Another one of those foody surprises crept up on me today here in Sapporo. Snyder’s of Hanover apparently sees Japan as such a lucrative market that it is making a wasabi flavored version of its hard pretzel snacks, sold only in Nippon! The taste was as advertised, a bit strong, but interesting. The power of […]
It’s been more than two years since I made the move north to Sapporo. Though much has changed, the climate and size of the population in particular, Japan is still a place prone to miniaturization. Apartments will always be small so space needs to be optimized. My Micro Man Cave had to be relocated from […]
Level: 2 blocks – busted this one out before 8 AM. Really ties the room together.
Muji always manages to keep me entertained. This paper samurai model took up a good chunk of an evening, but I was pleased with the results. Along with the Muji paper Himeji Castle, this towering statue really ties the micro-man cave together. […]
There is no end to the amount of projects I have lined up this year. Big or small, artsy, mechanical, physical – There is something creative ready to be made any day of the this year. I started small with some Nanoblock projects and Micro Man Cave scaping. Projects like this often kickstart other parts […]
It may seem surprising, but yogurt is very popular in Japan. Since Hokkaido is famous for its dairy industry, there is no shortage of yogurt based products to choose from. I was able to sample some great yogurt drinks from the island’s northern region at a recent farmer’s market held at Hokkaido University. Of course, […]
I like camping. It is something I have done since I was a child and young adult in the Boy Scouts and continued to do while on hiatus back in Pennsylvania and the Northeast U.S. The solitude is great, food tastes better after a day spent in the woods, and the nature is always inspiring. […]
The Zen of Fish: The Story of Sushi, from Samurai to Supermarket by Trevor Corson My rating: 2 of 5 stars At times fascinating and insightful, other times annoyingly shallow in its presentation of the sushi phenomenon. Much of the science and history of sushi is spot on and a joy to read about, but […]
It’s been awhile. Not that I haven’t been writing, reading, sketching, and exploring my new town of Sapporo. Now that I am back in the swing to some degree, and I have a routine of sorts in place, I feel it is important to reveal one element of that routine – public parks. Usually, here […]
Although Sapporo is a relatively symmetrical city, laid out in mathematical blocks like an igo board and rather flat despite being surrounded by mountains, there are some architectural anomalies that have caught my eye since moving here. They aren’t the famous spots like the Tokeidai or the Former Hokkaido Government Office, both well maintained western […]