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Oysters & Coffee

On early Saturday morning, my friends and I headed into the countryside in search of delicious oysters and coffee. Our destinations were the annual oyster festival in Anamizu and the local coffee shop & cafe up near Suzu. Other delicacies that were had include desert pizza (actually fried dough filled with apple and custard) and a local "Yama-Sauvignon" bitter red wine.

Jan 27, 2012

Photos: 15

Tsukimi Kouro 2011

Every year the architecture club at Kanazawa Institute of Technology builds these wood and paper lanterns to be put on display downtown after dark for a weekend. The creative themes and pleasant nighttime atmosphere give this event a wonderful ambiance that I hoped to catch with some photography this year.

Sep 18, 2011

Photos: 15

Scrapbook Photos

Album for scrapbook photos

Jun 30, 2011

Photos: 5

Profile Photos

Album for profile photos

May 8, 2011

Photos: 1

Beijing on Business

Earlier this month I attended a conference related to engineering education in Beijing. I travelled with four of my colleagues and together we made time to see all the major spot during our 5 day trip. From Tian'anmen square and the Forbidden City to the Great Wall, we were able to enjoy not only business but a little bit of pleasure, too.

May 7, 2011

Photos: 43

Honolulu Vacation

For spring break this year I took a two-part journey to Hawai'i that began with two nights in Waikiki before moving on to another island. I got to see Hawaii's most popular beach, and the famous Diamond Head crater. This is the story of my brief visit to tourist paradise.

Mar 21, 2011

Photos: 36

Olympic Ski Trip

Over a three-day weekend in February, I took a road trip with some friends and colleagues into the Japan Alps to the site of the 1998 Winter Olympic Games. We spent two full days skiing at elevations between 700 to 1800 meters at the Hakuba-47 and Happo-One resorts.

Feb 10, 2011

Photos: 25

Visions of a Kenrokuen Winter

After a day of constant rain and a night of just as much snow, my holiday turned out to have a rather wintery feeling. So I headed back to Kenrokuen where I took my winter pictures last year, only this time I had something more than a point-and-shoot to take pictures with.

Jan 9, 2011

Photos: 31

Okinawan Sky

Everybody told me before my trip that Okinawa is known for how beautiful its ocean is. But for me, the most beautiful part was the sky. It was symbolic in its richness and fullness of the time I spent under this cerulean canopy starting new friendships and strengthening old ones. Here are my favorite visions.

Jul 15, 2010

Photos: 66

IJST 2010 - Welcome Party & Fieldtrip

It's that time of year again. Every year the SGE kids welcomed the new IJST exchange students with a welcome party and a fieldtrip, and this year was no exception. This year the fieldtrip consisted of Kenrokuen, Kanazawa Castle, and lunch at the Omicho market before heading back by bus.

Jun 11, 2010

Photos: 60

Toyama Fieldtrip with My New Camera

Since my digital camera broke (see My Broken Camera album), I went out and bought a new one for the field trip being planned by Photo Club at school. Here's an example of some things it can do as well as pictures taken in Toyama.

May 15, 2010

Photos: 46

My Broken Camera

The cherry blossoms have bloomed in Kanazawa, but my camera is broken! I took it off the charger and discovered something odd about the pictures it was taking... This is my story.

Apr 9, 2010

Photos: 22

Kansai Cherry Blossoms

Since I missed the cherry blossoms last year, I decided to head south during my spring vacation this year to give myself an extra chance to view them. In Osaka and Nara, two cities in the Kansai region of Japan, I hunted down early blossoming of the sakura. What I found was a little bit of cultural history along the way as my tour guide in Nara was an expert on Japanese history and culture.

Mar 27, 2010

Photos: 29

Singapore Fieldtrip

Six days in the multicultural hub of south Asia, I experienced the worlds of China, Malaysia, India, and the Middle East with a group of 90 Japanese students. Staying in a 5-star 70-story hotel, we saw the Merlion, Night Safari, Orchid Garden, ChinaTown, Little India, Arabic Street, lots of shopping, and delicious food. A wonderful experience for sensei and student alike.

Mar 17, 2010

Photos: 86

Kanazawa - Winter 10

Winter has come to Kanazawa and finally we have a good hefty amount of actual snow. Today I went downtown to the famous gardens of Kenrokuen to take pictures. Back in the Fall they performed a yearly tradition of tying the branches of each of the trees to a central support post, called "yuki tsuri" or "snow slings". These added to the winter atmosphere of this traditional Japanese garden overlooking the city.

Jan 16, 2010

Photos: 58

Kanazawa - Fall 09

Fall has come to Kanazawa. I took a bike ride out to Daijoji temple, located in a forest on the mountainside at the edge of the city. This is what I found.

Nov 22, 2009

Photos: 29

Kyoto - National Treasures and World Heritage

Kyoto was my final stop on my trip across the country and it was the destination most filled with sights to see. With 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites, I made a valiant effort with friends to see as many as we could. We also saw a piece of France at the Louvre exhibit and watched massive fires burn on the mountainside. I thought I was worn out from all the sightseeing by the time I got to Kyoto, but I still ended up taking plenty of pictures to share.

Aug 12, 2009

Photos: 79

Osaka

My time in Osaka was full of the city's character - spontaneous and full of hilarity. I reunited with many friends who came to study at my university, and together we saw sights and sang karaoke. Noteworthy places are the Shin-Osaka Sky Building, Universal Studios Japan, the Osaka Aquarium, and Osaka castle where I learned much of Osaka's history during the feudal period.

Aug 7, 2009

Photos: 47

Hiroshima

I was fortunate enough to pass through Hiroshima on the anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb. Each year they have a huge memorial ceremonial where they release doves and pray for world peace. The entire day was surreal with horrid images from the A-bomb, spontaneous interviews about nuclear weapons, and peace fanatics pushing their cause like a new religion. I would certainly recommend visiting Hiroshima to anyone who comes to Japan.

Aug 5, 2009

Photos: 18

Miyajima

Near Hiroshima, the island of Miyajima is a UNESCO World Heritage sight and one of the three most beautiful places in Japan. The entire island is a wildlife park with deer and monkeys interacting with visitors (one of the deer ate my map). I visited in the day, climbed to 535m above sea level to Mt. Misen, and then descended again at night to see the famous gate at high tide.

Aug 4, 2009

Photos: 28

Busan Daytrip

Taking a break from Japan, I hopped on a jet ferry and rode 3 hours across the Sea of Japan to the south side of the Korea penninsula. With only a few hours walking around, I visited the top tourist spots close to the port, including a marketplace that looked more like a warehouse than a series of stores.

Aug 3, 2009

Photos: 16

Fukuoka

Japan often makes me wish I had become an architect or a civil engineer. Hakata, located in the southern Fukuoka prefecture, was one specific example. Featured here are the ACROS building that contains stores, meeting rooms, and the home of a symphony orchester; and Canal City, which is a modern shopping mall along the city canal.

Aug 2, 2009

Photos: 12

Yanagawa

A beautiful diversion from the rush of travel, I went an hour south of Fukuoka to Yanagawa for a peaceful day on the canal. Other attractions include the mansion of a historic poet and one of the 100 most beautiful roads in Japan.

Aug 2, 2009

Photos: 19

Kamakura

An hour train ride out of Tokyo brought me to a small town filled with shrines and a massive bronze statue of Buddha. I hiked through the forest to see these shrines, caves, and graveyards.

Jul 28, 2009

Photos: 20

Yokohama

Visiting the town on the bay south of Tokyo, I walked the boardwalk and visited China Town. There was a magnificent shrine to Guan Yu, and an amusement park with a huge ferris wheel on the bay.

Jul 27, 2009

Photos: 7

Tokyo - Summer 09

Pictures from my weekend in Tokyo. On our way to see the giant Gundam in Odaiba, we ate at a restaurant overlooking Tokyo bay with a great view of the Rainbow Bridge. The following night we ate at a restaurant on the 50th floor overlooking the cityscape.

Jul 24, 2009

Photos: 13

Sapporo

A day walking around Sapporo in Hokkaido, Japan. Maru-sensei and I visited the Olympic ski jump station, Hokkaido Shrine, Ishiya Chocolate Factory, Sapporo Beer Park, and finally Mt. Moiwa for a night view.

Jul 23, 2009

Photos: 40

Asahiyama Zoo

A two-hour train ride and 30-minute bus ride later and we were in the most popular zoo in all of Japan. It is most famous for mastering the effect of visiting the animals in their native habitat. Just look how close we were able to get to them.

Jul 22, 2009

Photos: 27

Nagoya - Summer 09

Umi no Hi, the Day of the Sea. I spent the day walking around Nagoya with friends, seeing the Tokugawa Art Museum (no pictures were allowed of the exhibits), the surrounding gardens, and then the evening matsuri (festival) with a fireworks display that puts Independence Day to shame.