Susan Spann's Blog, page 8

New Year’s Eve on Mt. Tsukuba (筑波山) (2021)

In December 2018, I established a new, personal New Year’s Eve tradition: I climb a mountain. In Japan (as elsewhere) New Year’s Eve is a time for personal reflection, and I reflect on myself, my year, and the world around me better on a mountain trail than just about anywhere else. The New Year’s Eve climb is also my way of expressing my hope that I’ll keep moving forward (and upward) and keep returning to the mountains in the coming year. This year, I chose to go back to the proverbial “scene of the crime”–the site of my original, 2018

A Visit to Yokohama’s Red Brick Warehouse Christmas Market

Bavarian Christmas markets are a hallmark of the Christmas season in Tokyo. Less than 1% of the Japanese population identifies as Christian, but a huge percentage of Japanese people celebrate “Christmas” as a secular holiday, and even those who don’t seem to enjoy the lights, tastes, and general joy of the holiday season. Given the Japanese love for seasonal decorations, special food, and gifts, the popularity of Christmas really comes as no surprise. And the Japanese take on Christmas markets is so much fun that I look forward to seeing them every year. The Christmas Market at Yokohama’s Akarenga (Red

Hiking Mt. Muine (Sapporo, Hokkaido)[#140]

Last September, I headed up to southern Hokkaido for a week of traveling and mountain climbing with my friend Ido. He knows Hokkaido far better than I do, so when he was extra excited about our climb of Mt. Muine, near Sapporo, I knew to expect something special . . . and as you'll see, Muine delivered.

A Holiday Tea With Snow White at the Hotel Intercontinental Tokyo Bay

n late November, when I learned the theme of the 2021 Christmas Tea at the Hotel Intercontinental Tokyo Bay was "Snow White, Awakening With Strawberries" (which is doubly clever, since strawberries are just coming into season--i.e., "awakening"--in Japan), I immediately bought tickets for the very first sitting on the very first day.

A Hidden Bamboo Grove on Mt. Inari

oto's Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is among the most famous--and, as a result, most crowded--options, and while it's definitely impressive (even more so, if you happen to visit at a time when there aren't many other visitors), I prefer the less-known, but equally beautiful, natural bamboo forest on Mt. Inari (Fushimi Inari Shrine).

Apple Cake and Autumn Leaves

Kyoto is famous for autumn foliage, but I'd only been there once in autumn (on another research trip, in 2016)--and the timing was wrong to see the colors at their peak. I thought I was too late this time, too, but as luck would have it, I was wrong.

Wednesday Window: December 1, 2021

Autumn foliage at Eikan-do (永観堂)--formerly known as Zenrinji-ji, a Pure Land Buddhist temple in Kyoto. The temple was founded in 853, and remains both an active site of Buddhist worship and practice and one of Japan's most famous sites for viewing autumn leaves.

A Taste of Autumn in Japan

Last week, I had an appointment in Omote-Sando, a neighborhood in central Tokyo adjacent to Meiji Shrine, a Shintō holy site located on the grounds of a former Imperial garden. The shrine enshrines the Meiji Emperor and his Empress consort, who were deified after their deaths and now serve as Shintō guardians of Japan. I love to visit Meiji Shrine when I’m in the area–and I’ll post more photos from the visit soon. When I’m there, I also like to stop into the small cafe near the large Torii at the entrance to the shrine. They have some of the

An Autumn Visit to the Dragon King

On the first weekend in November, my son and I headed up to Tochigi Prefecture to hike the Ryuō-kyō (Gorge of the Dragon King). This was my third hike through the gorge, but the first time for my son, and I hoped we'd timed it correctly for autumn foliage. As you'll see, it didn't disappoint:

Inarizushi – Sushi Without Fish

that I don't go to sushi restaurants, and can't eat most types of sushi, there are a few types that I can eat--including one that saved me a lot of embarrassment on a solo hike in 2016.