Coral Restoration In Okinawa

Did you know that you can plant coral in Okinawa? Why would you ever want to be a nautical farmer, you may be asking? Why not, is what I say! We threw on some flippers and went to the briny shallows to experience a bit of the tropical coral goodness for ourselves in Okinawa.

Zamami Island and Kerama Islands National Park

Okinawa is the tropical getaway for the Japanese: It’s akin and analogous to Hawaii for the USA. The main draw is the natural beauty, and boy does this island paradise deliver! One special place to visit is the Kerama Islands National Park, particularly, Zamami Island.

Boca do Inferno

Do you like nature? How about tall seaside cliffs with crashing waves? One of the most spectacular views to be had in Portugal would definitely be Boca do Inferno, which we checked out as a small day trip from Lisbon.

Disaster Awareness in Japan

Listen, if we’re being honest, Japan, on paper, seems to be a pretty inhospitable environment: It’s susceptible to numerous earthquakes, typhoons, tsunamis, and hosts numerous active volcanoes. In spite of all of these signals that Mother Nature might be telling them to beat it, the Japanese have managed and mitigated disasters pretty well. There have […]

National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno

This blog is certainly no stranger to dinosaurs and dinosaur hunters, nor is it a stranger to museums in Tokyo. Today, we’ll take a look at some of the features that makes Ueno’s National Museum of Science distinct from other natural history museums.

Hiking in Nikko National Park

Do you enjoy beautiful nature? How about waterfalls? Do you like those? What about a natural epicenter of a country? If you said yes to any of these, then Nikko is the place for you to visit in Japan! I did a bit of hiking up there in my continued training for Fuji with some […]

What is Hanami?

The term hanami gets thrown around a lot in Japan and conjures up different images for different people. The general gist is the same: You spread out a blanket and watch some flowers. The most popular time to hanami is usually end of March or early April when the cherry blossoms (sakura) come out for […]

Plum Blossoms at Koishikawa Korakuen

Taking a moment to stop and appreciate the flowers (or the shifting seasons in general) seems to be pretty ingrained in Japanese culture. You can find all sorts of gardens and temples known for being hotspots to visit at specific times of the year. When I last visited Japan in 2010, I was fortunate to […]

Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park

When you tell people you are visiting Nagano, they will ask you if you’re going to ski or snowboard. After you tell them you aren’t, there is a small chance they will ask if you are going to see the snow monkey park. Every time you see snow monkeys hanging out in hot springs set […]

Fall Colors and Leaf Hunting in Japan

If there’s one thing the Japanese are really into, it’s the seasons. Each season has its own array of activities, foods, and natural wonders for you to behold. It’s widely known that in Spring you have the cherry blossoms. In the Fall, you have leaf peeping, or leaf hunting. Having grown up in the perpetual […]