A Trip! To Hokkaido! (Patreon)

Excuse all the "Want to Go" flags on my Google Maps screenshot up there. Zooming in on random places and marking them as destination I want to visit is kind of a hobby of mine 😅

Wee bit of news: It's been over a year since I last saw my kid. Julyan and his girlfriend packed up their apartment in the Big City and drove to very countryside (inaka) of Hokkaido (the northernmost island of Japan) in the spring of 2022. Sure we talk, but boy do I miss them like crazy. So I've been squirreling away money this whole time and finally bought tickets to go visit them in late September.  #Yay! And I can also see a little of Sapporo and the surrounding areas while I'm at it.

Has anyone ever lived in or visited Hokkaido? I've never been myself, but everyone who I know who has lived there or visited just loves it. So I'm super excited. Wide open spaces, fresh air, and cheese are three things I'm looking forward to. Well, other than hanging out with the kiddos, of course. I'd love to experience some Ainu culture, too, while there. 

Anyway, I also rented a car, so Richard and I will do a dry run of how we're want to start making videos (Youtube and also Patreon-only content, of course). We need a lot of practice before next year's spring trip. The one where I drive from here to Hokkaido, stopping along the way to see and show interesting sights and sounds. Just renting the car online in Japanese felt like a big step forward in preparing for that "Hokkaido Or Bust" spring road trip. All these scary little steps I have to conquer before the big dream happens. 

While we're there this fall we'll be posting stuff (again) on Youtube and here. So if there's anything you want to see or hear about, just let me know. 

Other news: Just got the copy edits back and have a week to get them done. So I'm in Serious Mode, no farting around on the Internet. But I also have a story I want to finish up and submit today (deadline) and the podcast to get up. Oh, and there's a craft brewery outdoor festival today that my good buddy (I haven't seen in years) invited me to. So, yeah, I am going to stop by there. I consider that a Pre Reward. Rewarding myself at the beginning of a bunch of work. I'm nost sure that's a thing or not....

Also, in case you didn't know: 

A little about Hokkaido.

It's the northernmost and second biggest island of Japan. Until the 17th century -- when Japanese began settling there -- it was mostly inhabited by indigenous peoples, namely the Ainu, and was called Ezo, Yezo, or Ezochi. Tragically, the Ainu didn't fare well and were killed, their land stolen, and otherwise assimilated into Japanese culture. In 1869 Hokkaido was annexed by Japan and in 1947 made a prefecture. I'm very much interested in the Ainu culture and stories. 

Winters are long, below zero, and lots of snow. Julyan described last winter to me and I had flashbacks to living in Alaska. He mentioned having to leave the house from the second story window because the snow would pile up overnight. Summers are lovely, however, I hear.Hokkaido is the only place in Japan that doesn't have those enormous, ghastly Japanese cockroaches that are so hard to kill, live everywhere, and FLY! Which is reason enough to go there and endure those winters!

I hope to find some fun and interesting things to share with you while visiting in a couple weeks. But right now...back to edits. 

XO,

terrie