Showing 1-12 of 12 results
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Snapshot Japan: Snowy Sapporo
Blog: Just Wandering - 3 April 2012
Snapshot Japan: Snowy Sapporo, a photo by nina_theevilone on Flickr. I left Tokyo early yesterday morning to embark on what became a 12-hour journey to Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. Just as I was getting used to the cool climes … Continue reading →
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よさこいソラン祭り...YOSAKOI!
Blog: Thiessen Twosome Does Japan - 15 June 2011
June is upon us here in Sapporo, and with it comes longer days, tons of BBQ parties, and about 50,000 dancers for my favorite festival, Yosakoi Soran. This yearly gathering brought hundreds of colorful teams from all over Hokkaido and Japan to compete and perform for the masses, and cries of "Soran! Soran! Soran!" accompanied some incredibly well-choreographed and energetic dancing for this year's 20th anniversary of the event:
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Sayonara, Snow Fest
Blog: Thiessen Twosome Does Japan - 11 February 2011
Well, Yuki Matsuri, it's the end of the road for us. You've given me three years of massive snow sculptural wonders, overpriced-yet-irresistible grilled seafood, seas of Chinese tourists, justifications of ¥500 ($5.50) cups of hot wine, ooohs and ahhhs, and plenty other festival goodness, and now it's time to say goodbye:
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Soran! Soran! Soran! Yosakoi!
Blog: Thiessen Twosome Does Japan - 15 June 2010
Okay, so the Sapporo Snow Festival gets all of the fame and notoriety, but it's the Yosakoi Soran Festival that is the most awesome, colorful, and energetic high-light of the festival calendar year here in Sapporo! As I mentioned last year, this festival is a five-day frenzy of some of the most amazing dancing you'll ever see. Seriously, it's like all of the shackles of the longest winter ever simply melt away with every shout of "Soran!"
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札幌の桜 Sapporo's Sakura (Cherry Blossoms)
Blog: Thiessen Twosome Does Japan - 21 May 2010
Sapporo's magnificent cherry blossoms were finally in full bloom last weekend, prompting lots of hanami BBQ parties, strolls in the parks, and photos!
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Snow Light Gleaming Festival in Otaru
Blog: Thiessen Twosome Does Japan - 18 February 2010
The folks over in the little town of Otaru always know how to come together for a great little festival! When compared with the Sapporo Snow Festival, the Otaru Snow Light Gleaming Festival is definitely the favorite of mine. Little community-made ice lanterns, snow sculptures, illuminated lanes, and the like fill the downtown area and making it a romantic, winter wonderland!
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Sapporo's Brilliant Beer Museum
Blog: Thiessen Twosome Does Japan - 18 February 2010
We currently have some friends up visiting us from Osaka and it's been wonderful! Having people come and visit always makes me get out and do the fun touristy stuff that I rarely get around to doing otherwise! One of these was visiting the Sapporo Beer Museum, located in the old, beautiful, red-brick building that was once a sugar factory (and later part of the Kitaku-shi Brewery). This is also the only, and I repeat, the only beer museum in all of Japan! How lucky are we:
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札幌雪祭り The Sapporo Snow Festival
Blog: Thiessen Twosome Does Japan - 11 February 2010
The whirlwind month that is February is in full speed and that means time for the annual Sapporo Snow Festival, our largest and most recognized international event. While not as majestic as last year's 60th Anniversary celebration, it was still a nice time of amazing sculptures, a showcase of delicious Hokkaido foods, and a huge downfall of the ironically annoying white stuff itself (snow at a snow festival...meh!):
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World’s great winter festivals
Blog: Lonely Planet blog - 18 January 2010
A cold winter is the rat of seasons. It always appears and most of us greet it with irritation, contempt, whining, even fear. Shouldn’t be the case. Vancouver’s showing off winter fun at the Olympics next month, and even away from ski slopes (or luge tracks), some places save their biggest events for the chilliest [...]
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Sapporo's Winter Wonderland
Blog: Thiessen Twosome Does Japan - 21 December 2009
Walking around Odori Park in downtown Sapporo this time of year is such a treat thanks to the annual White Illumination:
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Custom Kimono Gaijin Smash
Blog: Thiessen Twosome Does Japan - 7 December 2009
When you live in a place long enough, you sometimes become immune to the little things that make it unique. I was reminded of this last week during an amazing experience I had while visiting a fabric and kimono shop with a couple of my friends who were looking for gifts to take home to their families:
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Guest Post: A Letter from Hokkaido
Blog: The Silent I - 25 November 2009
Frank took a business trip to Hokkaido, ...
Showing 1-12 of 12 results
