavors left were blueberry and sweet potato and they were delicious.

Lunch at Okoshiyasu:

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Shaved ice at Kikusui:

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Kamo River from Shijo Bridge:

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Ring made from quarter dollar:

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Kintsugi:

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Dinner at Gyukatsu:

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2026-07-18

Today I woke up at 11:00 and we went to eat lunch at Sapporo Soup Curry Jack. I had the chicken veggie curry and it was delicious. Then, we went to Namba Walk and I bought a wide-brimmed hat from Uniqlo. We walked around a bit and went to Daiso before going to Maccha House, where I had matcha tiramisu. After eating, we went to Round1, but left because there were too many people playing maimai. We went to GiGO and it was the same deal, so we just played maimai at GiGO. After playing for an hour or two, we ate strawberry daifuku from Strawberry Mania. Then we went back to the hotel to drop off the shopping bags my mom got while I was playing maimai with my siblings. For dinner, we went to Gyoza no Ohsho near Daikokucho Station. I had mapo tofu and gyoza. Finally, we headed back home.

Lunch at Sapporo Soup Curry Jack:

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Gyoza no Ohsho:

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2026-07-19

Today I went with my mom and brother to Shin-Osaka Station and ate gyudon at Matsuya. Then, at 13:00, we rented two bikes for the day for 500 yen each from Ekirin-kun. Me and my brother biked north-east along Yodo River while my mom went shopping. We made a couple stops at convenience stores to buy water. We took a quick bathroom break at Torikai Service Center at 15:00. Then, we went to McDonald’s and I had a Samurai Mac, fries, and a milkshake. We rode to the monument marking the birthplace of the Kurawanka boat before heading back towards Shin-Osaka Station at 16:00. The ride back somehow felt a lot worse. In total, we biked 18.6 miles today. We returned the bikes at 18:30 and met up with my mom and sister at Round1 in Namba. After my sister finished her game of maimai, we went to eat at Tendon Tenya, where I had the Tareduke Oedo Tendon. Then, we went home and ate the cheese tarts that my mom had bought.

Biking along Yodo River with Torikai Bridge in the background:

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McDonald’s:

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Tareduke Oedo Tendon:

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Pablo Cheese Tarts:

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2026-07-20

Today we went to Kyoto again to attend a sushi-making class my mom signed us up for at 11:30. We arrived 30 minutes early so we had breakfast at McDonald’s, where I had a Filet-O-Fish. Then, we went to the class while my mom went shopping. The class was held in Sushi Kizaemon, a sushi restaurant that opens at 17:00. The chef taught us how to make nigiri and we each made nine of them. After making them, we ate all our nigiri and then went to our next workshop, which was making replica food at kotokoto+. We made replica tempura by pouring melted, yellow wax into a bowl of water and using the wax to wrap our replica food item. Then, we went to Round1 to play maimai. After playing for an hour, we went to Edion and I bought a disposable film camera. We then ate okonomiyaki for dinner at Okonomiyaki wa Cocoyanen. After dinner, we took the train to Osaka-Umeda Station and went to Daiso. It was the biggest Daiso I’ve ever been to and we spent 1.5 hours there. I also learned that Daiso had a mascot named Daizo. After shopping, we went back home and ate the Rikuro cheesecake my mom bought yesterday.

The nigiri I made:

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Cloud blocking the sun in Kyoto:

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The replica tempura we made at kotokoto+:

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Okonomiyaki:

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Daizo:

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2026-07-21

Today we went to Oh Mochi to pound our own mochi at 11:30. It was a fun experience and the fresh mochi tasted really good. Afterwards, we ate takoyaki in Dotonbori. Then, we played maimai at Round1 for an hour while my mom got a massage. We then went to Sogo Shokai to buy a matcha bowl my sister wanted. For dinner, we ate udon at Hanamaru. We walked around and went to Gee Store, where I got a coin pouch with Nijika on it. Then, we met up with my mom’s friend who was also visiting Japan with her kids. We went with my mom’s friend and her first daughter to Saizeriya and ate dessert. After dessert, I went with my siblings to play more maimai at Round1 and my mom went shopping with her friend.

Mochi pounding:

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Finished mochi:

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Takoyaki:

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Bocchi the Rock merch at Gee Store:

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2026-07-22

Today we went to Shinsaibashi for a chopstick-making workshop at 12:00. We were 30 minutes early so we ate Matcha Mont Blanc ice cream from Ujien honten. In the workshop, we used a kanna and a wooden jig to cut two blocks of wood into chopsticks and used sandpaper to smooth the edges. Then, I wrote my name and we oiled the chopsticks. We then went to eat souffle pancakes at Toichipancake Kitahorie. Then, we went to GU because my mom wanted to buy clothes for my sister. My sister refused so we went to GiGO to play maimai. After an hour, we went to eat dinner at Coco Ichibanya. I had tonkatsu curry with spicy garlic. After eating, my mom bought face masks from OS Drug and a cheesecake from Rikuro. Finally, we headed back to the hotel.

Matcha Mont Blanc ice cream from Shinsaibashi Ujien honten:

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Kanna and jig:

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My finished chopsticks:

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Toichipancake Kitahorie:

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Tonkatsu curry at Coco Ichibanya:

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Sunset:

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2026-07-23

Today we went to Izumi-Chuo Station to meet my mom’s friend, Emi, at 10:00. Emi picked us up from the station and drove us to Costco. After shopping for two hours, I got Hokkaido soft serve ice cream from the Costco food court. Then, we went to Bistro309 for lunch and I had a hamburg steak with fondue. After eating, we drove to Kanbukuro to eat shaved ice with Sakai kurumi mochi. Apparently, the shop was founded in 1392. We then drove to Workman Plus because my sister wanted to look at jackets with fans in them that we commonly see Japanese construction workers wear. The jackets were around 3,000 yen but the fans and batteries were expensive, each about 5,000 yen. Finally, Emi drove us to Minato Station and we took the train back to our hotel. We dropped off our shopping bags and gifts from Emi before going to Matsunoya for dinner, where I had tonkatsu. After dinner, I went back to the hotel while my brother and sister went to Namba Round1 to play maimai. I then ate the peaches we got from Emi.

Costco Wholesale Izumi Warehouse:

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Costco food court:

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Hamburg steak with fondue:

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Shaved ice with Sakai kurumi mochi:

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Workman Plus:

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Minato Station:

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2026-07-24

Today we ate lunch at Gyoza no Ohsho near Daikokucho Station. I had mapo tofu and gyoza again. Then, we went to Tenjinbashi and saw people carrying mikoshi for the Tenjin Matsuri. We ate shaved ice at Nakaniwa Cafe before going to Kimono ING to buy kimonos and give the owner gifts. We then went to Denden Town and I bought Shigure Ui merchandise at K-Books. I also bought stuff from animate and Suruga-ya. After shopping we had taiyaki and then went to Matsuya, where I had a tuna and salmon roe rice bowl. We went home and I had more peaches from Emi and the Rikuro cheesecake from 2 days ago.

Tenjin Matsuri:

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Shaved ice from Nakaniwa Cafe:

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Shigure Ui merch from K-Books:

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animate in Denden Town:

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Tuna and ikura rice bowl from Matsuya:

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2026-07-25

Today we went to Grand Front Osaka to eat Rojiura Curry Samurai, but it was too crowded, so we ate at Fukutaro Okonomiyaki instead. I had a beef and octopus okonomiyaki. Then, we browsed Kinokuniya. Sadly I can’t buy anything because I can’t read Japanese. We then went to Yodobashi Camera and I bought a 300-piece Frieren puzzle and frame. On the way back to the Metro station, we saw a street performer singing “Blue Bird.” We went to Namba Walk and ate at Kamukura. After eating dinner, we went back to the hotel to drop off our bags and then went to Temmabashi to watch the fireworks for the Tenjin Matsuri. It was extremely crowded and there were a lot of police doing crowd control. It was also hard to find a good place to view the fireworks that wasn’t obstructed by high-rises. After the fireworks finished at 21:00, we went back to Namba Walk and bought drinks from Gong Cha. Then, my mom went shopping at Matsumoto Kiyoshi and Don Quijote. We got home around 23:30.

Fukutaro Okonomiyaki:

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Frieren puzzle from Yodobashi Camera:

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Kamukura:

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Bonfire boat at Tenjin Matsuri:

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Fireworks at Tenjin Matsuri:

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2026-07-26

Today we ate Soup Curry Jack for lunch again. After eating, we went to Round1 and played maimai for an hour while my mom shopped. Then, we got drinks from KOI Thé. We then went to Shin-Osaka Station to play badminton at Yodogawa Sports Center from 18:00 to 21:00. After three hours of playing, we ate dinner at Sukiya and then went home.

Garlic gyudon from Sukiya:

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2026-07-27

Today we went to Dotonbori at 11:00 to meet Emi again. She also brought along her second son. We all went to eat lunch at Okonomiyaki Mizuno. It was a bit of a wait, but not too bad since it’s a weekday. This restaurant uses yam instead of flour and their okonomiyaki is really good. After eating, we walked around Dotonbori, Namba CITY (shopping mall) and Namba Walk. Then, we went to Round1 and I played maimai with my siblings while Emi’s son played medal games. We finished and got drinks from Gong Cha. Emi also bought us dango. We walked around some more before parting with Emi and her son. I played maimai again with my siblings before heading to Tsukemen Suzume for dinner. After eating, we walked through American Village to get to Yotsubashi Station and took the subway back home. After getting home, we ate the dango Emi bought us.

Okonomiyaki Mizuno:

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Inside an escalator at Namba CITY:

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Tsukemen Suzume:

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American Village:

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2026-07-28

We went to eat lunch at 512 CAFE& in American Village, where I had souffle pancakes. Then, we went to the Mizac Sewerage Science Museum Osaka, which had free entry. There were a lot of cool exhibits about the sewerage system of Osaka and its history. They had QR codes with English translations of the exhibits. We spent over an hour there before getting kicked out because the museum closed at 17:00. We then went to Kohnan and browsed around. It kind of felt like walking through a Walmart. They even had a Daiso and a pet shop inside. Afterwards, we walked back to Nodahanshin Station and ate dinner at Mita Seimenjo. I had an abura soba.

512 CAFE&:

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Model of Maishima Sludge Center:

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Sewerage pipes:

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Decorative manhole cover:

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Pet shop inside Kohnan:

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Abura soba from Mita Seimenjo:

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2026-07-29

Today I ate lunch at Matsuya with my brother and then we went to Ibaraki Station and rented bikes from Ekirin-kun. We biked to EXPOCITY and ate donuts at Krispy Kreme. We then browsed the shopping mall, LaLaport, before heading to the Expo ‘70 Commemorative Park. We tried to enter the park but didn’t realize it was closed on Wednesdays, so instead, we went to Osaka University and biked around the campus. Then, we biked to Senri Kita Park. After biking around the park, we decided to head back to Ibaraki Station and return the bikes. After returning the bikes, we browsed Ibaraki Shop Town, but most of the shops were closed at 18:00. We ate dinner at 宮崎チキン南蛮ogata and then took the train back to our hotel.

Roast beef from Matsuya:

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EXPOCITY:

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Tsutaya Bookstore at LaLaport:

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Entrance to Expo ’70 Commemorative Park and Tower of the Sun:

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Osaka University:

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Zuion-ike Pond:

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Kaze no Michi:

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Sunflowers:

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Chicken Nanban:

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2026-07-30

We ate lunch at Matsunoya and then took the train to Sakai Station. We walked from the station to Kanbukuro and ate Sakai kurumi mochi with shaved ice again. We then walked to the Old Sakai Lighthouse. It was built in 1877 and is one of the oldest Western-style wooden lighthouses still standing in Japan. Then, we walked around Sakai Old Port and saw the Statue of the Dragon Goddess and a statue of Luzon Sukezaemon. After taking pictures, we took the train back to Namba and played maimai at Round1 for an hour while my mom got a massage. For dinner, we ate at Torikizoku in Dotonbori.

Tetsudou Musume:

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Old Sakai Lighthouse:

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Statue of the Dragon Goddess:

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Statue of Luzon Sukezaemon:

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Dotonbori:

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2026-07-31

We checked out of the hotel at 12:00 and took the OCAT bus from Namba to Kansai International Airport. After arriving, we checked in our baggage and then ate lunch at 551 Horai. We then went through the security checkpoint and then shopped at the duty free stores. Finally, we boarded UA 34 for SFO.

551 Horai:

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Fukuoka

2026-07-10T00:00:00+00:00

Fukuoka

Back to Japan Trip

2026-07-10

Today we ate breakfast from FamilyMart at 10:00. Then we walked to Nakasu-Kawabata Station and took the train to Nanzo-in Temple. It was very hot and humid today (95 Fahrenheit) and it felt like I was gonna die walking up the stairs to see the reclining Buddha statue. After taking pictures of the Buddha statue, we had ice cream (same location). Then we walked around the temple some more before heading back to Hakata Station. There, we ate Ichiran ramen, which was hard to find but there was no line (it was 14:00). We then walked to Hakata Port Tower. They had a museum which we checked out before heading up the tower. We took photos from the top of the ower and then walked back to the hotel. After a quick break, we walked to Canal City. On the way there, we saw people doing practice runs for the Hakata Gion Yamakasa. We also saw decorative floats (Kazariyama). In Canal City, we went to Taito but they didn’t have maimai, so we looked around for somewhere to eat and ended up going to Saizeriya again. Finally, we went home and went to sleep early because we will go on a tour tomorrow.

Reclining Buddha Statue at Nanzo-in Temple:

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Buddha’s feet:

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Ichiran ramen:

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View of Fukuoka Hakatafuto Port from Hakata Port Tower:

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Kazariyama:

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2026-07-11

Today I got up early to get on a tour bus which leaves at 8:00. We went to Hakata Station and bought breakfast at Lawson before boarding the bus. On the way to our first destination, I ate the onigiri and melon pan I got from Lawson. At 9:30, we arrived at Nyoirinji Frog Temple. They had a lot of frog statues there. Then, we went to Lake Kinrin and arrived at 11:30. We took photos at the lake and then walked around Yufuin Floral Village. They had a lot of shops and food stalls. I had a beef croquet and a crab cream croquet. There was a cool glassware shop called Glass Forest Yufuin. They also had a separate music box shop on the second floor. There was a 5.5 million yen music box on display that plays “My Heart Will Go On”. My mom bought a music box as a gift and had the recipient’s name painted onto it. We walked around some more and I had lemon ice cream, Monchhichi Mitarashi dango, and pudding mochi from Goemon. Then, we got back on the bus and went to Beppu Kamadojigoku. We looked at a bunch of hot springs and my friend went in the foot bath. Afterwards, we went to Umi Jigoku, which was close by, and looked at more hot springs, a garden, and a shrine. Finally, we went back to Hakata Station, where we ate cold soba. We then browsed a bookstore, Maruzen, before taking the train to Tenjin Station to play maimai at Round1.

Wind chimes at Nyoirinji Frog Temple:

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Frog statue at Nyoirinji Frog Temple:

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Lake Kinrin:

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Yufuin Floral Village:

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A very expensive music box:

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Hot spring at Kamado Jigoku:

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Hot spring at Umi Jigoku:

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2026-07-12

Today we woke up early again to go on another tour. First we went to Takachiho Gorge and rented a rowboat for 30 minutes. It was hot and humid as usual. We rowed down the gorge and took pictures of Manai Falls. There were a lot of couples here today. After we had our fun rowboating, we bought sweet potatoes from a vending machine for lunch because we didn’t have enough time to go to a restaurant and there were very few food places to go to. Then we went to Aso Sanjo Terminal, but due to a tourism helicopter crash 7 months prior, access to the crater on Mt. Aso was restricted. Then, we went to Kusasenrigahama. I had Aso soft serve ice cream, milk, and yogurt from a shop nearby. Then we walked in the field and took pictures of Mt. Aso. We also went up Komatate-yama Hill. There were a bunch of people riding horses. This was our final stop before heading back to Hakata Station. We ate Ichiran ramen for dinner and then browsed the mall. We spent the most time at Suruga-ya. Finally, we went home.

Manai Falls from above:

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Manai Falls:

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Kusasenrigahama:

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People riding horses in Kusasenrigahama:

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Hakata Heart Post:

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Mononobe Alice tapestry at Suruga-ya:

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2026-07-13

Today I woke up at 11:30 and went with my friend, brother, and sister to get lunch at Tonkatsu Matsunoya. On the way to the bus stop, we saw runners practicing for Hakata Gion Yamakasa. Then, we took the bus to Uminonakamichi and rented 4 bikes for the day. We arrived at 14:00 and had to return the bikes by 17:00. We biked around the park and got sunburned after 2 hours. The park is very big and there’s a lot of things to see there. After returning the bikes at 17:00, we took the train to eat at Hama-Sushi in Hakata Chiyo. I ate a ton of food because I spent the last 3 hours biking, but it only cost 15 USD. Then, I played maimai with my brother and sister while my friend went to an izakaya. After an hour of maimai, I went home with my siblings.

Runners practicing for Hakata Gion Yamakasa:

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Biking at Uminonakamichi Park 1:

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Biking at Uminonakamichi Park 2:

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Biking at Uminonakamichi Park 3:

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Biking at Uminonakamichi Park 4:

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Our stack of plates at Hama-Sushi:

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Maimai at Round1 Tenjin:

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2026-07-14

Today I woke up at 7:00 and ate breakfast at Ichiran with my brother and my friend. It was the original Ichiran shop in Nakasu and there was no line. Then we went to Hakata Station and boarded a bus to Nagasaki at 9:06. It took about three hours to get there and we got off the bus at Peace Park. First, we went to the hypocenter of the atomic bomb explosion. There was a black monolith constructed to mark the hypocenter of the explosion. The atomic bomb exploded 500 meters above this spot. We then went to the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum. We saw various exhibits about the damage caused by Fat Man. There were stairs from destroyed buildings, coins that were melted together, a replica of the bomb, etc. Then, we went to go eat lunch at Komeda Coffee. I had a burger and shaved ice. After eating, we went to Peace Park and saw the Fountain of Peace, Peace Bell, and Peace Statue. On the way to Glover Garden, we stopped by Morimachi to eat Mr. Donut. I had a Pon de Ring and a Golden Chocolate. Then, we arrived at Glover Garden at 17:15, which was 45 minutes before closing. We paid the entrance fee and walked around looking at the western-style buildings and the view of Nagasaki Harbor. We left at 18:00 and took the bus to Nagasaki Station. I ate KFC for dinner there and then took the express bus back to Hakata Station. The bus departed at 20:00 and arrived at 23:00.

Black monolith at the hypocenter:

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Fat Man replica:

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Fountain of Peace:

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Peace Bell:

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Peace Statue:

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Glover House:

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Statue of Glover:

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View of Nagasaki Harbor from Former Mitsubishi No.2 Dock House:

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2026-07-15

Today we went to eat ramen at Ichimujin Enokida for lunch. Their gimmick was that they had unlimited mentaiko. It was good, but the mentaiko was very salty. Then we went to Yodobashi Camera near Hakata Station. There were three floors of electronics and we browsed cameras, drawing tablets, PCs, pianos, etc. We then went to Ohori Park and rented a swan boat for 30 minutes. There was a Chinese family that cut us in line for the swan boat. We paddled around Ohori Pond and then I ate soft serve and milk afterwards. It was almost dinner time so we went to try Sushiro, a conveyor belt sushi chain. It was pretty similar to Kura and Hama-Sushi in my opinion. We went back home and bought some donuts from Mr. Donut on the way.

Mentaiko ramen:

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Wacom drawing tablet at Yodobashi:

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Great egret at Ohori Park:

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Chinese family that cut us in line at Ohori Pond:

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2026-07-16

Today we checked out of the hotel at 10:00 and we went to check in our luggage at Fukuoka Airport. Then we went back to Nakasu-Kawabata Station to eat Ichiran one last time before my friend flew back to home. We went to Fukuoka airport again and took pictures at the observation deck. We also browsed the shops in the airport. Eventually it came time for me and my friend to go our separate ways. I boarded my flight, JAL 2056, for Osaka Itami Airport (ITM) while my friend boarded his flight to Haneda Airport, where he will transfer to his flight to LAX. I landed around 16:30 at ITM, took the bus to Osaka-Namba Station, and then took the Yotsubashi line to Hanazonochō Station, where our hotel is. After checking in and dropping off our luggage, we went to Shin-Osaka Station to eat at Osaka Manmaru. I had fried skewers and other small dishes.

Ichiran Original Shop:

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Observation deck at Fukuoka Airport:

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Yodo River from JAL 2056:

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Dinner at Osaka Manmaru:

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Tokyo

2026-06-30T00:00:00+00:00

Tokyo

Back to Japan Trip

2026-06-30

I woke up at 8:30 today and we went to Kamata station to eat at VIE DE FRANCE Reve de Paris. I had a bacon cheese bread and a churro. The churro was mid. Then my mom went to Yamato Transport to send gifts to her friends. She bought and packed 6 boxes. It took two trips to get all the boxes there and it took forever for her to send them all. We then took the JK line to Yokohama Chinatown and we ate at Bishin Shuka at 14:00. Their mapo tofu was delicious; it was silky and smooth. They poured soy milk and let it sit for 15 minutes and it turned into tofu. Afterwards, we walked around Chinatown and got back on the JK line. We got off at Omori station and ate shaved ice at necogoori. It was expensive (3,000 yen) but it was very good and had a lot of ripe peaches. Then, we walked about 2 miles from Omori station to our hotel (near Kamata station). After resting for an hour, I went with my mom and brother to Daiso to get a pair of eye covers. We then went to Silk Hat where I was getting asked to prove my age because kids under 16 are not allowed after 17:45 unless supervised by an adult. They stopped bothering me after I grabbed my mom and I played maimai with my brother for about an hour. We then headed home and grabbed some food from FamilyMart on the way back.

Yokohama Chinatown entrance:

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Mapo tofu:
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Peach shaved ice (there are more peaches inside the ice):

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View of Nomi River from Umahiki Bridge:

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2026-07-01

Today we woke up at 8:30 and ate breakfast at VIE DE FRANCE Reve de Paris again. Then we went to Harajuku to meet my mom’s friend Yuka at 11:00. We arrived at 10:30 so we walked around Takeshita Street for a bit. There were a lot of Nigerian touts there today. After meeting up with Yuka, we went to Yoyogi Park and rented three bikes from the cycling center. It was 300 yen for one bike for one hour. I cycled with my brother and sister for an hour while my mom and Yuka sat on a bench and talked together. It was cloudy today but it was still hot and humid. After biking, we met up with Yuka’s daughter and ate udon at Menchirashi. There was a line and we had to wait 35 minutes to be seated. I had the spicy carbonara. After eating, we walked around Takeshita Street again. We got some drinks and snacks at McDonalds. Then we went to Meiji Jingu (a shinto shrine). We then went back to Harajuku station and parted ways. My family and I went to the Daiso in Kamata station to get gloves for my brother to play maimai. I played miamai with my brother and sister from 6:00 to 7:30. Afterwards, we ate at Katsuya and then went home.

Breakfast at Vie De France:

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Takeshita Street:

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Biking in Yoyogi Park:

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Menchirashi:

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Meiji Jingu:

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2026-07-02

Today we slept in because it was raining. We ate lunch at Yoshinoya at 11:30 near Kamata Station. I had a gyudon with green onions and a raw egg. Then we went to Round1 Stadium in Kawasaki Daishi at 12:30. I played three rounds of bowling with my brother and sister. They had a Quintessential Quintuplets collab so all the bowling animations featured artwork of the quintuplets. After bowling, we played maimai (still at Round1) for 45 minutes or so. They only had two machines but there was no queue at that hour (14:15). On the way back to our hotel, we bought cream puffs from Beard Papa and pon de rings from Mr. Donut at Keikyu-Kawasaki Station. We stopped by the hotel for a bit and then went to Torikizoku near Kamata Station. I ate yakitori, kamameshi, and I had mochi ice cream for desert.

Yoshinoya:

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Round1 Stadium:

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Bowling at Round1:

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Torikizoku:

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2026-07-03

Today and yesterday’s weather were cooler than before. We had FamilyMart for breakfast before heading to Oji Station to meet my mom’s friend, Masa, at 12:30. We went with him and his wife to Nijiya in Adachi City and we ate tantanmen. After eating, we went to Tobu Store to buy some fruit and Mitsuya Cider. Then, Masa drove us to Nitori. They had a Seria there too and I bought a Campus B6 notebook, a Uni-ball One, and a Uni-ball Jetstream. I also bought a clock+calendar thing at Nitori. Masa then drove us back to his house. They made fruit punch for us from the fruit they got at Tobu Store. Me and my siblings played around at their house with their three kids. Around 18:00, we all got in his car (9 people in a 7-seater) and went to one of Masa’s restaurants. The restaurant was underneath the train tracks near Ayase Station. We had yakitori and kamameshi and I had melon sherbet for desert. After eating, we went to FamilyMart for some ice cream and then Masa drove his family home before giving us a ride back to Kamata Station.

Oji Station:

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Tantanmen at Nijiya:

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Stationery aisle at Seria:

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Fruit punch:

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Masa’s restaurant:

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2026-07-04

Today we went sightseeing in Kawagoe. We arrived at Kawagoe Station at 12:30 and took a bus to Ichibangai Shotengai, where we walked around and saw Edo-period buildings. We ate matcha warabi mochi and sweet potatoes and visited Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. We walked back and saw Toki no Kane and Resona Koedo Terrace. We also visited Renkeiji Temple. Then we took the bus back to Kawagoe Station and went to Ikebukuro. We walked around Sunshine City and went to go eat at a pancake place we always went to but when we arrived we found out it had closed and was replaced by a Godiva. We then took the train back to Kamata Station to eat dinner at a gyoza place but the line was too long so we went to Kura sushi instead. Finally, we went home and ate the Bake cheese tarts we bought earlier.

Ichibangai Shotengai:

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Stone mill:
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Windchimes at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine:

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Toki no Kane:

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Resona Koedo Terrace:

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Renkeiji Temple:

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2026-07-05

Today we woke up at 8:00 and took the shinkansen to Nagoya to meet my mom’s friend, Mika, at 11:00. For breakfast, I ate an almond croissant I bought at Shinagawa Station on the shinkansen. It took 1.5 hours to go from Shinagawa to Nagoya, so the train was going at an average speed of about 130 mph. We met Mika and her daughter at Nagoya Station and Mika drove us to get lunch at Sagami Matsubakoen. I had shrimp tempura with eggs over rice and cold soba. Then we went to Round1 Spo-Cha and played around for 3 hours. We played badminton, tennis, ping pong, darts, shooting games, etc. After leaving Spo-Cha, we played medal games for another hour or so (still at Round1). Finally, we drove back to Nagoya Station and bought bentos and Nagoya souvenirs before saying our goodbyes. We went on the Nozomo shinkansen and unfortunately there were no seats on the unreserved cars so we had to stand up all the way to Shinagawa (1.5 hours). We ended up eating the bentos at the hotel instead.

Lunch at Sagami Matsubakoen:

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Shooting game at Round1:

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Darts at Round1:

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Virtual horse race betting at Round1:

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Slot machines at Round1:

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2026-07-06

Today we went to Yomiuri Land and arrived at 11:30. We took the Sky Shuttle gondola from Keiō-yomiuri-land Station to the amusement park. It was cloudy and the temperature was nice. There weren’t any lines for the rides because I guess no one is going to the amusement park on a Monday. The Bandit rollercoaster was really fun; I went on it 3 times. I also went on other rides that are on par to what a typical American amusement park offers. The park was also doing a collaboration with Touhou Project, so there were cardboard cutouts of Touhou characters everywhere and they were playing Touhou music around the park. They were also selling Touhou merchandise at Hana Biyori and I bought a Flandre acrylic keychain and Rumia sticker. After I was done with the rides, I snacked on a churro and Creamia ice cream. Then we went on the Ferris wheel, which had good views. Finally, we went to Hana Biyori to buy the aforementioned Touhou merch before heading home. My family headed back to the apartment while I headed to Haneda airport to pick up my friend. After picking him up and checking into the hotel, he and my family ate at Saizeriya.

Sky Shuttle gondola:

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Touhou Project x Yomiuri Land:

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Hakurei Reimu:

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Touhou merch:

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Dinner at Saizeriya:

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2026-07-07

Today I went to Kamata Station with my friend to eat breakfast at Vie De France at 8:30. Then, we went to the Currency Museum, which had free entry, but we weren’t allowed to take pictures. They also X-rayed our bags and made us go through a metal detector. They had a lot of cool exhibits showcasing the history of currency in Japan. After that, we went to the Extinct Media Museum, which cost 1,000 yen for students. You are allowed to touch all the exhibits and take pictures. My favorite things in the museum were the typewriters and the mechanical calculator. We met a French university student whose parents were Japanese and came here for tourism. After leaving the museum, we went to the Ippudo near Yurakocho Station. I had a tonkotsu ramen and my friend had a tsukemen. We then went to the Seiko museum in Ginza. They had no entrance fee and pictures were allowed. There were 7 floors of exhibits. Then we headed back to Yurakocho Station and saw the Seiko Marion Clock. We waited five minutes for it to turn 3 o’clock and we watched the musical performance that emerged from under the clock face. Then, we went to the Kyu-Furukawa Gardens, which was the setting for the visual novel, Umineko When They Cry. It cost 150 yen to enter, but the western-style residence was closed today because a couple had booked it out for wedding photos. The garden was nice and well-maintained. It was getting late, so we went to Harajuku to eat hand rolls. It was kind of pricy; I spent 2200 yen on 5 hand rolls and they tasted mid considering the price. We walked down Takeshita street and browsed the Sanrio shop. Then, we went to Shibuya and walked around. We went into Shibuya 109 and I had Marion Crepes. The crepe was mid and tasted like cardboard. Then we walked around some more before heading back to Kamata Station, where I got a cream puff from Beard Papa. I got the vanilla yogurt filling, which was delicious. Then we went to Don Quijote and I got a Casio F-91W for my brother. We walked around Kamata some more before heading back to the hotel.

Mechanical typewriters:

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Pilot P-3 mechanical calculator:

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Braille typewriter:

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Shorthand typewriter:

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Seiko watch movement:

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Seiko Marion Clock:

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Western-style residence at Kyu-Furukawa Gardens:

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Kyu-Furukawa Gardens:

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2026-07-08

Today I went with my friend to Kamata Station to eat breakfast at Vie De France again. Then we went to Shimo-kitazawa and browsed the vintage shops there. We went into Village Vanguard and I bought a Nijika keychain. We ate lunch at Matsuya and I got a gyudon with negi and egg. After eating, we went to see the entrance to Shelter, which was a live house featured in Bocchi the Rock. Then, we took the train to the Nikon Museum where we saw the technology Nikon has developed over their history. We then took the shinkansen to Shizuoka to meet up with my mom’s friends Hide and Shige. We ate dinner with them and their families. After eating, we went to karaoke where I fumbled a bunch of Japanese songs because I couldn’t read the hiragana fast enough. Then, we caught the last shinkansen back to Shinagawa at 10:30. It was a very fun night.

Bocchi the Rock merch at Village Vanguard:

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Entrance to Shelter:

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Projection lens of the Nikon NSR-S308F:

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Shinkansen:

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2026-07-09

Today we went to Haneda Airport (HND) to take JAL 323 to Fukuoka Airport (FUK). We checked out of our hotel at 10:00 and took a bus to Haneda Airport. After checking in our bags, I ate Yoshinoya at the airport with my friend. We walked around the airport waiting for our flight at 15:30. There was an observation deck and a museum. There was also a shopping mall. We boarded the plane and arrived at FUK at 17:00. We checked into our hotel and dropped our baggage off before eating Kura sushi near Nakasukawabata Station. We then walked back to the hotel and went to sleep.

Take-off at HND:
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Exhibit at Haneda Airport:

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View of Naka River from Nishi Oohashi Bridge:

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Sapporo

2026-06-22T00:00:00+00:00

Sapporo

Back to Japan Trip

2026-06-22 JST

It’s been a pretty uneventful day. We hopped on NH7 and we departed from SFO at 12:15 June 21 PDT. We’re set to arrive at Narita (NRT) at 22:43 PDT (14:44 June 22 JST). I’m currently writing this at 21:40 PDT and I’ve just finished eating dinner. The airplane meals were alright. I watched The Wolf of Wall Street using the in-flight entertainment. Other than that, it’s been boring. After landing at Narita, we’re gonna have to go through customs and then transfer to NH2155 to get to Sapporo. We’ll land at CTS at 19:30 JST and we’re gonna take a train from the airport to our hotel, which will be about another hour.

Airplane food:

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2026-06-23

We grabbed breakfast from FamilyMart. I ate a fami-chiki and egg salad sandwich. After that we went to Hohei Kan (didn’t go inside), Odori Park, Sapporo Clock Tower and Hokkaido Aka Renga (Red Brick Building). There was a guide at the clock tower who spoke a bit of English and he explained the clock tower’s history. We ate lunch at the Hokkaido University Museum Cafe. I had an omurice. After looking around the museum, we went to the School of Engineering and Poplar Avenue. We then went to Pole Town and Tanukikoji Shopping Street. After shopping we went back to the hotel. We ate dinner at MiSHER’S (ミッシャーズ), which was close to the hotel and I had some tacos. Now I’m back in the hotel and going to sleep early because we have to wake up early tomorrow to join a tour.

Odori Park Miku manhole cover:

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Sapporo Clock Tower:

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Red Brick Building:

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Hokkaido University Physics Department mascot:

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2026-06-24

I was forced to wake up at 6:00 today. We went to FamilyMart before realizing it opened at 7:00 so we had to go back and wait. I got another egg salad sandwich for breakfast. We were supposed to leave the hotel at 7:20 but ended up leaving at 7:38 for some reason. Then we missed the train to Sapporo because I didn’t want to jaywalk this time and that cost like 5 minutes (my mom ended up malding about this the whole way there). We were supposed to get on the tour bus at Sapporo Station at 8:00 and we arrived at the station at 7:50. Then we took the wrong exit and we ended up getting there at 8:05 after sprinting from the subway station to the north exit of the JR station. I’m on the bus now and we’re on the highway. The tour guide (James) said it would take 2 hours to get to Furano and that there would be a bathroom break halfway through.

First we went to the Panoramic Flower Gardens Shikisai-no-oka (43.528923, 142.464754). I ate a potato croquette, melon ice cream, white corn, and a venison sausage. We rented a golf cart and drove around the flower garden. The weather was pretty good today, unlike yesterday. My shoes and pants were basically drenched yesterday. We then went to Shirogane Blue Pond (43.492701,142.613019). The pond was a turqoise color today. We then got more ice cream (it was blue this time) and I drank some milk. Then we went to Shirahige Waterfall (43.474685,142.638812). After looking at the waterfall we went to Herb Garden Furano (43.476636,142.456372) to eat lunch and buy some herb souvenirs. I had a chicken tempura don. Then we went to Farm Tomita (43.418206,142.428192) and looked at their lavender fields. That was our final stop before returning to Sapporo. Another two hours later we hopped off the bus at Odori and ate at Soup Curry Lavi (8th floor of Le Trois). Finally, we went back to the hotel. We have another tour tomorrow so I have to wake up early again.

Lavender at Panoramic Flower Garden:

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Shirogane Blue Pond:

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Shirahige Waterfall:

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Farm Tomita:

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Farm Tomita lavender close-up:

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2026-06-25

Today I woke up at 6:00 again and this time we were going to get picked up at Odori Station. We arrived there at 7:15 and got breakfast at Doutor. I had a beef sandwich. Then we boarded the tour bus and left Sapporo at 8:00. We arrived at Cape Kamui at 10:00. We hiked up to the lighthouse and back, which took an hour total. There were sections of the trail that were narrow, steep, and crowded, and it was hot outside, but the view was good. Then we went to Otaru Canal and arrived at 13:00. We were originally planning to get on a boat, so we got lunch at FamilyMart since we wouldn’t have enough time to go to a restaurant, but then we got told that the boat ride was cancelled due to high waves, so we went shopping instead. I got a purple potato churro at OTARUchurros. I bought a glass pen at Kitaichi Venezia Museum. We ate parfaits at LeTAO. We saw the Otaru Steam Clock. We went shopping at the Otaru Music Box Museum. It was a huge store with three floors filled with all sorts of music boxes. I bought a music box that plays “Idol” by YOASOBI. We ran back to the bus because we spent too long shopping and made it back in time for our 15:00 departure. Our final stop was Shiroi Koibito Park. It was a European-themed chocolate factory and they had a performance at 16:00 where a bunch of animatronics were singing. Finally, at 16:10, we departed for Sapporo and arrived around 17:00. I browsed animate on the way back to the hotel. After grabbing water from FamilyMart and dumping all our shopping bags at the hotel, we went to a soba restaurant about one minute away and had dinner. I had a tempura zaru soba. We don’t have any tours planned tomorrow so I won’t have to wake up early.

Cape Kamui entrance:

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Cape Kamui coastline:

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Cape Kamui Lighthouse:

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Kamui Rock:

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Cape Kamui hike:

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Otaru Canal:

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Steam Clock:

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“Idol” Music Box:
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Shiroi Koibito Park:

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2026-06-26

Today I woke up at 9:00 and lazed around until 10:30. We went to Nijo Market (seafood market) and ate at Ohiso (2nd store). I had the sea urchin, salmon roe, and king crab bowl. I also had crab soup. After eating, we shared a 600 yen slice of melon. Then we took a tram to Mt. Moiwa Ropeway. We took the ropeway to the summit station and took some photos. It was very windy up there. Afterwards, we went back down and visited the Waterworks Museum. They had some cool exhibits but I wish I could read Japanese. We then took the tram back to Susukino and I played maimai with my sister at Round1. We played three games and left at 17:15. We ate dinner at Saizeriya and I had escargots, hamburg steak, tiramisu, and pudding. We stopped at FamilyMart on the way to the hotel to get water and snacks. After getting home, we snacked some more and I registered for Fall 2026 classes at Johns Hopkins.

Ohiso seafood bowl:

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Mt. Moiwa Summit:

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Waterworks Museum:

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maimai:

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2026-06-27

I woke up at 7:00 today and went on my phone for 2 hours. We went to eat souffle pancakes at A Happy Pancake. We arrived at 10:00 (opening time). I would say it’s less fluffy and more eggy than Gram. It came with caramel sauce instead of maple syrup, which I didn’t notice at first. The butter also had cheese whipped into it (cream cheese?). It was delicious, but very unhealthy. Next, we went to Hokkaido Shrine. I think someone was getting married there. We took some pictures and drew some omikuji. I got a good fortune and I will allegedly meet the girl of my dreams. Next we went to the Sapporo Beer Museum, which was a twenty minute walk from Bus Center Mae station. After arriving, they told us it was reservation only, so we got souvenirs at the gift shop and ate soft serve instead. We walked back to Bus Center Mae station and wanted to rent some bikes from Porocle and ride them along the river, but they didn’t allow registration using non-Japanese phone numbers, so we took the train to Susukino and played maimai at Round1 instead. After playing maimai for about an hour, we went to Ganso Ramen Alley to find a place to eat dinner. We ended up choosing Kunimitsu Ramen Yokocho and I got corn butter ramen. After eating ramen, we went to Pole Town and bought cheese tarts and apple pies from KINOTOYA BAKE, which we then took home.

Souffle pancakes:

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Hokkaido Shrine:

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My omikuji:

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Sapporo Beer Museum:

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Ganso Ramen Alley:

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Corn butter ramen:

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2026-06-28

Today we woke up at 6:00 again for a tour. We went to Sapporo Station and ate breakfast at the Family Mart outside the station. I had a Fami-chiki and melon pan. Then we got on the tour bus at 8:00 and headed to our first destination. We arrived at the Moai statues (42.922124,141.362493) at about 8:30. They also had a Stonehenge there. We took some pictures and ate lavender ice cream. Next, we went to Jozankei Futami Park and arrived at 10:00. We walked around and took photos on the suspension bridge. Then, we went to Toya National Park Silo Observation Deck at 12:00. There, we saw Lake Toya, which is massive. Apparently it’s a caldera lake formed by a depression caused by a volcanic eruption 110,000 years ago. After taking pictures at the lake and buying snacks, we got dropped off at Seicomart Toyatanaka (42.565111,140.821189) at 12:40. For some reason, there were a lot of cosplayers and a bunch of itasha at the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit. We ate lunch at レストランかわなみ (42.565516,140.818408) and I had an unagi kamameshi. The restaurant was on the second floor and we sat next to the window so we had a good view of Lake Toya. We finished eating and walked around the G8 summit. There were a lot of people there, most of them cosplaying, and there was a row of food stalls. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay longer than a few minutes because our tour bus was leaving. Next, we went to Shōwa-Shinzan Bear Ranch at 14:00. It lowkey felt inhumane seeing the bears locked up in something that looked like a prison complex, but it was fun throwing food at them. Our final stop was Shikotsu-Toya National Park (42.497400,141.146432). It smelled like sulfur and it was about 70 degrees Fahrenheit (which felt warm compared to the rest of our stay in Hokkaido). The sulfur smell was from the hot springs. We walked around Jigokudani Valley and took photos. We left at 16:30 and arrived back at Sapporo at 18:00. We ate at Soup Curry Suage4 and went home.

Moai Statues:

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Stonehenge:

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Suspension bridge:

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River beneath suspension bridge:

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Lake Toya:

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Event at G8:

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Unagi kamameshi:

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Bears in cages:

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Bear raising its paw:

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Bear catching food (no audio):
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Jigokudani Valley:

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Soup curry:

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2026-06-29

Today I woke up at 6:30 because the sun was too bright and the towel I was using as eye covers was too thin. I worked on adding more photos to my blog for about 2 hours. We went to FamilyMart to eat breakfast at 9:00 and I had a Fami-chiki and an egg salad sandwich. While I was working on my blog, my mom packed up all our things into our suitcases because we’re leaving for Tokyo today and our check-out time was 10:00. We took the train to Kitasanjuyojo Station and took the bus to New Chitose Airport, which was cheaper than going to Sapporo Station and taking the Chitose Line (JR). The bus had power outlets and free wifi, which was nice. I spent 50 more minutes uploading images to my blog. There was a nice Japanese woman on the bus who could speak English and helped us get to the JAL domestic terminal. We started checking in our bags but we went 7 kg overweight because my mom didn’t realize the weight limit per bag was 20 kg. After paying for the excess weight, we went through security and waited to board the plane. I tried looking for a water fountain but there weren’t any so I ended up buying a 500 mL water bottle for 171 yen. We boarded the Airbus A350-900 for JAL 510 and took off. They have a camera on the front and tail of the plane that you can watch. After watching the take-off, the flight attendants came by serving drinks and I had peach and grape juice. After landing and grabbing our baggage, we boarded a bus to Kamata Station. We mistakenly took the 41 instead of the 95, which was a local bus and took us through 17 stops instead of 3, costing us about 15 minutes. After dropping our baggage off at the hotel, we went to eat Saizeriya. I had escargots, carbonara, an apple tart and gelato. After eating, me and my sister played four games of maimai at Silk Hat. Finally, we went home. The internet in this hotel is so much better than the one in Sapporo. The one in Sapporo was both slow and would randomly die. It’s also warm and humid in Tokyo right now.

Airplane camera, tail view:

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Summer 2026 Japan Trip

2026-06-21T00:00:00+00:00

Summer 2026 Japan Trip

Date: 2026-06-21

I’m going on a trip to Japan with my family for 40 days.

The rough itinerary for this trip: