This week we've gone from the far north in Aomori Prefecture to the far south in Kyushu! We got to see the annual Aomori Nebuta Matsuri, stayed in an old elementary school on Shikoku, changed plans due to the Nankai Trough earthquake advisories, and took a ferry to the 7 Hells of Beppu on the island of Kyushu.

Listen to the end of every episode to hear our Japanese "words-of-the-week," and head to @ramblingramsbothams on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes photos.

Have a question or idea? Send us an email at ramblingramsbothams@gmail.com, or visit our website: https://www.ramblingramsbothams.com/

This week we started our road trip by hiking Mt. Haku (or Hakusan), one of Japan’s 3 holy mountains. After the hike we started driving north to the Tohoku region, camping in Akita Prefecture, and making our way to Aomori Prefecture. We got to see Hirosaki Castle (one of the 12 remaining original castles in the country!) and stayed in Mutsu. During a bike ride there we visited Osorezan (literally Fear Mountain) and Bodaiji Temple, surrounded by sulfuric hot springs and said to be a gateway to the underworld.

More about Hakusan: https://www.city.hakusan.lg.jp/otherdata/sightseeing/hakusan/index.html

More about Osorezan: https://aomori-tourism.com/en/feature/detail_76.html

More about Hirosaki Castle: https://www.hirosakipark.com/en/

Listen to the end of every episode to hear our Japanese "words-of-the-week," and head to @ramblingramsbothams on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes photos.

Have a question or idea? Send us an email at ramblingramsbothams@gmail.com, or visit our website: https://www.ramblingramsbothams.com/

Today we officially moved out of our apartment in Uchinada! We’ll talk about the moving process, what we did with all our furniture, and how moving is different in Japan vs. the US. We also talk about all-you-can-eat buffet differences, sweet beans, bread shaped like Totoro’s cat bus, and what we’re doing now that we don’t have an apartment. Plus, did you know that the most expensive grapes in the world are from Ishikawa Prefecture?

Listen to the end of every episode to hear our Japanese "words-of-the-week," and head to @ramblingramsbothams on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes photos.

Have a question or idea? Send us an email at ramblingramsbothams@gmail.com, or visit our website: https://www.ramblingramsbothams.com/