Snaps from the Cleveland Museum of Art

Over Memorial Day weekend, I had the chance to visit Cleveland for the first time for the wedding of one of my good friends from graduate school. The wedding was held at the… Continue reading →

Exploring the First Bay Area Book Festival

I’ve been having some awesome bookish adventures lately. One of the reasons I love my annual reading challenge is that it keeps me much more plugged in to what people are writing and… Continue reading →

Sonoma Getaway Weekend

One of the big perks of living in Berkeley is easy access to wine country. I’ve taken pretty good advantage of the situation in past years–I get up to Napa 3-4 times per… Continue reading →

Cat Cafe Time at Hapi Neko, Shibuya

I love cats. I recent acquired two adorable kittens (one Persian, one Himalayan), but since they are back in Berkeley while I am in Tokyo for the summer, I’ve been experiencing some definite… Continue reading →

Warasse: The Aomori Nebuta Museum

The Aomori Nebuta Matsuri is one of the most famous festivals in the Tōhoku region, if not all of Japan. What exactly is “nebuta,” you ask? Well, it’s a kind of lighted parade… Continue reading →

Wordless Wednesday #35: Instagramming Japanese Ads

http://instagram.com/p/b-D8nhqnvU/ Above: “My dates are only along the Tokyu [train] line.” http://instagram.com/p/ZH_wBzqnsk/ http://instagram.com/p/WtaxYGqnjI/ Above: Creepy ad targeting people who want to transfer jobs a to foreign-affiliated company http://instagram.com/p/WMVA5zqnli/ Above: Hey girl, is your… Continue reading →

Chuson-ji: Temple of the Fujiwara Clan

Last year, I made a brief stop in Iwate prefecture to visit the city of Hiraizumi, which was declared a World Heritage site in 2011 (the first World Heritage site in Tohoku). I… Continue reading →

4 Hours and 7 Cups of Coffee in Tokyo

A friend of my brother’s passed through Tokyo a couple of months ago, which gave me an excellent excuse to drink copious amounts of coffee in some of Tokyo’s most lauded locations. She’s… Continue reading →

Updates from the Garden

http://instagram.com/p/ZMqCvqqnnN/ It’s been a busy time for my balcony garden! In March, I added thyme, peppermint, eggplant and tomato to my oregano and rosemary plants from the fall, and things have been growing like… Continue reading →

Rice Cooker Baking Experiment #3: Rosemary Bread

Rice cooker baking is back! Actually, it never really left–I just haven’t been posting about it. My new favorite recipe is definitely rosemary bread, which I got from Adventures in (Post) Gradland, who… Continue reading →