Hannah in Japan

Hello again from Japan! Recently, I finally had a nice day on my day off after a few rainy days in a row, and decided it was time to go to Kawaguchiko, one of the top places to see Mt Fuji, and it was amazing! It's so much bigger in real life, and photos can't really do it justice. You really do have to pick the right day though, because it's an elusive mountain! Even throughout the course of the day, your view of it can go from crystal clear to obstructed by clouds. I think it's best to see it in the morning if possible, as that's when skies tend to be the clearest. The sakura cherry blossoms are also out in bloom now, and the weather has definitely warmed up, which is so nice! Over the next couple of weeks, I have a few hanami (cherry blossom party/picnics) to attend, so I'm looking forward to getting out and about and seeing the beautiful sakura. I really do love spring in Japan, it's pretty hard to beat. Today I thought I'd make a must-do list of t...

Hello again from Tokyo. I can feel spring in the air! Plum blossoms are in full bloom now, and these are almost as beautiful as the cherry blossoms. Picnics and warm weather are so close now! Unfortunately, on my day off on Thursday it rained and on my day off today, it's bucketing down yet again... Talk about bad luck. It really is hard to find motivation to do things when it's pouring with rain. Hopefully some much better weather is coming. So last year I wrote a post comparing Japan and New Zealand, and I listed a few things about each place that I like that the other doesn't really have. I thought it was about time for an updated version, because it's been a while and my opinions have changed as I've learned about and experienced more of Japan. I'll split it into New Zealand and Japan, and write the good and bad things about each. Here we go... I'll start with Middle Earth, New Zealand: Good. The people! New Zealanders are generally a pretty friendl...