Fly fishing is for true men. Hemingway did it and he wasn’t no pussy, right? It’s what all true God-fearing man’s men aspire to become – an honest to goodness, straight out of “A River Runs Through It”, fly fisherman. No time for pansies here. I strap on my waders like Calvin Coolidge on an […]
For the past three winters I’ve felt that the mountains of Hokkaido were a no-go. Snow and ice made impassible trails that were downright dangerous to even attempt. My wife was even under the misguided belief that the mountain trails were “closed”, i.e. it was illegal to even go there. As preposterous as that sounds, […]
Terms of Service: Social Media and the Price of Constant Connection by Jacob Silverman My rating: 3 of 5 stars Having recently decided as a New Year’s resolution to actually increase my social media presence in the coming year, this book was a particularly frightening depiction of our current enslavement to these powers and the […]
Winter is now fully here, no turning back this time. Pretty much a constant accumulation of snow, low temperatures, shoveling, and most importantly – snowshoeing, until at least mid March. This past week I’ve gotten to fully field test my Tubbs Wilderness snowshoes as well, as all my other trekking gear, in Asahiyama Park. Asahiyama, […]
Nakajima Park in winter. There’s numerous plowed thoroughfares for pedestrians passing through going about their day. Yet large swathes of it remained untouched due to a deep blanket of snow several feet deep. It wasn’t this way a week ago, but a dip in temperature and a decent accumulation of snow overnight on this past […]
Last April I returned from the U.S. with a pair of Tubbs Wilderness snowshoes, acquiring a hefty luggage fee along the way. It was well worth it, since finding snowshoes that suit my weight can be tough in Japan. I’ve been patiently waiting for the snows to come, gathering assorted cold weather gear, and preparing […]
I didn’t want to do this. A few years ago I consciously uncoupled myself from Facebook, leaving me with just my Google+ account to get all my nerdy Linux/open source tidbits. This worked for me. Google+ reliabley fed me the news I needed without bogging me down with friend requests and 4 year old ballet […]
I’ve tried my share of Happoshu and Happosei in my time and after trial and error have finally found one that I can live with. Sapporo’s Mugi To Hop Aka (麦とホップ赤, “Barley and Hops -Red) is the middle ground between its dark (kuro) variety and its standard happosei. A medium hue with a decent robust […]
This past year I have reinvigorated my old fly fishing hobby, changing from an occational undertaking to an addiction that I devote myself to nearly everyday. I won’t be out on the water everyday, not even every week, but I am constantly learning about the art of fly fishing through books and other online resources […]
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 […]