Hannah in Japan

Hello again from Japan, Lately, I've been making the most of the nice weather and going on some pretty awesome day trips. The first of these was to a small town in Ibaraki prefecture called Oarai. Oarai is a seaside town with a rugged beach and not really too much else! There is a shrine that is located on the rocks, and when the waves crashed against the rocks, it looks very moody and dramatic, so it was great to capture that on camera. I had seen photos of this at sunset and sunrise, and it looked breathtaking, so of course I had to check it out. Unfortunately, the trains don't run quite early enough to arrive in time for sunrise, but even so, it was still worth a look. The train ride there was full of nice scenery to gaze at out the window, and it was nice to see the countryside and the beach again. There is a flower park not too far from Oarai that I would like to check out one day, so I might head back this way again. Another great day trip I've been on was to Mt N...

The things I miss about New Zealand, and the things I love about Japan. So after 4 months in Japan, I thought I'd write about some of the things I'm missing about New Zealand and also some of the things I love about Japan. I guess these are some of the ways in which my life has changed and how life is different here, for better and worse. Let's start with some things I miss... get it out of the way first! 1) The walking tracks! Near my house in New Zealand, there were so many amazing walking tracks, and I could see something different every time I went for a walk if I wanted to. Here, I've found one nice place to go for walk or run in the mornings by the river, and that's about it. I think this was something I took for granted in New Zealand. There are some nice parks here in Tokyo, but they're all at least 30 minutes from my house. 2) Going to the library. I miss being able to go to a library and choose a book to borrow! I can read the hiragana and kata...

So I found a taste of New Zealand right here in Tokyo. I found a cafe that serves Allpress coffee! And ANZAC biscuits!! Yes, that's right, I had an ANZAC biscuit at a cafe in Japan. Unfortunately, it did have a whole almond in it, which is just not how ANZAC biscuits should be, but it was close enough. Now, back to the coffee... Back in New Zealand, my go to coffee order was a mochaccino, or half coffee, half chocolate, as I was concerned about caffeine keeping me awake and making me jittery. However, the Starbucks cafe mochas that I had been drinking since arriving to Japan came loaded with cream on top, unlike hot mochaccinos in most New Zealand cafes. I realised I needed to cut this habit, and fast, or I would soon be gaining a lot of weight. Also, finishing late during the week means I needed something to keep me going throughout the day and into the night.  So I switched to a Starbucks latte, which was ok... but at the Allpress coffee cafe I had the signature New Zealand flat ...