Surreal Escapes

I had a bit of an unusual vacation this last weekend. One of the travel agencies here in Japan was offering a great package deal on the new civilian space flight program. I tossed the idea around for a while, debating if it was worth the money…and worrying about the safety. Eventually I decided to put my faith in the Japanese space program and bought a round trip ticket to Mars, with a stopover on the moon.

It was surreal being on the moon, peering off into the endless black sky even in broad daylight. Sadly our stay was short, just long enough for the ship to refuel, and we had to leave just before the Earthrise. Too bad, as I’ve heard it is beautiful.

We arrived on Mars in the early morning hours and the long shadows only added to the somber feeling of the planet. One of the few sites to visit were the rover tracks, which you can see in the photo. Other than that, there was nothing but barren rock beneath the dusty brown sky, and it made me eager to leave. While it was interesting to visit these foreign worlds, it is nice to be back among the familiar.

So, where did I really go to take these photos? (more…)

I’ve returned safely and have lived to tell about my journey to the mountains. Okay, there probably wasn’t much chance of me actually dying, but I’m afraid of heights so it certainly seemed like there was to me. Yeah..I neglected that fact when I decided to go climb big tall 3000m+ mountains. Aside from a little stress, the trip was excellent. I had beautiful weather and great views. The following is the story of my journey… (more…)

I’ve been keeping quite busy over the last few weeks. Every time I go somewhere new, my love for Japan grows. My language skills have vastly improved and I feel like I’m getting to know my co-workers better as a result. I can hold more intelligent conversations, make jokes, and just understand more in general. I still have over a month left, but I can already feel my time here in Japan running out. I don’t think I’ll be ready to leave when the time comes, but at the same time there is much that I miss from back home. I have a lot planned yet, starting with a trip to the Northern Japan Alps which I am leaving for tonight. In the remaining weekends I plan to climb Fuji-san, visit Amanohashidate on the coast of the Sea of Japan, climb to the top of a nearby mountain to view Lake Biwa, and see a few more sites in Kyoto. My final week here I get to spend with my girlfriend, traveling to Hiroshima, Himeji-jo, my favorite spots in Kyoto, and Tokyo. I’ve made lots of memories, but there are still quite a few left to make. Thanks to my trusty camera, I’ve captured a lot on film…er, flash card. Here are a few recent ones. (more…)